Noodad Product Test Drive: Boon Frog Pod Bonus Pack

You’ve probably seen it several times in several places…a huge green toad splayed out like it’s on a dissection tray. Don’t be alarmed if you’re confused by your passing glimpses of this amphibian….you’re not having a flashback nor is it the result of a sleep deprived hallucination. Out of the corner of your bleary eye, you’ve spied the Frog Pod by Boon

The Frog Pod has become ubiquitous – in baby stores, big box retailers and wholesale clubs. And for good reason…it’s a wholly unique product and resplendent in its over-engineering, it really stands out.

What is it? Well it’s actually several things – a bath toy caddy, a bath products shelf, a set of hooks and a food vacuum sealer. Ok, it’s not the last one but it is big and green and it’s made for the bathtub.

We tested the Frog Pod as part of the Boon Frog Pod Bonus Pack which in addition to our amphibian friend includes Boon’s ambiguously monikered “Bath Goods” and in a nod to Ikea perhaps, the Flō.

The Frog Pod is a perfect example of the convergence of engineering and marketing – someone at Boon recognized the need for an efficient way to gather up and store bath toys and someone else there (maybe the same person) recognized the opportunity to over-engineer this product to make it iconic and easily marketable.

The concept is really very simple. It’s a big frog that you stick on the wall. The frog’s back is really a detachable scoop that has holes cut in it for drainage. And when the unit is stuck to the wall, it forms a shelf on top for baby shampoo and the like. The frog’s appendages serve as hooks for hanging brushes, “poofs” and washcloths.

The Frog Pod seems really big out of the box but once up, seems less so allying fears we had about it taking up too much space. At Casa ReviewDad (a satellite testing facility affiliated with Noodad Test Labs) where one bathtub does double duty for parents and baby, the ease of post-bath clean up and the benefit of an all-in-one “bath center” was much appreciated.

The only issue we had with the Frog Pod is the mounting. Boon provides hardware for three means of mounting – a template for drilling, adhesive strips and a suction cup plate.

Leery of drilling into the tile and the inability to reuse the adhesive strips (which are non-permanent) if we changed our mind on location, we opted for the suction cup plate. With 8 suction cups, it seemed solid and worked well until CRASH…the thing let go of the wall at 3 in the morning waking everyone in the house. We were just glad that baby wasn’t getting a bath at the time. We now give the Frog Pod a good push every shower to reinforce the seal…not ideal but the Frog Pod’s utility makes it worth it.

We’re fans of the Frog Pod but the Bath Goods and Flō are the crowd pleasers for kiddies.

The Bath Goods are a collection of brightly colored silicon foam shapes that when wet, stick to any bath surface. They're slightly squishy, float, are mildew resistant and baby and parents alike will find ton of things to do with them. Teethers seem to really like gnawing on the shapes which we’re reassured is just fine since they are non-toxic. You get 12 shapes giving you ample material to arrange your own Kandinsky on the tub wall for your progeny to deconstruct plus 2 balls and two of the poof thingys your wife loves.

 The Flō is a faucet cover that protects Jr. from the sharp underside of faucets but the real attraction is the waterfall effect it creates. Sweetening the deal is that it also makes bath bubbles. A hinged compartment receives bubble solution (any will do) and a button on the front allows kids to start and add more bubbles. Who doesn’t love bubbles? The missus is likely to find the Flō appealing for the same reason the kids do. We’ve been told that the location of the bubble release button (on the front of the unit) is just the right size to be depressed by a big toe while soaking the day away.

Each of the components of the Frog Pod Bonus Pack is compelling, unique and useful individually and can be purchased separately. We like the design, construction and functionality of all three. Prices vary by locality and by where you buy them but we saw the Frog Pod for a low of $24.99 at Babies-r-us and found the Bath Goods and Flō for $14.95 and $16.95 respectively online at Target.com. Buying the Bonus Pack will not only allow you to outfit your bath in one swift action but it’ll afford you some real cost savings – we found the set at Costco for $32.99.

True utility, whimsical features and clean, modern aesthetics combined with reasonable prices earn the Frog Pod, Bath Goods and Flō our enthusiastic endorsement!

Noodad Rating: All three = 4 noos out of a possible 5 (it rocks)