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The Smart Bounce & Spin Pony from Fisher Price offers
interactive, fun, and educational video games designed to grow
with your child through toddlerhood. If your child is between 12
months and 36 months of age, is under 44 pounds, and can sit on
the pony unassisted, then she is ready to play.
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The pony is actually the controller for educational video games.
View larger
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The receiver features kid friendly controls. View larger
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. What We Think
Fun Factor:
Durability:
(what this means)
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The Good: Wireless technology, easy-to-use features, and
challenging games make this interactive pony and educational
games entertaining and educational for toddlers
The Bad: While it's recommended for children 12 months or older,
most 12-month-old children will be too small to use this toy
effectively.
In a Nutshell: Interactive pony and its included educational
games provide plenty of physical coordination and mental
stimulation for toddlers At a Glance
Ages: 12 to 36 months
Requires: 3 AA Batteries and 3 C Batteries; TV
Construction and Design
The Smart Bounce & Spin Pony is a molded plastic pony that sits
on a wide, sturdy plastic base. But this pony is much more than
your standard rocking horse: it is also the actual controller for
the included educational video games.
After some quick-and-easy adult assembly (you'll need a Philips
screwdriver) and battery insertion (you'll need three AAA
batteries and three C batteries), we found it easy to start
playing right away. Just plug the included receiver into your
television, VCR, or DVD player's audio/video input jacks, and the
game introductory screen will appear on the TV. Using wireless
technology, the pony's motions control the video games. Your
child can bounce and spin while riding the pony to interact with
the "learning sites," or games, that she chooses to play.
We found the wireless technology very convenient: we could put
the pony anywhere from 3 to 15 feet from the receiver. That said,
we discovered that, as recommended, the pony should be positioned
on a carpeted surface, since it slides relatively easily on
hardwood floors or other smooth flooring material.
Games That Grow With Your Child
The educational games feature simple, colorful animation that's
easy for a small child to relate to, as well as perky, bright
background music and fun sing-along songs. (Adult caregivers will
appreciate that the potentially relentless background music can
be shut off during play.) The child causes the animated features
to react by bouncing on the pony and turning the drum on the
pony's handle.
The Smart Bounce & Spin Pony's five learning sites include: A to
Z Zoo; Count & Grow Farm; Colorful Home; Shapes at Shore; and
sites Playground. Each game can be played at 1 of 3 levels of
advancement, which can be selected by an adult using buttons on
the receiver. Level 1 teaches the youngest toddler about action
and reaction. For example, in level 1 of the "Colorful Home"
game, a puppy appears on the screen and simply makes motions
whenever the pony bounces.
Level 2 introduces letters, shapes, numbers, and colors. For
example, in level 2 of the A to Z Zoo, each letter of the
alphabet appears as the pony bounces, with the onscreen voice
naming the letter.
Level 3 allows children to "count along," and works with ideas
like sites and spelling. In level 3 of the Count & Grow Farm,
for example, the child makes an animal jump over consecutively
numbered hurdles and is encouraged to count along with the game.
Spinning the drum on the pony's handle creates additional
effects, such as playing new songs or changing the weather in the
scene.
Stand Alone Mode
The child can change the game herself with arrow buttons on the
pony's handle. If the child stops bouncing, after a short period
a pony appears on the screen reminds the child to bounce and get
the game going again. It will go into " mode" after three
minutes to preserve battery life. Just turn the drum or bounce
the pony to start it up again.
Smaller children will especially like that the pony can be
played with by itself without the video games. Change the pony's
switch to "stand alone mode," and the pony will play its own
music while the child bounces and spins. In fact, in our
estimation the stationary mode is best for the youngest toddler
-- and only with lots of adult help.
While our 22-month-old child tester found it very easy to ,
dis, and ride the pony, most 12-month old children will not
be able to balance safely on it, let alone bounce and spin
independently, unless they have prodigy-like athletic abilities.
What's in the Box
Smart Bounce & Spin Pony with base and handlebar; receiver
From the Manufacturer
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Active learning begins with a bounce! This friendly pony
bounces, spins, and rewards baby with lots of music and sounds,
even without the TV. And when you set up the wireless TV
connection, baby’s actions make big things happen on screen! The
learning continues through three levels as baby grows. Saddle up
to enjoy lots of game play, animation, music, sounds, friendly
characters, tons of sing-along songs, and a long trail of
exciting things to learn. Requires 3 AAA and 3 C batteries.
Maximum Weight: 44 lbs (20 kg). Developmental Guidelines: For
children able to get on and off unassisted.
- The Bounce and Learn Pony is an active learning toy that interacts with the television.
- The Pony uses a wireless device to connect with the TV delivering animated content.
- Baby interacts by bouncing up and down and spinning a roller on the handle bars.
- Mom can choose the level of play and audio options.
- Without being connected to the TV, baby can play on the pony and be rewarded by songs and sound effects from the pony itself.