I purchased this portable coloring desk for my three year old daughter last Christmas who said "oooh, neat" then promptly set it aside as she became entranced with other trendier, flashier toys. A year later the majority of those flashy toys now reside in the bottom of her toy box while this desk gets trotted out almost daily. I have purchased several additional coloring pages along with the "On The Farm" cartridge because she loves it so much.

I like the fact that while she's coloring the cute and educational pages the toy "speaks" to her and teaches her important things like letters and numbers or, if she's in the mood, she can flick the switch and play a game (my six year old son prefers this button) or even have a song that matches the coloring sheet sung to her in a cute little voice. It's also very portable with a nifty little slot for the coloring pages and a holder for her crayons though I do wish it had a spot for extra cartridges (I solved this problem by buying her a companion tote for everything). And, after one year of constant use I still haven't had to replace batteries!

My only beef with this toy is that the plastic holder that you lift up to put in your coloring sheet often comes right off! The crayon holder cover also has this same problem. It is also difficult for little hands (and my slightly older ones!) to get the paper holder into the correct little grooves so the product will speak. My daughter cannot do this most times and even I sometimes have to try 3-4 times before I get it in correctly.

This toy is a great investment if you have a child who enjoys coloring. It may not get you that initial "wow!" when it's first opened (it's not Barbie or Pokemon, after all) but I can almost guarantee that it won't become another unused and lonely toy added to the collection sitting in the bottom of child's toy box. ~ Laurie Shallah

51 of 51 found the following review helpful:


One of our favorites!  Nov 25, 2002 By Chris
We bought this last year for our almost-three year old. It's a year later and she still loves it. Early on it took her a few tries to get the paper in just right, but it has been a favorite for whole year (coming from a child who changes favorites daily!)

It is easily portable, durable and has grown with her. Now that she has her letters and numbers down, we are working on telling time. She has even started spelling words from what she has learned about the sounds that letters make from the repetitive but effective letter song. You also can use blank paper and the music-only setting for free-form coloring and writing practice.

I do wish it held a few more crayons, but we just throw an extra pack in the bag. Another bonus: I haven't even had to replace the batteries yet!

49 of 49 found the following review helpful:


great way to encourage writing/coloring for young toddler  Oct 20, 2002 By KNSudha
I use this with my 2 year old(27 mo), and the level is about right, I think a child who knows their ABCs etc would not appreciate it, but my son who was reluctant to use crayons loves to hear pooh bear or tigger talk to him. So he spends 30-40 min at a time coloring which he would not do previously. The basic ABC sheets are not very interesting, but we color a few of those and then move on to Pooh bear each day and I guess some of the information sticks.

For his age group, I have to play with him, but he is catching on to the go circle, and I am thrilled when he attempts to color within the lines, and matches specific colors with specific objects like yellow bananas... This is also a redesign. It does not have snap on templates with numbers, or the coloring template like the previous design. The blue lid which holds the coloring page in place does come off occasionally, but only if he tries to open and pry it off, not while coloring. I don't notice any problems with sensitivity so far, but if you are not right in the middle of an object, it won't identify it for you. Not a problem so far since he seems just too young for the game mode where this might lead to frustration.

For the future, I'm not sure if this toy will lead to independent play since you have to keep changing coloring sheets etc. All of which can lead to numerous toddler decisions and frustrations. Despite the high price, this is a great great way to encourage coloring / writing skills though for your boy who would much rather be playing with trains or cars.

53 of 55 found the following review helpful:


Especially good for special needs children  Nov 12, 2002 By Mapmaker11
My son received this for Christmas last year. As I was going through other LeapFrog items, I noticed that the Imagnination Desk didn't have 5 stars. I am amazed! The toy is great. My child has high functioning autism and it was the best way for him to learn his alphabet. In fact, he learned all of his letters and the sounds they make in only a few days. The visual and musical combination while using a motor skill, I guess is what did it. I have loaned out my son's desk to other special needs children and they have had similiar results. I love that you can directly print new coloring pages from the Internet. We haven't had any type of mechanical problems and the page is always on the correct sensors. Any child who has been to my house has gravitated to this toy. It is a winner and definitely worth the money.

33 of 34 found the following review helpful:


Excellent product  Nov 22, 2002
We purchased the imagination desk for my daughter last Christmas. She was 2 1/2. I believe she was a little young for it when we first got it but I did not regret getting it. This is a toy that has been bought out again and again. There has been periods when it has not been used; especially in the beginning. Now, everytime SHE brings it out, it holds her interest for longer periods of time (both in duration and the frequency she chooses it). At 3 1/2 this is one of her favorite toys.

We are about the purchase for the first time the companion packs. I think she is eager to do something new with her desk. I am hopeful she will continue to enjoy this toy.

I gave imagination desk a five star rating because my daughter enjoys coloring with this toy. She also enjoys the little bus plate that came with it. Anything that introduces letters, numbers in a fun way deserves five stars in my book.

I have used their 800 number and was very pleased. Excellent customer service.

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