Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube

As a musician, the sound this cube produces is so terrible, I shudder every time I hear it. When I first heard it, I immediately thought the batteries were dead and changed them, only to discover that brand new batteries made no difference whatsoever. My 11 month old son pressed the buttons eagerly to see what would happen, frowned, and then quickly pressed them again to make it stop and pointed at the CD player from which there is almost always some sort of music playing! He by far prefers a CD or even an MP3, so this toy has now been abandoned. The distinction between the different instruments is very slight. My violin sounds nothing like this supposed violin sound. The rest of the instruments do not resemble their real counterparts very much either, and even the intonation is not exact.

As an engineer, I know that even the simplest synthesizers and even the most terrible audio compression algorithms produce better audio quality. Why couldn't the engineers of this toy make this sound better? If anything, I would think the audio auality of this toy would put a musically oriented child off of music entirely. For this price you can buy a better electronic keyboard and play with truly different sounds with your little one.

As for selection, aside from a few obvious ones that are acceptable, there are numerous more interesting and more familiar pieces composed by Mozart. I'd love to know who chose these pieces and why.

So far, this toy has mostly been thrown around. As such, it has not yet broken, though I too have experienced the need to turn it off and on again in order to get it to function "properly" again.

So, I would wait for a new version of this toy to come out with considerably better electronics before buying. Or, at the very least, listen to it at the store before you buy it to see if you can stomach the sound yourself.


Fun music with fun play.   July 1, 2003
Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States)
129 out of 134 found this review helpful

I am on my second child and this toy continues to be a favorite.

The cube has six buttons. It will play one of six Mozart tunes. One button switches between the tunes while the others turn on and off specific instruments (piano, violin, harp, french horn, flute).

The cube has rounded corners with durable rubber bumpers that make it both safe and durable. It is amazing how much abuse this toy can take.

My oldest received the toy when she was 13 months and now nearly three years later she is still playing with it as is her younger brother.

A little pricey, but very-well made. A toy that will last from one child to another.


Greaat for babies of all ages!   October 15, 2001
71 out of 72 found this review helpful

We bought this last year for Christmas for our (then) 18-month-old. She loved it, but the real surprise was last month when our 10-month-old discovered it. To say he loved it would be a real understatement!! He loves to crawl around after it and will play with it for 30 minutes at a time--amazing for a baby to play with something for that long.

The music is a pleasure to listen to, especially compared with most musical baby toys. Like the other reviewers, I would have liked the addition of a volume control, but otherwise this toy is perfect. The batteries even seem to last a very long time. I was amazed that my 2-1/2 year old and 10-month-old can be mesmerized by the same toy.


A toy that keeps on giving   November 2, 2005
Random McNasty
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

My wife and I have been living with these 8 tunes for the last 4 months with our 7 mos. old. He was attracted to the noise and lights from the outset, and it remains his favorite light and noise toy to this day. He can manipulate it easily, and is fascinated by his control over the sound.

The toy itself is very well designed. The panels take just the right pressure to activate, the chip does an excellent job of determining whether a press is designed to turn a panel on, off, or was just an errant double-tap from a youngster with less than 100% control over his appendages. The rounded rubber corners are safe, flash enticingly, and apparently taste delightful.

There are only 2 reasons I give this 4 stars rather than 5. The first is that moisture can seep around the panels and destroy the contacts inside, keeping the panel from operating. We've lost one panel so far to well-aimed spit-up. Babies and wetness go hand-in-hand, after all. The second is that while the eight songs are well-chosen, it would be nice if manufacturers started designing these toys with the ability to either purchase or download additional tunes to update the cube. For nearly 50 dollars, either a tune-stick slot or a flash USB port would be a very welcome relief to parents who have heard the french horn solo to twinkle, twinkle little star for an hour straight.

**Six month update***
The cube is still going strong, except for the one panel I mentioned as having failed earlier. Although we use rechargeable batteries it is still nice that it really sips battery power. The set of included alkalines went nearly 6 months before needing to be replaced.

The cube is still a favorite toy, and has grown with our son. Now it is baby's first boom-box -- he drags it with him to other toys, gives it a casual slap to get it started, and enjoys the music while he plays with his blocks or toy cars. When he really focuses on it, he enjoys making it change sounds by activating or deactivating the various panels. He has the sing-along version as well, and he will fire them both up and frown at the cacophony; much like a 3-foot orchestra conductor.

The bottom line is that this toy has been a winner from day one, and continues to be a winner. For its price, it is a fantastic value, and for the fun it brings our baby, it is priceless. If I could, I would update our star rating to 5. My earlier comments are still valid, but it's really the maestro's toy, and it's pretty clear how he feels about it: 5 stars all the way.