Kota and Pals electronic pet dinosaurs toy review

October 24, 2:49 PMChicago Children's Toys ExaminerRenée Carver

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Kota and Pals electronic pet dinosaurs like the Stompers
Triceratops can make roaring sounds and walk forward
when children touch their sensors. (© 2009 Hasbro)

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Kota and Pals electronic pet dinosaurs are robot toy prehistoric pets that are cute, somewhat cuddly, can interact with children, and are reasonably priced, especially when compared with the larger, more expensive animatronic toy dinosaurs of last holiday season, such as the full-size Playskool Kota My Triceratops (ususally retail priced at $300 and since discontinued) or Ugobe's Pleo (priced at $349), whose company filed for bankruptcy in spring of 2009 (though its new owners plan to relaunch the toy in the future).

Kota and Pals electronic pet dinosaurs

The new Playskool Kota and Pals animatronic dinosaur toys come in three kinds:

• Kota and Pals Hatchlings are small baby versions of popular dinosaurs (and prehistoric flying reptiles) including a newborn Brontosaurus, Hadrasaur, Pterodactyl, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and T-Rex. When children trigger sensors on each dinosaur robot by touching their tongues or petting their backs, these animatronic toys respond the way a real hatchling might, by biting with their mouths, waving their arms, or sometimes even wagging a tail. They retail for around $14.99 to $16.99 and are suitable for kids ages 3 and up.

The Playskool Kota and Pals Dino Roars Monty Rex
electronic dinosaur pet can move its mouth, arms, and
legs to do everything from sneeze to dance.
(© 2009 Hasbro)

• Kota and Pals Stompers Dinosaurs are small but older versions of robotic dinosaur pets that have a greater range of motion. Both the Stompers Triceratops and the Stompers Ankylosaurus can stomp and move forward, as well as roar and perform other motions like moving their head (triceratops) or swinging their tail (ankylosaurus). Both retail for around $24.99 and are suitable for children ages 3 and up.
• Kota and Pals Monty Rex is the new high-end dinosaur robot in the Kota and Pals line now that the Playskool Kota My Triceratops has been discontinued. Standing 15 inches tall, the Dino Roars Monty T-Rex dinosaur pet can walk, roar, act like he is eating, and even dance to several songs. Retailing for around $75, Monty Rex is also suitable for kids ages 3 and up.

As well as being cute, these electronic dinosaur toys are also designed to be somewhat educational, as each comes with an information card that visually tells children information such as in what area this kind of dinosaur could be found, how large it was, and what kind of food it ate. It is questionable that the Brontosaurus is not called Apatosaurus, but overall the information about the dinosaurs seems to be accurate.

Kota and Pals Stompers Dinosaurs Triceratops

For this review, we examined the Kota and Pals Stompers Triceratops. Covered in shiny plush fabric that is patterned to look like reptile scales, this animatronic dinosaur robot is soft to pet, but the hard plastic body beneath its fabric covering makes it less cuddly and huggable than a full-on stuffed dinosaur doll would be. Its design incorporates many realistic touches, from its lifelike plastic eyes to its nicely painted horns and the tiny flat molars visible in its herbivore mouth. It measures about 12 inches from nose to tail, making it a good size for small arms.

The Stompers Triceratops is sturdy enough to stand up
to rough play by young children. (credit: Renée Carver)

Its sound and motion features can be turned on and off with a switch on its belly that is usually covered by its skin (which Velcros shut at the bottom). Two back sensors that can be activated by being petted or pressed trigger the robot triceratops's ability to toss its head up and down and roar (a wonderfully animalistic yell that is not set at too loud a volume) and to walk forward while accompanied with exaggerated earth-shaking stomping foot step noises.

Although the toy is designed for children ages 3 and up, a supervised two-year-old tester enjoyed playing with it as well. Although he has visited the Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit at Brookfield Zoo several times, watches Dinosaur Train regularly, and is constantly making dinosaur noises, he was a little nervous around this Kota and Pals electronic toy at first. By the second day, he was willing to have it walk toward him, however, and by the third day he had mastered how to trigger all of its sensors and was dragging it around the house by its horns.

Kota and Pals electronic pet dinosaurs toy review

Overall, this was a sturdy toy that gives a reasonable play value for the cost. Families that prefer to stay away from battery-operated electronic toys and that want children to participate in the freest imaginative play will most likely opt for simple stuffed dinosaurs, like those made by Folkmanis or Melissa and Doug. For families interested in robot toys, however, the Playskool Dinosaurs Stompers Triceratops is a great toy that comes loaded with interactive features that will delight any child that loves dinosaurs.

Chicago families can find Playskool Kota and Pals toys at Chicagoland mass retail toy stores such as Target and Walmart, or shop for them online at Amazon or the Hasbro Toy Shop Web site.

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