Dippin' Dots Frozen Dot Ice Cream Maker Machine & 2 BONUS Packs of Frozen Dot Mix Refills

All the machine (stand) does is provide a controlled way to fill molds with flavored water. The molds are then stacked in the freezer. You end up with balls of frozen flavored ice water. Not what I would call Dippin' Dots.

This dippin' dots machine does NOT make Dippin' Dots. It just makes tiny frozen balls of ice that are flavored. They are HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE! Total wast of money and time. HORRIBLE!!

The kids found it too hard to work. They are 9 and 12.

Wanted to post this review as a warning, Some retailers/suppliers have been listing these with exorbitant pricing so watch yourself, and be careful and sure you know what you are getting. Retail on these machines is about $30 and the "mix packs" run about $3-4 each (usually sold in "multi-packs"). In fact, as of 2/15/13 Toys R Us had the machines on their site for $5 (Yes, that is not a typo, I said $5). Now that may be a promotional price or whatever, but like I said MSRP is about $30. So Buyers beware!!As for the units themselves; These units are in my opinion OK, and I would not go to far out of my way to get one, However they can be fun to do as an activity with the kids. Also be careful when making the "mix" as it is VERY touchy about how much water you add. Too much or too little and it tastes bad.Overall I'd say 3/5