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Get ready to ramp up the retro nostalgia and relive the glory days of your childhood. With the pull of a plunger and the flick of a flipper, you'll be reminiscing on afternoons spent at the arcade back in the day, while making lifelong memories with your twins right here, right now.
Hit the arcade without raiding your piggy bank
This activity table by Little Tikes is a fully functioning toy pinball machine. As part of its Old School line-up, this new twist on a throwback-style console hits on all the right points, right down to the coin slot operation.
Don't worry, it's not really coin-operated. The halfway-inserted coin is a permanent fixture. It looks cool, and it's just for show, so you don't have to a) stress about your tiny offspring constantly hittin' you up for change, or b) worry about any small pieces that could be a choking hazard for your toddlers.
Even the pinballs are intentionally oversized, so you'll never have to fret about them getting lost. Designed to look like asteroids, the two included balls fit right in with the space theme of the cabinet, successfully launching playtime beyond the stratosphere for astronomical fun that's out of this world for your toddlers AND for you.
Entertaining and educational
This retro-inspired toy encourages preschool learning through stimulating and interactive play. With over 100 sounds, phrases, and activities, this sturdy table is engineered to promote a larger than life experience in a light and compact cabinet.
At only 4.62 pounds, your suddenly-not-so-little ones may decide to take the arcade on the road (like ours did) and move the table to another part of the living room, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it'll keep them busy while they organize their play area for the ultimate gameplay set-up.
Easy to operate, this toy helps your toddlers fine-tune their fine motor skills.
Easy to operate, this toy helps your toddlers fine-tune their fine motor skills. They start by placing the pinball through the hole and preparing for launch. Then, they pull the plunger to start gameplay, sending their asteroid pinballs into outer space.
Pressing the bumper buttons activates the paddles / flippers to keep the asteroid ball in play among the stars and planets, preventing it from hitting UFOs or black holes that cause it to fall out of orbit and go down the drain (as you can see by swiping through the gallery below).
This awesome activity table also strives to stimulate your children's sensory development by incorporating a palette of vibrant colors and an array of bright lights that pop against the planetary backdrop.
Different prompts are activated through the various space-themed elements in the upper and lower playfields. As the asteroid pinballs crash into these buttons (or they get mashed by your mini-me's hands), your kiddos learn about the letters of the alphabet, counting numbers (including a countdown from 10 to launch), primary and secondary colors, and basic shapes. It also offers up a few tidbits about Earth, Mars, and Saturn.
The discreet volume control on the underside of the cabinet gives parents and caregivers complete control over how loud or soft the sounds play, which is a nice touch that doesn't go unnoticed in a household with double the decibels.
The discreet volume control...doesn't go unnoticed in a household with double the decibels.
You can also switch the language mode on the back of the unit. This requires a small tool (a mini screwdriver will do the trick), which prevents unwanted switcheroos from little, inquisitive fingers that will press anything they can get their hands on (literally).
If that weren't cool enough, your kids can put their own personal touch onto their first pinball machine by decorating their console with the included space-themed stickers. Our twins sure liked picking where each decal should go.
Little Tikes My First Pinball Activity Table
This is the Old School My First Pinball Activity Table by Little Tikes. It helps your toddlers fine-tune their fine motor skills and encourages development through sensory play.
Give gameplay a go
We got this pinball activity table for our twins for their second birthday and it was the hit of the party. All of their friends and cousins crowded around the console, watching the action unfold on the playfield and taking turns practicing their skill shots.
They had a ton of fun that day, and this activity table has logged lots of play time since then. It's absolutely one of our twins' favorite toys.
The fact that we can get in there, as parents, and make fresh memories with our kids to amp up our arcade arsenal (without having to put up any quarters) takes this toy to the next level.
Do you have any old school retro toys for your twins? Which ones are your favorite and why? Let us know in the Comments section below.
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