Gizmodo Australia » fisher price

Super-Powered Power Wheels Are Childhood Fantasy, Actualised

Mark Wilson — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Have you ever witnessed a modified Barbie-themed Power Wheel drift through snow at 32kph? No? Then you haven’t lived, friend. [via bbGadgets]

Elmo Live Video Review (Verdict: Buy If You Love Your Children)

Benny Goldman — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0000

Yesterday marked the arrival of Elmo Live, the rapping, dancing and storytelling animatronic doll that’ll be burning up retail this holiday season, Great Depression or not. We got one of the little guys, and thoroughly evaluated his MC skills, jokes and hugging ability. He’s a fun little dude, at least for a short while. Watch this video review before you “decide” to succumb to the will of your kids and invest whatever cash you still have in Elmo Live.

Elmo has four touch-sensitive spots—his foot, stomach, back and nose—and he does different things depending on where you press. Here’s some of the funny things he does when you touch his nose, such as sneezing and playing the “got your nose” game:

The little red monster is at his animatronic best when he is telling a story: He sits, stands, opens his mouth and flails his arms all around. It’s a shame he only has two stories to tell.

It’s good to see that Elmo still raps, and his instant classic “Elmo’s Gotta Get On Up” is as head-bobbing as ever—especially when he’s wearing some bling from our personal collection. When you touch his back, he says all kinds of ~~creepy~~ lovable things like asking for hugs or to scratch his itch. In fact, Elmo can get downright clingy.

So is he worth the $US60 list price—or more realistically, the hundreds of dollars you’ll spend buying him on eBay when supplies run out? He’s not as cuddly and interactive as previous Elmos; you mostly have to sit back after touching him and let him do his thing. Despite all that you see here, I actually grew bored of him fairly fast. Worst of all, as you can hear, his motors are as loud as his voice, which detracts from the fun in a big way.

On the flipside, most of the kids on Good Morning America went nuts for the furball. I’m no Dr. Spock, but my theory is, if you love your kids and don’t want them reliving their failed childhood in psychotherapy forty years from now, you really ought to buy this thing. [Fisher-Price Elmo Live]

Fisher-Price Doll Reprogrammed by Al-Qaeda

Matt Buchanan — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:15:00 +0000

The hard-hitting investigative team at MyFox has just discovered the latest and greatest threat to national security and your children: Fisher-Price’s Little Mummy Real Loving Baby Cuddle & Coo Doll, which is sold across the country, has apparently been hijacked by Al-Qaeda to reprogram your children into followers of Allah! If you squint your ears, one of the talking doll’s catchphrases sounds like “Islam is the light.” God-fearin’ parents everywhere are horrified, or at least outside of this McDonald’s and Pizza Hut. Why hasn’t anyone been talking about the surge where we really need it, the heart of Fisher-Price??? [YouTube]

Elmo Live Available for Pre-Order, US$60 If You Love Your Children

Benny Goldman — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:15:00 +0000

Elmo Live, the rapping, dancing, storytelling furball is now up for pre-order from all of the major online retailers. It doesn’t ship until October 14th, but you should get one before they are impossible to find and your kids hate you forever. The cuddly robot is on sale for US$60 at Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us (limit 5) and K-Mart, but if they all run out you can try your luck at Amazon.com for US$65. Jazz Hands! [i4u]

Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera Takes Swimming Lessons to Become Nigh Indestructable

Matt Buchanan — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:45:47 +0000

While Fisher-Price’s Kid-Tough digital camera was already built to withstand the Guantanamo-level torture your average four-year-old dishes out to their toys, the latest model will hold up to 30 minutes of waterboarding too, despite a rounder, slimmer body. The insides have gotten an upgrade as well, with a 1.3MP sensor (up from 640×480) and 64MB of storage that’ll hold 500 closeups of your kid’s boogers.

[Fisher-Price]

First Video of Elmo Live Singing and Dancing Shows He Got Skillz

Benny Goldman — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:12:58 +0000

Holy crap, I want this Elmo, and I don’t even like Sesame Street. It makes Pleo look like a dumb hunk of plastic. The ways it moves and interacts is incredible—it tells stories, sings songs, dances and is simply the most expressive toy we’ve ever seen. It even yells out “Jazz Hands!” when he finish performing his newest rap hit, “Elmo’s Gotta Get On Up.” More information and videos after the jump.

His moves are smooth and funky, his style reminds us of hip-hop’s old school pioneers, and his biggest fan is a mad scientist.

Poor Elmo. He tries out for the Borscht Belt comedy circuit, and fails miserably. His joke falls so flat, you can even hear crickets chirping.

Here Elmo tells a “story of woe” involving a scary giant. It isn’t the most engaging tale we’ve heard, but it gives the little red monster a chance to show off a lot of expression. Our new red-furred overlords invade Oct. 14 for $59.99. — Matt Buchanan & Benny Goldman [Fisher-Price]