Thursday, 20 December 2012

Talking Tom Superstar toy review



The Madhouse Mini-testers absolutely love the Talking Tom ipad apps. They were some of the first apps we downloaded when I won the ipad and they still love playing with them. Pierre still finds it absolutely hilarious when he burps or farts and the girls love making him record me when I'm having a moan then playing it back on a loop with that inimitable high-pitched voice !

As soon as I saw that there were Talking Tom soft toys being released, I knew the Madhouse Mini-testers would love them so I jumped at the chance when the opportunity came up to review one. We received the grey Talking Tom Superstar toy but you can also get Talking Angela Superstar and Talking Ginger Superstar to complete the collection.

As you can see at first glance, this is a talking toy but it's actually a lot more than that - it's a first-of-its-kind app-powered plush toy that responds to whatever you're doing on the app. Rather like Furbies, the toys will quite happily talk by themselves (saying jokes and riddles and entertaining you with tunes and sounds - yes, you know that that means farts and burps, amongst other things!) or they can interact with each other. You can play with them as they are without using the apps too, just by pushing the button to make them speak. This video gives you an idea of how they work.




I've actually discovered a couple of new free apps that I know the Madhouse Mini-testers will love in the process of writing this review - a very cute Talking Santa app ("You can tickle Santa and make him laugh. You can also poke or slap him but that may cause Santa not to give you gifts anymore.") as well as the new Talking Friends Superstar app ("Bring Tom, Angela, and Ginger to life with this groundbreaking new Superstar app! Simply pick from a number of joyful songs and funny sounds, like fart, burp, and meow, and your Superstar toy will do the rest.). If you go to http://tfsuperstar.com/apps/, you can see what's on offer, and all five of the apps ( the new Talking Friends Superstar app, I Want To Be Big, Talking Tom Cat 2, Talking Ginger and Talking Santa) interact with the plush toys. Several new Superstar-supported apps will also be released in the coming months.

I love the fact that it's really simple to use - it comes with a USB cable to add extra updated content but you just need to switch it on for it to spring to life - and also the fact that you will be able to update your Superstar with new sounds as they become available, which will be a constant source of delight and stop the kids getting bored with it. But it's not just the kids - I already know that this is one of those toys that the grown-ups won't be able to resist playing with when the kids have gone to bed !

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £36.58


Disclosure : We received a Talking Tom Superstar toy in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Learning Resources Answer Buzzers review

3 comments:

  1. These do seem really clever idea, but I don't think I could stand it, the app annoys me so much! Here's hoping the same technology will be seen on other toys that link to apps!

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  2. How did you get your superstar Talking Tom to interact with your ipad????

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    1. They explain it all on their website : http://tfsuperstar.com/apps/

      Superstar support needs to be turned on in Talking Tom 2, Talking Santa, Talking Ginger, and Talking Angela in order for Superstar toys to work.
      To turn it on, tap on the “i” or Info button, go into “Settings” and turn ON the “Superstar Toys” feature. Please also make sure to have the volume of your mobile device turned up to 80% or more.

      Hope this helps :)

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