I've been testing 'Ricky' on two 5-6 year olds and am not ashamed to admit that I spent a fun hour alone playing with him myself. He's actually quite captivating Review of FurReal Ricky the Trick-Lovin' Pup even for adults and I caught my husband (55) also offering the pup his bone, giving a nose-rub and being rewarded with a high-five but I'm not allowed to mention it in this review.
The 5-6 year olds absolutely loved Ricky. He sits 40cm tall and can also stand or lay down which requires moving his legs by two-clicks to the standing position but cannot move by himself (surprisingly) and does not walk. While sitting, standing or laying he will adopt various movements including waggling his ears, tail, shuffling his paws, raising his right paw for a high-five or paw-shake, lick his paws while laying and makes a number of quite realistic noises including panting, snuffling, whines, barks, howls, he can even bark a tune and I'm sure I heard him sneeze?! Calling his name loudly and close to him will yield another lifelike interactive response. If left unattended without any fuss, he'll snore for a short time with his eyes closed then fall silent and remain still until woken by pressing on his right paw.
When the supplied bone is placed on his nose, he'll toss it and catch it in his mouth and pants then drops it rather like a real dog tossing it back to his owner when wanting to play. The panting and whining can be accompanied by slurping noises, more panting, head movements and eye-rolling, again replicating a real pup wanting to play. The kids loved it and I admit that when I left him beside me on my office desk I found myself responding with his bone. Pleasingly, his noises are quite realistic, not over-loud and certainly wouldn't be heard in the next room so he's not one of those annoying toys going to drive parents up the wall in despair or remove the batteries in frustration to keep him quiet.
He is quite a charming and highly interactive and responsive toy although not a soft cuddly toy with his hard plastic body containing the animatronic mechanisms beneath his coat. His plush coat is soft and children (and adults) enjoy stroking him being rewarded by low whines, grunts, snuffles and maybe a high-five too. A rub of both cheeks or his upper lip is rewarded by licks, a quick press of his right paw demands a paw-shake or a 3-second press makes him pant and whine. Feeding treats is rewarded by munching, slurping then excited panting sounds and rubbing just above his tail makes him poo, whereby the treats are expelled together with some wind and a relieved sigh which went down a treat with both the younger children and rather older 50+ kids too... The feeding is well thought out and especially appealing to children with their activity being rewarded by slobbery noises then a fart when they are pooped out. Also the supplied 'treats' look just like real dry dog food nuggets and if a finger is inserted into his mouth then it is eagerly licked encouraging children to interact with him further. His throat, which is realistic shaped, is too narrow for the bone to slip down ensuring this cannot be accidentally fed.
Ricky is a complete delight and has charmed our household, young and not-so-young alike and I like the fact that the more attention Ricky receives, the more he responds so children's interaction with him is rewarded by licks, contented murmurs or farts depending on the type of attention given to him. I'm confident he would be a wonderful addition to any household with children aged about 4-8, particularly households which would love to have a dog or puppy but it isn't practical due to work commitments, space, illness or disability or unwilling landlords.
Available from: www.amazon.co....
21 авг 2024