Two days ago, we reported that Ugobe will announce pre-order details for their dino baby robot tomorrow. Now apparently they changed plans and sent out an email yesterday announcing that PLEO is delayed until Summer.

If I hear Summer it translates immediately into next holiday shopping season. No toy like that should be released in Summer. You need the TMX Elmo effect or forget about it. Mattel introduced TMX Elmo end of September 2006.

The reasons for the delay are improvements that Ugobe learned from beta testing the PLEO with consumers. Sound is getting improved; another sensor is added under the chin and lots of tiny cosmetic things are supposed to be tweaked.

Wild prediction: PLEO will evolve into Elmo, when Mattel is buying Ugobe and will release Tickle Me Life-form Elmo (T.M.L. Elmo) this holiday season.
Apparently pre-order will start in Spring. The pricing quoted when Ugobe announced the PLEO of $199 will not hold. At the Toy Fair in Germany the quoted price was already 400 Euros.
See also the Ugobe site.