Featuring in the Dream Toys top 12 toys of the year is no mean feat and last year I was disappointed to see my favourite robotic dog Zoomer miss out. This year however Zoomer Dino has taken the list by storm and beaten off previous favourites Teksta to a place in this coveted list.
Zoomer Dino is charged via mini USB. He takes about an hour to fully charge and this gives a playtime of around 20 to 30 minutes. Unlike Zoomer the Dog, Zoomer Dino comes with a separate control pod. The control pod takes 3 AAA batteries and is a great addition for the younger children. You can read more technical details about this on Top 9 Rated. Chloe Robinson, a review expert from the site, has published a very informative article on it.
Zoomer Dino runs best on smooth flat surfaces. He doesn’t work well on slippery floors or deep carpets. Zoomer Dino can be used with the control pod or without.
To use the control pod you can press any button. Zoomer Dino’s eyes will show yellow so you know he is now being controlled by the control pod. On the bottom of the control pad, is two buttons – Run and Chomp. On the top of the control pad, are the joystick and the Angry button. The angry button has two uses, you can press it to make him angry or when he falls you can press it to help him back up.
Zoomer Dino runs around on his two back legs and balances carefully. If he falls forward on to his head or back on to his tail you need to press the button on his back or the angry button on the control pod to help him right himself. He is very good at getting his own balance. However, if he falls on his side you will need to help him back on to his feet and then press either of the buttons so he can get his balance again.
As well as control pod mode (yellow eyes) there is also Gesture mode (Purple eyes). Using gesture mode you can make different hand motions to get Zoomer Dino to perform a variety of tricks. The enclosed leaflet shows you how to get Zoomer Dino to tail whip, sit and speak but you can find more instructions at ZoomerDino.com It is recommended that you keep your hand 10cm away from the sensors on Zoomer Dino ‘s face for the best results.
Zoomer Dino shows you how he is feeling using the LED lights in his eyes.
Green = Happy
Blue = Curious
Purple = gesture mode
Red = Angry
Yellow = Control pod mode
Orange = battery low
You can make Zoomer Dino Angry but pulling his tail, shaking his head or pressing the angry button on the control pod. This is Alison’s favourite thing to do and she loves seeing his reaction.
Zoomer Dino is definitely a top toy this Christmas.