Hasbro Elefun - The Butterfly Catchin' Game Review

Kids love games of any sort. Mine little girls have several games they count among their favorites and a few others they like, but with slight reservations. One game that fits into the latter category is Elefun, a butterfly catching game from Hasbro.

Game Commentary:

Elefun is a motor- operated game that features a plastic base shaped like an elephant. This elephant has a long, four- foot vinyl trunk that contains dozens of small "butterflies". These insects are vinyl in construction and are shaped like a bowtie. They come in several colors like green, yellow, red, and orange.

To play Elefun, two to four players are required. Each player takes a small net and stands next to Elefun. The small butterflies are placed in the base, the trunk is attached, and the motor is activated. As the motor runs, air is blown through the trunk, causing it to expand and release the 30 small butterflies. The player who catches the most butterflies with their net is the winner.
 
Elefun is a simple enough game and it is one to which my girls took an immediate liking. The action factor is a large reason why they like this game. Rather than simply move tokens or other objects around a board, Elefun features small butterflies that float through the air and require trapping with a small net. The butterflies start to shoot out of the elephant's trunk and they flutter around until they are caught or settle on the floor. Children will scramble with their nets in hand, trying to catch as many butterflies as possible to win the game. The game isn't necessarily educational, but it does help promote eye- hand coordination and usually keeps children entertained.

With an action- oriented game like this, how could you and your children go wrong? Well, Elefun actually has a few flaws that prevent it from being the enjoyable form of entertainment it could be. First, the action factor is actually a little on the slow side. I can agree that it is better to have the butterflies gradually fly out of the trunk rather than explode out, but the problem is the amount of time it takes for the trunk to expand and the slowness of the release of the butterflies. The motor is too weak to get the game going and both parents and children will grow impatient having to wait.

Another issue that I have with this game is its tendency to eat up batteries. It takes four batteries to power this device and they die quickly. The game is brief, and that means that most children will want to play it again and again. If this happens, the batteries are not likely to last more than a few days. With four batteries, I would expect a more powerful motor. However, the motor is weak and yet the batteries still do not last very long. Also, since the motor is so weak, fully charged batteries are essential. Weak batteries will slow down the motor to the point where the butterflies may not release at all.  

Yet another problem I have with Elefun is the butterflies themselves. No matter how many times my girls have played and no matter how we arrange the butterflies, shake the base, etc., Elefun doesn't release them all. There are always a few butterflies left, stuck in the base. This is due to the weak motor and also to a design flaw in the game. Did no one at Hasbro thoroughly test this product before it was released for sale? And because the butterflies are small, they are very easy to lose.  

Bottom- Line Viewpoint:

My bottom- line on Elefun is that it isn't as much fun as it should be. My girls still like it for its action qualities, but they get frustrated waiting for the butterflies to come out of the trunk. Hasbro needs to rethink and redesign this game and until they do, I cannot recommend this flawed form of child entertainment.