Let’s play: a review of All-Pro Passer, Wubble and 2 Smithsonian toys

We were compensated for this post. All thoughts are our own. The toy equivalent of “how much is that doggie in the window?” is, “is that toy really worth what they’re charging?” To that end, we just played with the All-Pro Passer Robotic Quarterback, Groovy Glow Wubble 2 pack, Smithsonian 30X Telescope/Monocular Kit, and Smithsonian Prehistoric Sea Monster Kit.  The result is one whose quality really surprised us, two that delivered as promised and one that didn’t deliver, yet.

The first thing you need to know about the All-Pro Passer Robotic Quarterback is that it doesn’t throw a full-size football. However, did you really think that a device that only costs $49.99 would be able to throw a regulation-sized football over 25 yards? This works with the six-inch foam football that comes with the device. The football has a plastic sleeve in the middle of it that slides down over a plastic pipe that sticks out from the base of the All-Pro Passer.

However, the important thing that we took away from playing with the All-Pro Passer is that it worked. The unit really threw the ball way past 25 yards and was able to toss it short distances with equal precision. Once we correctly assembled the base unit, placed the ball on the arm, pumped it up to the desired strength and hit pass, the throwing magic happened.

The Play Selection button on the console is very cool. It corresponds with a light-up display just beside that shows you where the ball will be thrown. You can program in a short pass that goes straight then cuts left or right, semi-deep passes that can do the same and long-distance passes that will really make your heart race.

I was just as skeptical as you because I wasn’t expecting the All-Pro Passer to work, much less really throw the ball with any strength. It does throw it with strength. There’s a sticker on the base of the unit that advises you to stay away at least 10 feet. You should heed that warning because if you pump up the indicator to full strength and are still close to it, you’ll feel the burn of that 6’ football.

The All Pro Passer Robotic Quarterback retails for $49.99 and will really entertain those football kids who need to improve their skills or just shake up the neighborhood games.

Smithsonian Prehistoric Sea Monster Kit has lots of promise and our ten-year-old was mega excited to use this. He was asking all sorts of questions like if the fish will bite him, could they live on land, were they frozen in Amber, and how these creatures could exist. He and I followed the directions down to the letter, but haven’t seen any prehistoric things swimming around.

The directions say to wait between two and 14 days to see results. It’s been seven days for us as we write this, and still, no 220 million-year-old visitors are in our fish bowl that has a dinosaur in the background. The packaging on Smithsonian Prehistoric Sea Monster Kit is great with directions that are easy to understand, but all of that is moot if it doesn’t produce. We’ll update accordingly if and when we see swimming creatures in the tank.

The Wubble Groovy in the Wubble two-pack is a simple case of truth in advertising. It’s a two-pack of semi-durable petroleum jelly bubble balls that inflate to ridiculous sizes. Inflating them was simple. We inflated ours with our mouth, but you can do it much easier and quicker if you have an air pump. They can be inflated to where the balls are almost four feet around. The Wubbles aren’t puncture-proof, they will pop or leak if you rub them across something abrasive, I imagine like a rake or coarse pavement. However, in our play with the ten-year-old which was in the park and his room it did great. He could lay on it, throw it, kick it and the Wubble never lost air pressure.

The Groovy in the Wubble two-pack is also priced well as a birthday gift. For us, that price point is $20, it’s very rare when we’ll spend over that amount for a kid’s birthday present. Another great use for this groovy pack is to have them at a sleepover. They do glow in the dark with a tie-dye pattern and are quick to recharge when the glow goes away. It’s battery-free fun that lived up the claim.

We’ve purchased lower-priced, beginner telescopes before and have been disappointed. The Smithsonian Telescope/Monocular Kit covers its expectations very well by also classifying itself as a monocular. That way kids can take it off of its tripod and simply use it like they’re an old-school sailor, looking for land.

When you use it with its tripod at night looking for stars or planets those younger audiences will still be entertained. It’s all about managing expectations this is an entry-level, beginner telescope that will allow those young STEM students to see the moon or a wide swath of stars. You won’t see the rings of Saturn or a secret base of monsters on the moon. However, those STEM-curious kids aged five through nine will enjoy it. Ignore the eight and up age recommendation on the box. Those younger kids will get more from of it and those older audiences will be expecting more, which isn’t on the menu for an entry-level telescope that costs $19.99.