My brother had this when we were little and we both loved playing with it. I actually played with it more then my Easy Bake Oven. Its fun to make different color bugs and be creative. I'm getting one of these for my daughter for her birthday next year (I'd get it for Christmas if we didn't spend so much already).

baaronwx

Port Richey, FL

My son, age five, received the **Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker **this past Christmas.  My husband was in charge of helping my son and daughter (age three) make their first batch of bugs when he sadly had to tell them that the bug maker was broken.  So away the bug maker went for two months until I found the receipt to return it and buy another one. **Mom to the rescue**:  After opening up the new **Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker**, I discovered that it required one 60 watt small base candelbra light bulb, which of course, was not included.  So much for the first bug maker being broke.  Note to other hubbies:  a light bulb is needed for the bugs to cook. **Let the fun begin**:  Once we figured out how to actually bake the bugs, the fun part began.  My kids had a blast pouring the bottles of plasti-goop into the molds and mixing up the colors.  There are three neon colors of plasti-goop: yellow, orange, and purple.  The colors are bright when poured into the molds but turn darker when the bugs are cooked.  There are two metal molds; one makes four small bugs and the other mold makes one large bug.  **The hard part**:  My kids don't have a lot of patience and were eager to see the results of their hard labor.  However, not only does it take approximately 7-9 minutes to cook one mold (ours took 9 minutes), but the oven has to cool (after you turn it off) before you can take out the bugs, which the instructions state can last from 8-25 minutes (our oven cooled off after 10 minutes).  Needless to say, my two young children were not happy that they had to wait almost 20 minutes until they could play with their first batch of bugs. I understand that it's a safety mechanism for the oven to not open while it's still hot, so I can't fault the manufacturer for that.  Safety first. **The really fun stuff**:  It took a little digging to get the bugs to come out of the mold and I was worried that I would rip one apart while doing so.  I needn't have worried because these bugs seem unbreakable as much as my kids have stretched and pulled on them.  My kids were excited to see the results of their hard work and couldn't wait to make several more trays of bugs.  Once the first batch of bugs were cooked, my kids happily played with them while awaiting more buggy friends to join their crew. **The creepy crawly of it**:  While the bugs don't look real because of their neon colors, they still spook me a bit when I find one hidden in the toybox or on the floor.  Your kids will have fun trying to scare their family and friends with their bugs!     **My Viewpoint**:  **The Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker **is recommended for ages eight and up.  With supervision, my children (ages three and five) did really well with this product - they didn't get burned or ingest any plasti-goop.  They did get bored waiting 20 minutes for one batch of bugs to cook, but they found other things to occupy their time while they waited.  Overall, I think that this is a fun, classic toy that most kids will enjoy.  The box states that up to 40 bugs can be made, which makes for a lot of buggy fun for kids of all ages.        

mindyvol

Undisclosed

Just like when I was a child, this item is just as good as it ever was!  I bought this for my soon to be teen son and he loves it.  He can be very dependant with it, an dhe loves creeping out his yougner siblings with the bugs he makes with the trays.  Very promising gift for an older child growing up that loves bugs!

ptrusten

Eagan, MN

when i bought this i was sceptical because my son is only 4 years old and i wasnt sure if he was old enough.he loves it and plays with it every day as long as an adult is there to help this bug making machine is for any age group and keeps them busy for hours.great gift for christmas has been aroung forever but is awesome .

aprilnjim

East Rochester, NY