I received complimentary product(s) to facilitate this review from the sponsoring company along with financial compensation. This is 100% my own honest opinion. No one has influenced me otherwise. This review is solely based on my own experience with this product.
There is a new toy in my household and we are having a blast! When I first heard about Ubooly, I was definitely intrigued with the concept. It is an interactive plush “pet” that is powered by your iPhone or iPod. You simply download the Ubooly app, slide your device into the Ubooly toy, and then play away!
The Ubooly Lab officially launched this year back on May 22. What I absolutely love most about this toy is that it allows you to customize your pet, which then enriches your child’s imagination and playtime experience! Though it is geared towards ages 4 to 10, it has over a thousand activities including games, songs, lessons, stories, jokes, and more really for any age! Even as an adult I had fun playing with Ubooly.
When the adorable orange creature arrived, my toddler was super excited. Now he says it is a bear, but really the creature looks like it could be a dog, or cat, or well yes a bear. Let your child’s imagination determine Ubooly’s origin! So yes, we went along with that he is a bear.
Now when you download the app, make sure you have enough room for the device. I turned out I didn’t have quite another storage on my iPhone, so ended up having to download it on my friend’s iPhone too. However I think it all worked out! The download is free, but you do have to pay for credits as you advance in the Ubooly application. When you start playing with Ubooly, you had in your child’s information as a “player”. This is great for when you have multiple children you want to play with Ubooly. They can just choose their profile before the fun begins so Ubooly knows which child with whom they are interacting.
When you are ready to start playing with the Ubooly, simply slide your electronic device into the plush toy. If you want to take advantage of the voice command features, slide your device in upside down. I can’t tell you how many times I forgot to do that! The voice commands are super fun. All you have to do is say something like “tell me a story” or “tell me a joke” and Ubooly will have a tale to tell you!
One of my favorite parts that my son was customizing the face. Now my son was pretty happy with Ubooly’s regular face, so I think I was the one who had more fun personalizing him. This is a great way for your child to show their creativity! Designing and customizing their Ubooly can make them feel like it is really theirs. Your child can gain access to more accessories and fun customization when they complete packs, and earn coins and credits.
So now onto the packs that I mentioned above… Another great part about the Lab are the packs offered in the application. First available are Education Packs. These are fun lesson plans that are on 5 day schedules. Now my son right now is too young for these packs, but I love that Ubooly offers parents progress reports on their child!
There are also Interest Packs which are great if your child has a passion about a specific topic. These packs are centered around fun facts and trivia geared towards a specific interest.
Third there are Fitness & Helper Packs offered. These packs focus on your child’s personal growth. They really do help shape healthy habits in your child.
Now my son is only two years old, but he had fun playing with Ubooly and just loved the bright orange plushed. He usually enjoyed hearing Ubooly’s stories. It was so cute when my son would bring over the plush and say “Ubooly phone please!” It was his way of saying he was ready to play!
Another cute use of Ubooly is as a night light. Ubooly’s face will give off a soft glow if your child would like to go to bed with them. I didn’t mind when my son did this since my phone was safe and secure in the protectiveness of the Ubooly plush.
If you are looking for a fun and interactive toy that is also educational and will keep your children entertained for hours (yes I said hours), and you need to check out the Ubooly Lab!
Don’t forget to connect with Ubooly on Facebook and Twitter!
Buy It: You can purchase the Ubooly Toy for $29.95. The app is free to download to your iPhone or iPod.
Win It: Be sure to check out my Ubooly giveaway! You can win one of your very own, plus a $30 credit to the Ubooly Lab!
This is the cutest thing ever :) my daughter would love this for her iPod. I want one!
Oh that ubooly is so stinking cute! I want one that is compatible with an ipad mini! My kids would love it. but I don’t have an iphone!
I saw these at Toy Fair in February and fell in love with them. I wish I had young kids just so I could get one. They are so adorable.
This is adorable!
My toddler has an Ubooly and it is definitely his favorite toy. It’s so cute. I love that he does pretend-play stuff with it. It’s so cute to watch them play.
This is too cute, I’m sure every kid who sees it will want it!
That’s a super cute toy! Almost makes me want to buy a smart phone :)
What a neat toy! My girls love my phone – I’m sure they’d love these too. I particularly like that the toy protects the phone…very smart!
I see this toy as one that can swoop in and save a public area from a temper tantrum! I love that you can use voice command. More reasons for me to switch to an Iphone keep popping up, one of these days I’m going to cave!
My kids would love these! Such a great idea for making technology even more exciting for kids.
hoe adorable is this! i need to get one for my toddler now :)
My 2 year old is “reading” over my shoulder. She is the stuffed animal aficionado after all here and well she agrees with your son, it’s a bear ;). So is this similar to those tamagotchi pets from when we were younger? I take it that it only works with Apple products. Stupid Verizon and their not letting me update to an iphone a couple of weeks early without having to pay full price ;).
I gotta tell you… there’s nothing quite like seeing your child play with Ubooly. My kids were so amazed that their new friend knew their names! It was actually kind of funny to watch them get started with Ubooly . They kept looking at me like, “Is this real?” They’ve never experienced a toy like it!
Cutest thing ever!! I need one for my almost 2 yr old!
I just brought this for my son who is 2 years old in Feb (he isnt talking yet so it be me who talks to the toy at start but kinda hoping it will start him talking).
I just wondering whats best to put on there for a 2 year old?