Kanaka916
Well-known member
It will be seen by all.
$10 Cartoon Character Ukes at Walmart - get them today or take a chance this weekend
- Thread starter UkeCan1
- Start date
It will be seen by all.
Canada Jim
Well-known member
Speaking of plastic ukes, this one was in a local second hand shop last summer. It's an Arthur Godfrey Islander by Macaferri. All plastic with zero fret.
Last edited:
Chopped Liver
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2012
- Messages
- 7,649
- Reaction score
- 9
Yep, I got mine from walmart.com (very rarely go to the store - maybe once or twice a year). I got the Minnie, too! The saying on it suits me!
http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=disney+guitar
The first four are actually ukes; the other ones are guitars.
http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=disney+guitar
The first four are actually ukes; the other ones are guitars.
bird's eye view of my ukelele
Well-known member
omg the tuner buttons on the mickey uke!!!!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Disney-Mickey-Mouse-Mini-Guitar/38236313
:bowdown:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Disney-Mickey-Mouse-Mini-Guitar/38236313
:bowdown:
Chopped Liver
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2012
- Messages
- 7,649
- Reaction score
- 9
ohmless
Well-known member
yeah it grew on me. Think I will keep it. The tuners are a big plus in that the knobs are large and easy to turn, but for my bigger hands it gets tight against the other tuner. Also the "brass" gear in the back of the tuner is just painted plastic. Hope that part can be swapped out for a real metal gear. I am working on a full review. Just waiting for the strings to be stretched enough to last through a demo vid.
actadh
Well-known member
These are wonderful little ukuleles. The yellow one is the one that started it all for me last year.
Yellow Aloha First Act Discovery - original strings and a year of playing. I included a closeup of the nut and a penny at the 12th fret. Very slight zero fret wear under the A string - had to wiggle the string to find it to answer the previous poster. No buzzing.
Blue Mickey First Act - original strings, but more rubbery strings than the yellow one. Good for the 2 year old who uses it as a baseball bat.
Pink Minnie First Act - has the thicker Aquila strings and buzzes a bit on the A string if played hard
Picture of the back of the ukuleles for comparison of the bows, ears, and regular pegs. (They are the same size, even though the yellow one looks bigger in this picture.)
Harmony soprano with plastic fretboard for comparison - same size, thicker body than the plastic ones. Sounds about the same as the plastic Minnie, but a bit deeper tone.
All four ukuleles sound best with a very light touch and fingered close to the fret. The Outdoor Uke/Plastic Uke threads found on this forum go into a lot of detail on how to play these types of ukuleles.
My Minnie has a different picture than yours, UkeCan1. I want to read your review once it the strings settle. I wrote about these when the BugsGear and Woodi ones came out, but it didn't attract much interest. Thanks for starting this thread!
Yellow Aloha First Act Discovery - original strings and a year of playing. I included a closeup of the nut and a penny at the 12th fret. Very slight zero fret wear under the A string - had to wiggle the string to find it to answer the previous poster. No buzzing.
Blue Mickey First Act - original strings, but more rubbery strings than the yellow one. Good for the 2 year old who uses it as a baseball bat.
Pink Minnie First Act - has the thicker Aquila strings and buzzes a bit on the A string if played hard
Picture of the back of the ukuleles for comparison of the bows, ears, and regular pegs. (They are the same size, even though the yellow one looks bigger in this picture.)
Harmony soprano with plastic fretboard for comparison - same size, thicker body than the plastic ones. Sounds about the same as the plastic Minnie, but a bit deeper tone.
All four ukuleles sound best with a very light touch and fingered close to the fret. The Outdoor Uke/Plastic Uke threads found on this forum go into a lot of detail on how to play these types of ukuleles.
My Minnie has a different picture than yours, UkeCan1. I want to read your review once it the strings settle. I wrote about these when the BugsGear and Woodi ones came out, but it didn't attract much interest. Thanks for starting this thread!
Attachments
Last edited:
OP
OP
UkeCan1
Well-known member
Pink plastic $10 Minnie uke's first video
The strings are settling pretty fast, actually. Hopefully by tomorrow I can actually play the thing. In the meantime, here's a preview video:
The strings are settling pretty fast, actually. Hopefully by tomorrow I can actually play the thing. In the meantime, here's a preview video:
ohmless
Well-known member
REVIEW:At first glance I thought this was a junk ukulele considering the price and initial strum had lots of buzzing. This does not occur with weaker strums so it is good to practice playing quietly. This is a quiet instrument.
Build: I like the design of the tuner cute pegs, but the downside is they have a plastic gear painted to look like brass. Already after just a couple hours it is showing some wear on mine. It has plastic fret wires that will eventually wear down. Also there is a triangular piece of plastic inside the body to support the top to prevent dimpling. I think this is the main reason the instrument is quiet. An acceptable trade off in my opinion,though this will make adding a pickup difficult.
Conclusion: There is good value in this ukulele for the cost. $10 dollars to find out if your child will like playing the instrument isn't bad at all(your tuner will likely cost more). I see this as an instrument for quietly practicing inside the car or boat so that it won't deafen the people with me. This instrument really shines when finger picked compared to strumming. this would also be a good choice for a child to feel out their interest and will likely need upgrading soon after getting serious.
OP
OP
UkeCan1
Well-known member
Here's how I hold my Flea. It's ultra-solid, leaves both hands completely free for playing. I'll show the video here, even though Flea is OT, because I will be doing something similar for the Minnie.
Yeah, I love "Happy to Be ME!" That's my very favorite thing about the Minnie uke.
Ooh ... I want an Ariel guitar now! (Only 20 bucks ... hey.....) Interesting that the guitars cost less than some of the ukes.
Ah ... the inspirer of this whole endeavor has arrived in the thread. Welcome, BirdsEye! You and your Beano planted this seed in my head that has sprouted today.
I know, right?! Love those tuners ... and the pink bows on Minnie!
Kelly, great sound test video and initial review. I love that you're keeping it after all ... I was going to keep one and give away one ... and now I am just wanting to buy more ....
Laura, thanks for the great pics and your love of these ukes ... makes me confident I'll love it too once it settles. I love your yellow Aloha ... do they not make that one any more? I didn't see it anywhere.
And thanks for the playing tips! I'll look for the thread you mentioned. If you can find it, do let us know - it looks really helpful.
And yeah, I noticed at http://discovery.firstact.com that the pics are different. They're also completely different characters and designs than the three pictured in the Wal-Mart ad. (Which you can also see on their web site.) Seems like they keep changing them up. So if you like the current designs, you might want to snap them up!
I will most likely do a video review rather than written - easier for me - hope that suffices. It's amazing to me the attention this little thread is attracting. I'm learning as much as anyone, about these new ukes I bought ... so thanks, everyone!
bird's eye view of my ukelele
Well-known member
so cute! this kind of detailing shows care and thought went into the design. my beano uke has very small tuner buttons, again i think it's a nice touch, they look good, it makes the headstock look nice.
the beano gnasher uke i have (the beano is a UK comic, main character in it is dennis the menace, he has a dog called gnasher, and there is a girl character minnie the minx, all three characters have their own beano uke, all three characters are in fact on each of the three uke designs, but if you have the gnasher uke, it is gnasher the dog who is the biggest character on the uke, he is the star of it, and so on and so forth with whoever your fave out of the three is) blah what was i saying oh yeah...
my uke was quiet when i first got it, but it tuned up very well, i could hear straight away it had good intonation. the strings it came with were clear, but a bit thicker than living water fluorocarbons, i changed the strings to living water fluorocarbons, my fave strings for soprano and concert ukes, it made the uke a lot louder and clearer and cleaner sounding. the beano uke is 13 and a half inch scale, and it is wood.
the key thing with the strings is yes change them to something good, defo fluorocarbon, in my opinion they sound better on the small ukes, soprano and concert, than aquilas. (i use aquilas on my tenor and baritone ukes, i like them, i like the wound strings (low g on the tenor) so i am not anti aquilas i just think the fluorocarbons sound brighter and that really suits a small uke). also stretch the strings very thoroughly when you first put them on and tune up, keep stretching them and re-tuning until you aren't getting huge drops on pitch every time you stretch them, this really really REALLY helps new strings settle fast and be genuinely playable quicker.
the tuners on my uke seem to be all metal...
ok i think i'm done here, forgive me for banging on about my uke, i just wanted to share my experiences with a cute cheap cartoon uke in case any of it might help.
YES i play mine ALL THE TIME! it sounds fab, i play loud, i am not gentle with my strumming!
oh and wendy, i fitted strap pins to my tenor uke and my baritone but i've never felt i personally needed to for my soprano and concert ukes, i know everyone is different and if a strap helps a person play then yay for the strap, but for a small uke, just try holding it so your strumming arm firmly holds the uke to your body, your fretting hand should not have to support the neck very much, your body and forearm are doing all the holding work. this works for high on the chest or lower around tummy level. i will not get into the specifics of female anatomy but this holding technique can work above the problem area or on your tummy near the hip, below the problem area.
end of beano uke meandering, back to you guys and your fab disney ukes
bird's eye view of my ukelele
Well-known member
ooh no excuse me one more time, ohmless, i use a cherub clip-on mic on my beano uke and alot of my other ukes, sometimes on the headstock, sometimes clipped slightly precariously to the bridge, they work really well, you pick up some of the sounds of moving your hands up and down the neck but i think that is true of any piezo pick up, even built in, clipping to the bridge helps with that, well worth a try before drilling and adding something, or sticking something to the uke, the clip-on mics are literally just a couple of quid, just a few bucks, well worth trying one
ok no really i am outta here for typing but will be back for reading!
ok no really i am outta here for typing but will be back for reading!
I have been looking for the last few days to try the mod-podge idea from last week on a ukulele and change it up to any character(s) I like. I think this might be worth trying, pick up some gorilla glue or apoxy to glue on a couple of buttons and maybe even try to instal one of those cheap pick ups they have on e-bay.
I have not looked at the ukes they have at walmart for about a year or so, they seem to have a lot of Uke related stuff on their website for store pick up.
I have not looked at the ukes they have at walmart for about a year or so, they seem to have a lot of Uke related stuff on their website for store pick up.
I just noticed that the website has lowered the price on a few plastic cartoon ukes from $24 to $10 The Micky and Mini are more on the website but there is a princess and a "cars" uke available for $10 and it looks like if you buy $50 there is free shipping or free store pick up at a store of your choice. (not just in ukuleles)
(purple and brown)
Walmart #: 552704861
Walmart #: 552704857
(purple and brown)
Walmart #: 552704861
Walmart #: 552704857
actadh
Well-known member
Look at at the ToysRus website for more options. Bit pricier but they have Black Friday discounts.
Last edited:
OP
OP
UkeCan1
Well-known member
OOPS - I WAS WRONG ... SALE IS THURSDAY 6PM THROUGH FRIDAY ONLY!!!!!
And looks like all day Thursday and Friday online - free store pickup (AFTER the rush - yay! :cheers.
So first, of all - that. The sale is only today and tomorrow - I discovered last night I misread it. Sorry for misleading you all!
And, I followed Brian1's message to see that, yes indeed, they are available online for $10 NOW ... with free in-store pickup.
And just to clarify, there's no minimum order required for free in-store pickup. The $50 minimum is only if you want it shipped to you free.
Which means ... yes, indeed ... you can buy them for $10 without ever having to enter a Wal-Mart store during the dreaded Black Friday weekend, or leaving your Thanksgiving table in the middle of dinner.
So, happy Thanksgiving!
(Me, I now have to go back to my store ON BLACK FRIDAY if I'm going to get the $20 back on the two I bought. Which, you know, I'd like to, because then I can buy two more online. Gonna try 7am ... but that might be worse ... maybe midnight is better. Or tonight on my way home.... )
The designs available online for $10 are the three that were in the ad (Doc McStuffins, Cars, and Sofia (the one I was calling Snow White)) ... and not the Mickey and Minnie models available in the stores ... or at least, my local store. Though I should think if you bought one online, you could maybe trade it in for Mickey or Minnie after the holiday, if you really wanted that one.
And looks like all day Thursday and Friday online - free store pickup (AFTER the rush - yay! :cheers
.So first, of all - that. The sale is only today and tomorrow - I discovered last night I misread it. Sorry for misleading you all!
And, I followed Brian1's message to see that, yes indeed, they are available online for $10 NOW ... with free in-store pickup.
And just to clarify, there's no minimum order required for free in-store pickup. The $50 minimum is only if you want it shipped to you free.
Which means ... yes, indeed ... you can buy them for $10 without ever having to enter a Wal-Mart store during the dreaded Black Friday weekend, or leaving your Thanksgiving table in the middle of dinner.
So, happy Thanksgiving!
(Me, I now have to go back to my store ON BLACK FRIDAY if I'm going to get the $20 back on the two I bought. Which, you know, I'd like to, because then I can buy two more online.
Gonna try 7am ... but that might be worse ... maybe midnight is better. Or tonight on my way home.... )The designs available online for $10 are the three that were in the ad (Doc McStuffins, Cars, and Sofia (the one I was calling Snow White)) ... and not the Mickey and Minnie models available in the stores ... or at least, my local store. Though I should think if you bought one online, you could maybe trade it in for Mickey or Minnie after the holiday, if you really wanted that one.
Last edited:
bnolsen
Well-known member
thx. just ordered a cars one the lazy way. pickup est dec 2
OP
OP
UkeCan1
Well-known member
By the way, I want this one. Elmo. In red. I haven't yet seen this one for sale online ... will investigate.
Also, at that page, under "Resources", is a link to this helpful PDF, that shows how to restring these ... for those like me who have not had to do anything more complicated than tie an overhand knot in the bottom end of our Flea strings so far.
It also shows how to tune it. I find it a bit disappointing that this PDF is not in the packaging of all these First Act ukes (and also that they don't call them ukes, so people know what they're getting!). We here know, of course ... but I imagining all those non-musician parents who pick up one of these on a whim, thinking it will be a great first instrument for their little one ... and then hand it over to said little one out of the box, with the strings all slack and unplayable ... with absolutely no instructions in the box on how to turn it into an actual music-making thing ... AND a misleading name on the box so they can't even look it up, if it even occurs to them to do so. There really ought to be some small piece of paper in the box ... and/or instructions on the box. Makes me sad to think of all those missed opportunities.
Laura - yes, Toys R Us carries First Act products too, and other stores. The http://discovery.firstact.com web site shows also Target, K-Mart, Meijer, and Amazon. And Claire's. (Who?!) If you go to that link and check out each brand under the "Co-Brands" menu, you'll see a few other cartoon ukes under some of the brands ... Disney, Sesame Street, 1D (One Direction), and Nickelodeon. So it might be worth checking all those stores' and brands' web sites too.
Lynda / BirdsEye - since you are the inspirer of this whole thread in the first place, I could not be more thrilled you've joined the party, and provided such great info, ideas, and more about your fabulous Beano. Thanks for all that! "Bang on" (in both the conversational and musical senses) to your heart's content, my friend ... always great.
I'm a big fan of fluorocarbon strings. I have (courtesy of the marvelous Magic Fluke company) Fremont Black Lines on my Flea now, and I love them. Before that I had Martin M600's on it, briefly, before the gouged fretboard that Magic Fluke ended up replacing for free broke one of them ... and I loved those almost as much. I haven't tried Living Waters yet ... but maybe I will for one of these cartoon ukes. They are now available in the US for only $14 with shipping - not too bad. The Martins are also great, and will instantly transform any cheap uke into a way more playable, better sounding uke, are about $5, and available in local music stores like Sam Ash. I'll try those first ... the Living Waters are more than the uke, lol.
Re straps: I am close to useless with any uke that does not hold itself exactly where I want to play it with no help from my hands and arms, so that's my criterion for straps ... they must hold the uke firmly exactly where I want to play it, with no help from me. I'll figure something out for this one. And will no doubt make a video of it.
Anyway, I envision this as my wearable, carry-around, go-anywhere uke ... so a good strap will be required for it to be that. Currently I wear my Flea like that, and it's great ... I can talk to people, eat, fetch things, do most anything ... and then ... oh, hey - there's this uke right here, ready to play at a moment's notice. (And of course, a wearable uke worn on the front of a person does attract the occasional request....) I am hoping that this cute tiny hot pink light-as-air cartoon uke will be even better for that than the Flea. The strap is what makes that work.
Thanks for all the great suggestions!
Also, at that page, under "Resources", is a link to this helpful PDF, that shows how to restring these ... for those like me who have not had to do anything more complicated than tie an overhand knot in the bottom end of our Flea strings so far.
It also shows how to tune it. I find it a bit disappointing that this PDF is not in the packaging of all these First Act ukes (and also that they don't call them ukes, so people know what they're getting!). We here know, of course ... but I imagining all those non-musician parents who pick up one of these on a whim, thinking it will be a great first instrument for their little one ... and then hand it over to said little one out of the box, with the strings all slack and unplayable ... with absolutely no instructions in the box on how to turn it into an actual music-making thing ... AND a misleading name on the box so they can't even look it up, if it even occurs to them to do so. There really ought to be some small piece of paper in the box ... and/or instructions on the box. Makes me sad to think of all those missed opportunities.
Laura - yes, Toys R Us carries First Act products too, and other stores. The http://discovery.firstact.com web site shows also Target, K-Mart, Meijer, and Amazon. And Claire's. (Who?!) If you go to that link and check out each brand under the "Co-Brands" menu, you'll see a few other cartoon ukes under some of the brands ... Disney, Sesame Street, 1D (One Direction), and Nickelodeon. So it might be worth checking all those stores' and brands' web sites too.
Lynda / BirdsEye - since you are the inspirer of this whole thread in the first place, I could not be more thrilled you've joined the party, and provided such great info, ideas, and more about your fabulous Beano. Thanks for all that! "Bang on" (in both the conversational and musical senses) to your heart's content, my friend ... always great.
I'm a big fan of fluorocarbon strings. I have (courtesy of the marvelous Magic Fluke company) Fremont Black Lines on my Flea now, and I love them. Before that I had Martin M600's on it, briefly, before the gouged fretboard that Magic Fluke ended up replacing for free broke one of them ... and I loved those almost as much. I haven't tried Living Waters yet ... but maybe I will for one of these cartoon ukes. They are now available in the US for only $14 with shipping - not too bad. The Martins are also great, and will instantly transform any cheap uke into a way more playable, better sounding uke, are about $5, and available in local music stores like Sam Ash. I'll try those first ... the Living Waters are more than the uke, lol.
Re straps: I am close to useless with any uke that does not hold itself exactly where I want to play it with no help from my hands and arms, so that's my criterion for straps ... they must hold the uke firmly exactly where I want to play it, with no help from me. I'll figure something out for this one. And will no doubt make a video of it.
Anyway, I envision this as my wearable, carry-around, go-anywhere uke ... so a good strap will be required for it to be that. Currently I wear my Flea like that, and it's great ... I can talk to people, eat, fetch things, do most anything ... and then ... oh, hey - there's this uke right here, ready to play at a moment's notice. (And of course, a wearable uke worn on the front of a person does attract the occasional request....) I am hoping that this cute tiny hot pink light-as-air cartoon uke will be even better for that than the Flea. The strap is what makes that work.
Thanks for all the great suggestions!
OP
OP
UkeCan1
Well-known member
That is definitely the better way! If I'd known about it yesterday, I'd have ordered the Sofia online and be done with it. But now I have two hot pink Minnies! That I would not have known about otherwise. And I have them now.
And this thread might not be all that it is.You definitely chose the smart route ... and I am happy I did what I did ... in service of you all.
Chopped Liver
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2012
- Messages
- 7,649
- Reaction score
- 9
I saw the Elmo one. I want a Grover one!
Hm . . . I guess it's UAS no matter how low the price is . . .
Hm . . . I guess it's UAS no matter how low the price is . . .
