Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If you care about safety and quality, SKIP this product. In fact, since blocks are such a core product for little kids, it makes me leary of purchasing ANYTHING from this company which makes a BIG DEAL on its web site about product safety and compliance and blah blah blah. Want the story? Fine, you asked for it. Got it delivered. First off, before even opening the box, I can see through the plastic shell they came in, and see the inside of the the shell is COVERED in tiny specks of paint that have separated from the blocks. And looking closely at the blocks they have numerous small paint defects. These are unused, unopened blocks, and I already know with 100% certainty they would be destined to go in my kid's mouth anyway. NOT GOOD, people. No, we are NOT off to a good start. I really don't care about Melissa and Doug's safety assurances at this point — no lead in your paint? Goooood for you. I’m STILL not going to FEED my kid paint. At this point: decision has been made to return. My ire aroused, I turn back to the Amazon reviews to figure out what we missed the first time around. And someone is complaining that the pictures on the block do not correspond with the letters. We examine the blocks through the plastic shell and find this is largely true. The J is paired with something that looks like a "jet" but the O is paired with a... Cow? The Car is paired with the number 1. The Dog is paired with the letter A. Like what? Come again? Friends, let’s take a step back here. What is the point of blocks? The philosophical point of them, I mean. Are they supposed to be at least nominally educational in nature? Like can we pretend our kids will learn something useful from these static hunks of matter, that the combination of letters and pictures and physical experience will somehow give our kids some little semblance of a learning experience, helping to set them successfully on the path to reading, phonics and maybe a PhD a couple decades down the road? Or are they, in essence I mean, at their hard knobby cores, glorified chew toys? Much like those rawhide bones they sell for puppies to gnaw and teethe upon, but enhanced to leave flecks of errant paint on your little one’s lips? Is that all that blocks mean in our lives? If so, count me out. I demand more of the blocks I give my kids. Just a wee bit more. Did I mention the blocks are sanded somewhat poorly? A little chewing, and what, we can expect some splinters-in-mouth down the road? Not my scene. And won’t be my baby’s scene. So… picking up the pieces from this situation… not literally, mind you, because I’m going to return these blocks unopened.... picking up the pieces here: there are two ways to produce a cheap product in China. One is to station your people at the factory, like Apple computer co does. And you get world class quality, somewhat more cheaply than you would otherwise. Or you don't, and you try to mass produce by remote control, and you get cheap garbage. That's the latter case here, unfortunately. Shipping and handling a product like this from China probably costs a minimum of $6. It costs the seller at least $6 more to sell and ship this product via Amazon. Leaving what, $1 to actually invest in the product? That's what you are buying here folks. A $1 product which means no American could have afforded to spend any time doing proper quality control on it. And this lack of quality shows. Am I sore? Yes I'm sore! This stuff is sold for little babies and toddlers to use, and it's horrendous. Just inexcusable as a product. Skip this poor quality block set, folks. These are not the blocks you are looking for.