Fisher Price Dance Star Mickey Mouse Toy

Whenever you buy a toy for a young child, the one thing that you must be certain of, is that it is safe. Whilst toy manufacturing laws are now rather stringent in terms of safety and testing, it is natural to buy products from a name that you can trust.

Fisher Price is one such name. Founded in 1930, it is now a subsidiary of Mattel Inc (think Barbie Doll!). The company was the bran child of Herman Fisher, Irving Price and his wife Margaret and Helen Schelle.Their business model was to provide sturdy and innovative toys which also represented good value for money.The Fisher Price Dance Star Mickey is one such example of this.

Since 1930, the toy industry has become big business with marketing and advertising playing a far greater role in toy sales than the original founders could ever have come to imagine. However, trust also plays a great part when it comes down to our choice of toys for young children. A lot of us will have grown up with Fisher Price toys. We will recognise not only the safety but also the quality of the products.

We also put our faith in the companies concerned and rely upon their integrity. In 2007, Fisher Price recalled almost 1 million products due to the possibility of lead being contained in paint. Whilst this was undoubtedly an embarrassing mistake to make, it does reaffirm our trust in the integrity of the company to do what's right by our children, nieces and nephews.

Firstly, a note of caution. As I write this hub, Christmas is fast approaching and stocks of Dance Star Mickey are already extremely low. So, if you haven't already ordered, then you may be out of luck. Sorry!

However, I am always intrigued by the hot sellers each year and why it is that they become so popular (even if they are quickly replaced by the next newest toy to come off the production line!).

Well, naturally, it is Disney's Mickey Mouse albeit as an animated toy. Suitable for children from approximately 18 months to 6 years old, Mickey walks, talks, sings and dances.There are plenty of rave reviews about the toy and the only drawback appears to be the high battery usage. So, to avoid any tears, make sure you have plenty of spares, just in case Mickey stops singing part way through a song!

The manufacturer's promotes the toy as watching Mickey Mouse come to life through hisgrooving and moonwalking. The toy also comprises interactive games which parents can join in with.

Call me a cynic, but the interesting part for me, in the manufacturer's scribe, was the reference to Dance Star Mickey encouraging children to become physically active by enticing them to get up and dance. Now I know we all need some encouragement to exercise but an interesting tug on the emotions of health conscious parents there!

Seriously though, it would appear that this toy does melt the hearts of children and it's difficult to find many negative comments about Dance Star Mickey.