Count 'N Crunch Cookie Monster

Cookie Monster comes with three cookies which he counts out loud before “Om, nom, nom!” gobbling them up with his classic sounds. After being “eaten,” the cookies fall into his backpack which children can open and start the process over again.

Count 'N Crunch Cookie Monster With His Backpack

Despite his mechanics, Cookie Monster is soft enough for some snuggling, and he will giggle and squirm if you tickle his foot.

Appropriate for ages 18 months and up, Count ‘N Crunch Cookie Monster will be available in fall 2011 for and MSRP of $29.99. Thoughtfully, Hasbro has included the four “AA” batteries to keep Cookie munching.

Out of the box, the Stompers are pretty much ready to go. Just move the switch from Try Me mode to On, and you’re ready to play. Thankfully Playskool included batteries (3 AAA) with these little guys, so there’s no waiting to start play.

The Stompers line will likely feature several different dinosaurs. Our review unit was a triceratops, at Toy Fair we also saw an anklysaurus. Each comes to life in a unique way. Of course they all stomp, as the name implies, but the anklysaurus for instance swings his tail, while the triceratops throws his head back.

Both feature dual sensors on their back that control the action. The one at the base of the head will cause the dino to roar and the one near the lower back will make them walk. Thankfully the sensors are easy to actuate, we found even kids younger than the 3 and over suggestion had no trouble interacting with the Stompers.

Since this is targeted to younger kids, durability is important. We beat our unit up a little bit, mostly unintentional, and it held up well. It also works really well on both hard surfaces and carpet, something that most robotic toys don’t handle well. Take a look at the video below to see triceratops in action on carpet.

It seems that most kids have some fascination with dinosaurs, no matter how old they are. Playskool has done well to create an easy to use and engaging line with these Stompers. All the kids we tested with thought the triceratops was cute and fun to play with. With a retail price of $25 it’s hard to miss. The only down side is this intro to animatronics will surely lead parents down an expensive path as their kids graduate to more intricate robotics.

Editor’s Rating – 4 out of 5 stars

Kota & Pals Hatchlings

Young kids who are interested in dinosaurs will enjoy these newborn Kota Hatchlings. This set comes in T-Rex, Pterodactyl, Hadrasaur, Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus or Triceratops varieties. The Hatchlings respond to touch with a variety of lifelike movements and prehistoric sounds, and each comes with a dino fact card.

Kota Hatchlings are designed for ages 3 and up and will be available this spring for $14.99-$16.99.

Kota & Pals Stompers Dinosaurs

The Stompers are a bit larger than the Hatchlings and feature walking movements and lifelike sounds. Kids can push a sensor on the dinosaur’s back to see it “come to life.” Each Kota Stomper has its own movements; the triceratops marches and throws its head back, and the anklysaurus stompers dino swings its tail as it stomps forward.

Kota Stompers are designed for ages 3 and up and will be available this fall for $24.99.

Kota & Pals Monty Rex Dino

Monty Rex is a 15″ tall animated dinosaur that walks and moves his head, tail, and arms. Monty Rex responds to touch, roars back when spoken to, and dances along to four on-board songs. Monty is a good deal of fun. In our brief time with him we found his actions engaging and entertaining for kids without requiring the kids to do much to get him fired up. Young kids will definitely respond to Monty and the rest of the Kota and Pals line.

Kota and Pals Monty Rex is designed for kids 3 and up and will be available this fall for $74.99.

Update 10/27/09 – Kota & Pals Stompers Review Posted

Update 12/14/09 – Monty Rex Review Posted

Dance Cam Setup

Getting started with Dance Cam couldn’t be much easier. Snap on the base, add the batteries (not included) and from there it’s pretty much plug and play. Playskool included RCA cables that handle the video and two-channel audio (red and white), something that not all kids toys do. Since you can connect an MP3 player to get additional tunes, the extra audio channel is appreciated. 

The MP3 player connection is pretty smart too. While the Dance Cam comes with a total of 20 different songs, they’re designed mostly for pre-school kids, so older kids will definitely appreciate being able to plug in their own music. 

It’s easiest to set up the Dance Cam on the floor or even with the TV; the camera actually swivels up to help frame kids properly. It doesn’t point down though, so you can’t place it on top of the set. The images from the camera are also mirrored, which is a pretty important feature, so kid’s movements are reflected back instead of flipped over as they would be on a video camera for instance.

The only bit of downside with Dance Cam is because the resolution of the camera isn’t very high, it really does best on smaller televisions. Playskool recommends 27″ televisions or less, we tested on both larger and smaller with reasonable results. The larger you get though, the more pixelated the animations are and the more evident the low-resolution camera becomes. But, as we’ve noted in several other reviews, for kids, looking great on a plasma television isn’t the most important thing. Seeing themselves dance on TV, no matter how great it looks to the parents, is still a huge treat.

Once you’re powered up, Dance Cam is intuitive to use, from the on-screen menus to the color-coded buttons. We had a couple test groups use the Dance Cam, and both groups of kids were quickly able to figure out how to get started without parental involvement. There are a few different play modes though, so running through the options with your kids before they are off and running is probably a good idea.

Dance Cam Play Modes

The Dance Cam system features three different play modes: Dance Along, Cool Moves and Freestyle.

In Dance Along children dance to 16 pre-school friendly songs (Bingo, Old MacDonald, Ants Go Marching, etc.). The younger kids we worked with really enjoyed this mode because they knew the songs and there are also animated characters on the screen that are fun too. Older kids found the music to be a bit too young for them, the sweet spot for this game mode is probably in the 3-4 age range.

In Cool Moves mode, an animated character teaches simple dance moves to the kids with four different songs. This mode is actually pretty fun, but in both of our test groups, the kids were far too bonkers to settle down enough to really get the idea. We suspect that this mode would be better with kids by themselves or groups of older kids in the 5-6 age range.

Freestyle mode is really where kids older than 4-5 will really see a lot of value. This is the only mode where you can connect an MP3 player, or any source that can output via 3.5mm cable. This mode also removes the backgrounds and characters. Essentially kids can plug in their own music and jam out as they see fit.

In Freestyle mode the system will run for 30 minutes before returning to the main menu. The Dance Cam will also shut off after 5 minutes of inactivity. 

Fun Factor

There were a few things that happened with both of our test groups. First, they both went nuts when they started with the system. Kids were jumping everywhere including the furniture, and bouncing off the walls in excitement. We set up in a kid friendly area, so this behavior was more than fine, though a few parents did run for cover.

After they wound down though, both groups had fun, but the girls really took to it much better than the boys. That’s not to say it’s a girl’s toy, but that boys had more fun in larger groups, but didn’t have much interest in on their own or even with a friend. The girls on the other hand did well when paired off into twos.

In any event, it’s definitely a party game and can entertain kids for a while. The batteries hold up very well too. We’ve been testing for a few weeks on the same set, so depending on usage you should see at least a few weeks.

Bottom Line

The graphics and camera quality will have parents concerned out of the box, but the kids probably won’t care. We had nearly a dozen take a look and not one of them said a word about it. A few thought the included songs were too young for them, which is a fair statement and why the Freestyle mode with MP3 player support is so key. Girls definitely had more fun with Dance Cam than boys, but the camera really ex cells in group play, where both boys and girls had a blast. Once the euphoria of seeing themselves on TV wore off, they all settled down and had a great deal of fun with the system.

Retail price ranges from $40-$50 and at that price, we feel like Dance Cam is a good bet for entertaining groups of kids, or just one, if they have a desire to be a performer. 

4 out of 5 stars

The crew at Engadget has picked up Kota, a potentially popular Holiday-season gift. The $300 interactive Triceratops is definitely a kid favorite, but this guy doesn’t walk, which is a bit confusing given the pictures on the box and the initial promotional materials featuring Kota with a rider. While Kota does have 11 sensors to interact with your child, the only thing it does when you sit on it is make jungle noises.

Kind of blah for $300, but the interactivity is nice. While the test kids were disappointed by the lack of walking, they did enjoy the feedback from the sensors, like tail wagging and head movement. [via Engadget]

Dance Cam comes loaded with over 20 favorite preschool songs such as Old McDonald and is compatible with MP3 and CD players for additional song choices. The camera connects to your TV, letting the kids seem themselves dance, alongside animated characters. The Dance Cam is not intended to be competitive; it’s for preschoolers to simply enjoy dancing and see themselves being silly on their own TV.

Kids can choose to dance along with the animated characters to the pre-loaded songs, learn a cool new move in one of four dance routines with a character, or freestyle to their own tunes by connecting a CD or MP3 player. The console is ready to play in two easy set up steps and comes complete with everything parents need to play their families favorite music by connecting an MP3 or CD player. 

Update

Our Playskool Dance Cam Review has been posted.

Kota the Triceratops features sophisticated electronics, animatronics and design. This ‘life-size’ baby dinosaur measures over 40-inches long . Kota reacts to touch and sound with realistic dinosaur noises and movements. Featuring sensors in eleven areas on his body, Kota will react to touch by moving his head, tail and horns or giving a friendly dino roar.

Kota offers a simulated experience of ‘riding’ a dinosaur; but it doesn’t actually walk. Kids can ride on his back in a spring-loaded seat, holding onto a handle hidden behind the dinosaur’s head. To enhance the fantasy play of going for an adventure on a triceratops, while riding Kota children will hear fun jungle sounds. Kids can also flip a switch on the handle to play adventure-themed songs while enjoying their prehistoric journey. Kota The Triceratops comes complete with leafy greens that the dinosaur will munch when fed.

Kota will be available this fall for $300 MSRP.