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Overview
The blend of everyday items and technology seems
to be the popular trend with the new toys that are entering the
market. Everspring Productions has used this idea and added the
cuteness factor in the equation and created
Talking Toonies the Original Hands
free Doll. The uniqueness of this plush toy is that it is a hands
free speakerphone that connects to your mobile device and as the
caller speaks, the plush toy acts as if it is speaking to you by
moving its head and mouth.
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This Talking Toonie is called
Pinkie. |
From the simple
looks of these Talking Toonies, it seems like a simple teddy bear
holding a pouch. But when the phone rings, that’s when all the fun
starts! The Talking Toonies Doll is a speakerphone disguised into a
cute plush doll, ranging from teddy bears to dogs and other fuzzy
creatures. Powered by 3 AAA batteries or by an optional 5V DC power
adapter, this plush doll moves its head and mouth to mimic what the
person on the other end is saying. The Talking Toonies plugs into
your cellphone via the standard 2.5” handsfree plug. The package
also includes a wide variety of adapters that cater to various
brands of phones for those that does not use the standard plugs.
The only control on the plush is a volume control knob on the back.
Usage
The speaker volume and
microphone quality is average in quality. The microphone, which is
implanted and hidden inside the plush doesn’t have a wide variety of
range, thus if you were speaking to it at an angle, the mic doesn’t
quite capture your voice as bold as it does when you are speaking
directly at it. Without too much background noise, you can easily be
a few feet away from the plush without worrying about if you can be
heard or not. The speaker volume was fair. I would’ve like to have
it be a bit louder, especially when there is a lot of noise
surrounding you. But for normal use, the volume is plentiful.
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Any mobile phone should work. |
For my initial test
run, I plugged my phone in and walked around the office talking to
my Talking Toonies named Pinky. The first person I spoke with was
one of the office managers. Aside from the weird looks I received
there were smiles and snickers all over. Imagine the fun of hearing
your typical macho sales guy talking to you through a stuffed
animal.
Talking Toonie impresses the Girls
The reaction to the cuteness
factor of these Talking Toonies is beyond anything I’ve seen. For
entertainment purposes, I brought the plush out to a dinner and
demoed it in the lobby. With an instantaneous reaction, I was
bombarded with questions and the oooh’s, ahhh’s and not to mention
awww’s from everyone there. Although the people who primarily
showed interest was females, there was a dynamic age range that
showed massive interest in these Talking Toonies.
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Pinkie's backside with the DC
power plug. |
Conclusion
Though the price of $44.95
maybe a bit steep and is unsure if the cuteness to cost trade off
is justifiable. The amount of attention the Talking Toonies
received was definitely a hit. From the cuteness factor and the
uniqueness of these plush toys, it is just in time to prep up for
the Christmas season and is sure to be a hit.
How to Buy
Currently Talking Toonies are available from the
EspringUSA site for $44.95 each. Several different Toonies are
available. Some models are not on sale yet.
Tip
Looking for a fun toy? take a look at
the
RoboSapien.
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