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The Warriors action figures: only $750!
Now that The Warriors' release is nearly upon us, you may want to grab some The Warriors loot. Maybe you'd want some action figures? ToyWiz has a pretty good selection, provided you want to pay up to $750. I don't know they can justify the price ... maybe there's some snuff hidden away in the packages?[Via GameSpot]
Black Roboboa dances into reality
It looks like the folks at WowWee may have felt a little bad about forcing its Roboboa dancing robot to bust a move all by itself, with the company apparently taking steps to avert any potential robot loneliness by producing at least one dance partner for standard-issue Roboboa, this one clad all in black. As the video after the break shows, however, the bot is otherwise unchanged, boasting the same dance moves, blinkin' lights, and questionable taste in music we've come to expect. Unfortunately, there's no indication that this new, slightly more badass Roboboa will actually be making its way out the door anytime soon, so you may need to get creative if the standard two-tone black-and-white look doesn't do it for you.[Thanks, Robert O.]
Keepin' it real fake, part XLV: Wowwee's illegitimate children
Most times, the fakers seem to stick with items that are relatively easy to replicate, making everyone's lives a good bit easier when it comes to choosing between the authentic and the knockoff, but JaiQi Toys has upped the copycat ante a bit with its full-fledged lineup of Wowwee rips. Dubbed the "Bo Series," these four bots sport the ability to walk and turn, move and grip with their arms, dozens of pre-programmed functions such as picking up objects, dancing, burping, whistling, and a kicking out a fair selection of "Kung Fu moves," not to mention the ability to dictate your new friend with an IR remote. Moreover, the creature is powered by four D-cell batteries in the main compartment, plus a pair of cells in each foot to keep the jive alive. So if you've been yearning for your very own Wowwee companion, but just don't have the coinage required to own the real deal, feel free to click on over and bring home the Robone, X-Robot, Robosaur, or Robodog now for just... well, nothing, considering even the "add to cart" function of the sketched-out website doesn't always work. Still, if you dig incredibly cheap looking renditions of popular items, and just need something to mock in order to brighten your day, JaiQi's just the medicine you ordered.[Thanks, Mutammim]
Metal Gear Solid 4 Snake figure
Konami gives us a peek at Japanese toymaker Medicom's Metal Gear Solid 4 Snake figure. Standing at 12-inches tall, the figure is imbued with Medicom's RAH 301 technology, making Snake posable in a variety of realistic body stances. Art director Yoji Shinkawa oversaw production of the figure, which is scheduled to ship in November. Just in time for the game's release, eh?Source - click on "Metal Gear series" tab, then "Goods Page" under MGS4.[Thanks, Aaron]%Gallery-1474%
Takaratomy Kotoridayori Humming Bird keeps up the office jive
As if we haven't given you enough devious toys to convert your mundane workplace into World War III, here's one to bring back the peace when cooperation becomes essential to everyone's job again. Japan-based Takaratomy, better known as a Tomy here in the States, has crafted a unique solar-powered desk adornment that should keep you occupied (or get you on edge, one) while toiling away in your cubical. The Kotoridayori (Humming Bird) purportedly belts out various tunes while being powered by those incandescent lights, and throws a few extra tweets in the mix whenever it senses "vibrations." Additionally, it sports a built-in battery to keep things humming (ahem) along when you end up working 'round the clock, and should fit in just about any pocket if you're looking to carry it home. Available in blue, orange, or green, this wee pet should remain novel for about, oh, 20 seconds or so before completely enraging even the most patient office mate, but even if someone ejects it from the premises, you're only out $25.[Via ShinyShiny]
Takara Tomy's Dacky the Healing Partner robotic dog
They've already laid claim to "the world's smallest robot" title (sort of) so why not go hog wild and snap up "the world's cutest robot" while they're at it, yeah? 'Cause really, how are you going to get much better than Dacky here, with those big expressive puppy dog eyes and six internal sensors for interacting with his doting human companion? Sure, Dacky has nothing on Pleo for actual robotic complexity, but Dacky can also "learn" up to 650 words in Japanese, after starting off with mere barking. He can ask you about your day, wish you a happy birthday and sing along at karaoke. No word on price, or if Takara Tomy will be shipping this one over to the States, but perhaps we just wouldn't be able to handle this much cute -- it's for our own good.Update: Tomy let us know it's actually "Dacky" not "Ducky". Alright, sure thing.
UGOBE delays the Pleo again, adds new sounds and sensor
We won't go so far as to call this thing vaporware: there's clearly an uber-cute, finger-biting robot in the works here (and that new press shot to prove it!), but our confidence has been shaken by this latest Pleo delay. UGOBE, which was claiming until recently that it would begin taking orders of some sort in March, with a price of roughly $250, has just announced that it's going to be releasing the bot in the summer of 2007 for about $300. To blame for the delays are new improvements based on test user interactions, including a brand new chin sensor -- sensor number 35 for anyone keeping track -- because that seems to be a touching favorite. Pleo is also getting better and louder speakers and an increased number of sounds for "fostering an emotional connection." Finally, UGOBE is brushing up the looks, with better sculpting in the hard plastic parts and more detailed eyes, along with adding muscle-like tissue under the skin to enhance the feel. You can't fault UGOBE for trying to make this thing perfect, we just wish they'd make it perfect a little sooner already. Peep a couple new shots of Pleo after the break.
Hasbro's NET JET merges USB controller with online gaming
We've all seen those cheesy kiosks at the mall with some guy trying to sell you a controller with "8,000 games" built right in, which you can plug directly into your television for about three minutes of actual enjoyment, but now Hasbro is hoping to add a shade of respectability to the plug-and-play controller game market with its $24.99 NET JET device. The USB controller plugs directly into your PC (sorry, Mac users), and once you insert your "game card" of choice into the controller, it navigates to an online web portal where the corresponding game is launched and played on your screen. Hasbro offers up a variety of somewhat kid-centric titles at $14.99 apiece, including Marble Blast XP, Kool Kart Racers, Super Soaker Water Fight, and the obligatory SpongeBob SquarePants' Pizza Toss. Ideally, this wouldn't be a bad solution to laptop gaming for your offspring on lengthy road trips, but you should be sure to get a 3G-equipped lappie before taking this out where the WiFi doesn't roam.[Via EverythingUSB]
Ugobe readies Pleo for pre-order, kicks out feature spot
Sure, you've probably seen way more Wowwee robot action in the past few weeks than you ever thought your retinas could stand, but since you persevered, why not give this not-exactly-related family member a few ticks of your time too? Ugobe's Pleo has been a long time coming, and while we've seen a small clip of the dino in action before, now the two-week old Camarasaurus has its very own advertising spot. The video showcases the wee creature's ability to "sense," feel emotions, walk, interact with its environment, and "learn" over time. Furthermore, it looks like the company's previous estimates of a March launch date could be on target after all, as the website now states that pre-order information will be available in four short days. So if you're even pondering picking up an intelligent pet from the Jurassic period that doesn't even need those uber-expensive booster shots, click on through for the marketing hoopla. [Thanks, Eric C.]
Tiger Electronics' Power Tour guitar rocks out with lights and sensors
While your teenage daughter might prefer something a bit more sophisticated, and your male child is probably rippin' it up right now on Guitar Hero, Hasbro's Tiger Electronics is coming out with an axe designed to let little tykes learn their favorite tunes without all the complicated (and pricey) lessons. The Power Tour electric guitar will come with 12 pre-loaded songs, and the string-free instrument will rock a bevy of sensors on the fretboard and body, which will allow youngsters to play along as they follow the light patterns with the music. Additionally, it's slated to have an aux input, allowing users to plug in any song they choose and jam along, but there's no word on whether or not that sweet pictured amp comes along in the bundle. Nevertheless, this kid-friendly guitar could actually find its way into quite a few musically-challenged adult hands as well when it lands in August for a currently undisclosed price.[Via Yahoo, thanks Adam]
The Antquarium goes mini, ensures public humiliation
Ah, yes, one of favorite bizarro gadgets is getting a much-deserved refresh, and rather than changing the game completely, it's simply the same fun-filled container in belt clip sized. The infamous Antquarium has now shrunk, and is apparently ready to rock on your child's belt, backpack, or headband. As expected, the gel-packed enclosure provides "everything the ants need" to survive in such hellacious conditions, and even includes an ant catcher for those who aren't keen on touching insects with their bare hands. While we can't exactly say toting an ant farm around our waist is on our list of hopeful accomplishments in life, the pictured nerd momma's boy seems pretty stoked about swiping the critters away from their homeland for personal pleasure, so if you'd like to encourage your child to follow the pathway to eternal singleness, you can snatch this up now for $12.95.[Via TRFJ]
Takara kicks out Transformers Optimus Prime iPod speaker dock
While Takara's no stranger to offering up unusual (albeit very tempting) goods, the firm is now pumping out one of the most unique (and trust us, that's saying something) iPod docks to ever hit shelves. Not too long after seeing a life-sized Gundam construction, our cartoonish fantasies are becoming ever more realized, as now we have the ability to pre-order the Optimus Prime Convoy iPod docking bay. As expected, the machine is coated in white, touts a (presumably weak) stereo speaker system, and even rocks a questionable "licensed by Apple" claim, but we'd be surprised if these guys have paid their 10-percent yet. Regardless, this guy transforms from big rig (pictured after the jump) to terrorizer in seconds flat, and can wheel your iPod around while blasting tunes from the trailer when not conquering villages and eliciting smiles. So if you need no more introduction, you can reserve one of these for yourself for $144, but we'd highly recommend the $2 upgrade for "collector's grade," whatever that means.[Via Plastic Bamboo]
Marsilli kicks out cellphone-controlled toy car / flash drive
We're not exactly sure what's up with Asia's infatuation with toy cars and shoving completely irrelevant (but entirely useful) features inside of them, but now Marsilli is offering up its own admittedly peculiar flash drive in the shape of a vehicle. Presumably in direct competition with Gold Kiwi's Bluetooth GPS receiver ride, this Mobile Remote Control Car is a diminutive four-wheeled ride with impressive aerodynamics, a 512MB flash drive built-in, USB connector in place of a central-mounted exhaust, and it even allows users to drive it around a cardboard course with "any cellphone." Of course, we're not entirely sure if all that controlling action is done over Bluetooth or some other propriety channel, but we have strong suspicions "every mobile" might not be equipped to handle this road burner. Nevertheless, you can probably pick one of these up in the near future at your favorite street corner vendor in Asia, but for now, click on through for a more closeups.
ET wearable RFID gear turns everything into toys
While the bandwagon approach would be to develop an anti-RFID device to eliminate RFID invasions from our lives altogether, a mysterious Japanese website spells out an interesting take on making wearable RFID, dare we say, enjoyable. The ET (Everything Is Toy) is a "wearable computing system designed to change our daily lives into play," basically transforming the RFID tags on everyday objects into random bits of fun. The video demonstration showcases the system determining that the user picked up an umbrella, but rather than sulking about how rainy it is outside, he proceeds to bust out a few ninja-like moves while the integrated speaker on his person translates the motions into sword clanging sounds. Other examples are a thrown orange becoming a whizzing fireball and your average desk chair revving up like a race car when wheeled around. Of course, the idea is still a prototype, and it won't do us much good without a whole lot of RFID-enabled goods at our disposal, but this looks like a surefire time waster when bored at the office at the very least. Click on through for the sound-filled demonstration.
When good toys go bad III: toy police belt drops the F-bomb
We have a certainly level of patience with run-of-the-mill toys that call you demeaning names and have speech impediments, but when an actual police toy, of all things, begins dropping the F-bomb at the press of a button, that's pushing it. Apparently using sound clips ripped directly from the unrated edition of Cops, Tek Nek's police belt -- which comes fully equipped with a speaker-loaded nightstick -- vocalizes certain words and phrases that stereotypically come out of a (filtered) cop's mouth. Of course, when contacting the manufacture, it insists that the word being pronounced is "stop," but according to Michelle Luciano, the vocabulary coming out of her son's new toy isn't so harmless. Interestingly, only "four customers" out of the 30,000 that purchased this gizmo have complained, leading Tek Nek to believe the mishap should be blamed on a malfunctioning speaker rather than ill intentions, but nevertheless, the company has vowed to replace the family's belt and restore order in the world by producing versions that lack the potentially misunderstood verb.[Via Fark]
When good toys go bad II: toy cellphone botches "six"
There's acceptable ways to drop the H-Bomb and F-Bomb, and there's "when good toys go bad." Presumably turning a joyous, thrilling Christmas morning into one giant moment of awkwardness, a South Carolina mum was aghast when her son's toy phone, which was purchased from K-Mart as an innocent symbol of motherly love, vocalized "profanity" (mmkay?) instead of "the number six" when pressed. The phone reportedly shouts out numbers when the respective keys are mashed, but unfortunately for Brandy Cunningham, "six" didn't exactly turn out like it should have. Leading to eventual embarrassment, she claims her son has repeated the taboo vocabulary in places like "church" and "the grocery store," leaving the parent in quite a predicament. She even purchased yet another one just in case the phone was a one-time mishap, but found that not to be the case. A spokeperson for Sears / K-Mart has assured everyone that the company is investigating the incident and the toy itself, as it doesn't "intend to sell children's products that contain profanity." It's just a hunch and all, but we think somebody in the manufacturing line is going to have a little explaining to do if all this proves accurate.
When good toys go bad: Little Mermaid doll may call you a "slut"
We're not sure if Ariel here got into the same stuff that made Asimo unable to stand on its own two feet, but according to a shocked (shocked!) mom in San Jose, the previously innocent Little Mermaid Shimmering Lights Ariel doll has turned potty mouth, reportedly adding the phrase "you're a slut" to its usual repertoire of pleasantries. Ever the investigative journalists, the folks at ABC News decided to get to the bottom of this controversy themselves, buying a doll and shooting a video of the profanity in question. As the video shows, however, this doesn't appear the result of a mischievous toymaker trying to corrupt young minds by slipping in a little surprise before the doll runs off the assembly line, with the offending phrase just barely recognizable and more than likely the result of the power of suggestion -- which must also explain why our Roomba seems to keep calling us a slob. [Via Fark]
Talkative Communication Flower adds character to your plants
For those who are (understandably) strapped for cash, but have a hankering for a talkative robot to befriend them, E-Revolution's latest creation is just the thing. While it's certainly not a voice-activated R2-D2, nor a channel-flipping R100, the Communication Flower pulls double duty by sprucing up your living room and adding a bit of chatter to break up the depressing silence. Although you can't wirelessly cater to its every need, this device sports a colorful motif and packs an integrated speaker to randomly belt out "200 words and phrases" whenever you speak to or touch the connected bouquet. Although we aren't sure how quickly the novelty factor would wear off (or how repetitive it's bound to become), the Communication Flower can be picked up next month for ¥4,179 ($36).[Via Akihabara News]
Nintendogs trainable plushies
Just when you thought the Nintendogs franchise had gone as far as it could go, here comes one of the most clever uses of the license yet -- trainable toy dogs based on breeds from the games. There are two types; the simpler Trick Trainer Pups come with a magnetic bone that can be used to guide them through tricks. The more elaborate, aptly-named Interactive Play puppies do just that -- they interact by wagging their tails when they're stroked, howling when you howl, and some will even snarl and growl during a game of tug-of-war. Toss in a slipper-chewing feature and it's almost like having a real dog! The plushy pups debuted last week in the UK from retailer Tomy and through Amazon UK for 9.99 (about $20 USD) for the Trick Trainers and 24.99 for for the Interactive Play Pups. Check out the commercial after the jump. We just hope you don't have to play with them every day to keep them in line ... take the dogs out of the video game and there's no telling what they'll get up to.
Mazu Kan's "contact-free" Laser Martial Arts game
If you've got the bank credentials to back it up, you can build your own robotic fighting machine, or hop in the "squishy ball shooting" Land Walker and (slowly) mow down neighborhood pests as you please. But if you've only got $60, and don't feel like sustaining any major injuries when releasing that pent-up rage, Mazu Kan's Laser Martial Arts game has you covered. This two-person, "contact-free" slugfest contains a pair of wearable sensors that track your punches, dodges, and uppercuts to determine who loses their "10 life points" first. The built-in "sound and rumble" effects supposedly help you forget that you're not in an actual brawl, while the "two levels of combat" should put those newly-acquired cagefighting skills to the test. Red vs Blue tees not included.[Via Uber-Review]
