Spin Master Toys Got Your Christmas List Covered!

Product Review

(Daddy plays)

At the risk of stating the obvious, Christmas is coming!!! Cue the mad scramble of buying presents for the children who mean the world to us. And when it comes to buying gifts for children, we generally plan on buying toys. Sure, practical things other than toys make better presents but toys are always at the top of the Christmas Shopping list because let's face it - which kid doesn’t love toys?!?

So when the monkies received a package filled with the hottest new toys from Spin Master, they - to put it midly - went bonkers.

Three different toys. And each one somehow suited each of the monkies perfectly.

Naturally, the Flutterbye Fairy was for Ale. Ash, who loves all things remote-controlled, hugged the Air Hogs Atmosphere immediately while Ayd, who has always been yearning for a pet to call his own, was simply thrilled with Zoomer the robodog.

Ash has always been a fan of Air Hogs, thanks to its numerous remote-controlled airplanes and helicopters. But the Atmosphere was something unique.

For starters, this levitating sphere requires no remote control and hovers above any surface. And oh my, it is just so much fun!

Ash clearly enjoyed making it hover in mid-air so much, that I simply has to give it a try too. It does take a few tries to keep the sphere from flying away initially but once you get the hang of it, it felt as if I was 'using the Force' and we even tried maneuvering it with other parts of our body too!

But do note that the Atmopshere is specifically designed for indoor play only, as its spherical shape allows it to smoothly bounce off walls and ceilings for non-stop flight. The only downside is that it doesn't stay charged for very long although it charges up fairly quickly. The charger unit requires 6 AA batteries, so it's probably better to have rechargeable ones on hand for this toy.

And who says remote-controlled toys are exclusively for boys? Girls now can have their own RC toy as well.

Seeing how Ale is into fairies and all things whimsical currently, it is definitely a bonus that the RC Toy came in the form of a Fairy!

The Flutterbye Fairy functions similarly to the Air Hogs Atmosphere. She comes with a pink charging base - that's another 6 AA batteries - which looks a bit like a jewellery box. A flashing light tells you when she is all ready to fly and one can then press the button on the base to launch her into the air.

Once it is in flight, you can control which way she goes by guiding your hand under the fairy's legs... much like the Air Hogs Atmosphere. And it delighted Ale to no end! She couldn't quite get the hang of controlling it in mid-air though, so it was up to her Mummy to demonstrate - and I think the wifey thoroughly enjoyed playing with it too.

The charging time for the Flutterbye Fairy is rather long though - 25 minutes for 5 minutes of play. But at least it does train patience! Heh.

The final toy on the list cannot fly but it is no less cool. Zoomer, otherwise known as the dog for people who cannot have pets, is an electronic dog that can do fun cool tricks and respiond to voice commands just like a real dog!

Zoomer can actually learn and improve at following commands. He even has moods, so call his name, teach him lots of tricks and watch how excited he gets when you reward him with a real good belly scratch. I have to say Zoomer is remarkably puppy-like; with his cute eyes even following our movement and if we left he alone, he will just run around, bark and occasional urinate (no messy cleanup!) in a corner of our house!

So you can probably guess how endearing it was for the boys when they got Zoomer to follow them around, shake hands, play with a ball and even play dead. The only drawback? Before barking any command, you will have to press Zoomer's head and wait for his LED eyes to turn into two question marks. Otherwise, it doesn't listen. But that is a small price to pay in return for maximum cuteness - Zoomer will also perform random tricks if you press the button on its back, like howling a song... too adorable for words, seriously.

Zoomer sports an internal battery so no AA batteries for him. Just connect the mini-USB cable to a computer or a wall plug and it takes about an hour to be fully charged. Play time is good for about 30 minutes, though you can extend that by turning Zoomer off when you’re not playing with him.

But if your children are anything like my boys, they could not bear to turn him off... so I guess it is safe to say that if you are looking for a fun, worry-free pet for a child than can’t have pets, Zoomer will be the perfect choice.

Here's a short clip of Ayd asking Zoomer to play dead, and also a snippet of Ash controlling his Air Hogs Atmosphere towards the end.

So hopefully, I have given you additional options to keep in mind when you are out looking for those perfect toys to put under the tree this Christmas!

Air Hogs Atmosphere (S$49.90), Flutterbye Fairy (S$59.90) and Zoomer (S$199.90) are retailing at all Toys 'R' Us and major Departmental Stores.