Product test
Me dad, you bastard
by Michael Restin
Tearful farewell to the plush robot
10.12.2018
Translation: machine translated
Christmas is coming. My daughter discovered "Ricky, my clever little dog" in a toy catalogue. The electrified puppy is lying around our office. So I take Ricky home with me. I'd rather not have done that.
After reading a toy catalogue, my daughter chose Ricky the cuddly toy dog as one of her favourites. He's lying around the office untested and my daughter wants to try him out. I speak to toy pope Ramon. "Sure, borrow the thing," he says.
To my daughter, I clearly declare it a temporary visit and emphasise that the cuddly toy dog has to leave us again. This is because we parents have decided against the toy. Because the presents have already been bought. My wife was strongly against Ricky's temporary stay at our house, but my daughter and I outvoted her democratically.
My daughter was already jumping for joy at the announcement that I could bring the puppy home. Not my wife. My daughter even calls me just before she finishes work: "Is the puppy coming?" "Yes!" "Ha! Mum lost the bet!" I have to suppress a giggle.
Colleague Michael did a similar experiment with Ricky's soul mate, parrot "Pauli"
Ricky comes home
Ricky doesn't come home in a basket, but in a Galaxus plastic bag. He is greeted enthusiastically by my daughter. She tries him out straight away and is delighted. I also think the plush dog is actually still cute.
The fluffy plush dog is modelled on a husky puppy. It is around 45 cm high and weighs 2.3 kilos. The weight comes from some motors in his belly, thanks to which he can do a few tricks.
- Action 1: You can place a magnetic bone on his nose. He balances it in his mouth and makes chewing noises. He drops it and barks contentedly.
- Action 2: You can press his left paw - and only his left paw, because that's where the push button is - and he will high-five with it.
- Action 3: You can feed him a plastic dog biscuit, which he acknowledges with a contented noise. If you stroke him and press the tactile button above his tail, he will poop out the plastic treat with a characteristic sound. Sometimes he farts at the same time.
- Action 4: You can cuddle his head and he will make a slobbering noise and move his tongue back and forth.
- Action 5: He has a sensor in his head and reacts to noise by barking in different ways.
The eyes and ears are also motorised. The eyelids open and close during actions. The ears wiggle wildly. Ricky also slowly slides backwards during operation. Unfortunately, the poor creature cannot walk.
After watching for a while, I am disillusioned. The plush dog may be cute, but it's even crazier than I expected. For 150 francs, I don't expect a plush Terminator, but this thing is pretty limited.
Despite the high price, the batteries are not included. Four 1.5V type C (these are the big, fat ones):
Batteries
Quantity discount
CHF10.20 per piece for 2 units CHF2.68/1pcs.
Duracell Plus
4 pcs., C, 7750 mAh
My daughter doesn't mind the lack of batteries or the lack of intelligence. She is completely thrilled. She christened the cuddly dog "Oliver" and is absolutely convinced that Oliver obeys her. I have explained to her that the actions are programmed in, but she likes to confuse cause and effect because it makes the game more fun. The sound sensor and the barking when you talk to him complete the illusion.
Over and over again, my daughter puts the bone on Oliver's nose and orders him to drop it. She rewards the fluffy dog with a goodie. Which he always has to throw out again straight away. She repeats this with astonishing perseverance. In between, she takes him in her arms and cuddles the fluffy dog.
Although my daughter doesn't play with the borrowed companion all the time, she does so repeatedly. Oliver is clearly number 1 during his stay, leaving the 30 other soft toys in the dust.
Oliver has to leave us
It was agreed from the start: the "doggie" has to leave our flat again after a few days.
My daughter pulls out all the stops:
- "I really want to keep him!" - no, he has to go back to the office.
- "Paaaaapaaaa! That would be my best Christmas present!" - no, he has to go back to the office!
- "We could give the puppy to Grandad!" - no, Grandad is too old for that.
- "Can't we ask the company to give him to us?" - no, the poor people there have to make a living too. They can't give dogs away.
There's no getting round it: Oliver has to leave us. We have a ritual for saying goodbye. My daughter says goodbye to Oliver in the evening. Sobbing, she wishes him goodnight one last time from her cot and throws herself into the pillows, crying. The next morning we put him in the plastic bag together. My daughter's eyes get wet again as we say goodbye.
It's heartbreaking and really touches me. I would be sorely tempted if she didn't already get this "Baby Born" for Christmas. Before the appearance of the plush dog, the doll was my daughter's most fervent wish, which is now being fulfilled. The doll can drink, cry, eat paste and wet her nappy.
A good gift?
And "Ricky, my clever little dog"? His limited abilities didn't bother my daughter at all. I don't know how long she would have had fun with her "doggie".
At just under 150 francs - plus batteries! - and would certainly have been a great gift, probably from several people together.
For children who like dogs and whose parents are not afraid of this type of toy, the plush dog is worth considering. It's pretty sure to make their eyes light up.
Me too, Oliver. I'll remember you wistfully when I scrape the dried-up poo from "Baby Born" out of the carpet. <p
Aurel Stevens
Chief Editor
aurel.stevens@digitecgalaxus.chI'm the master tamer at the flea circus that is the editorial team, a nine-to-five writer and 24/7 dad. Technology, computers and hi-fi make me tick. On top of that, I’m a rain-or-shine cyclist and generally in a good mood.
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