Elmo Live Review

Elmo Live Review

Thanks to today's technology, Fisher-Price's Elmo Live! is an amazingly life-like creation. Remember a few years back when Tickle Me Elmo was THE hot Christmas toy? Elmo Live is a true all singing all dancing educational toy. On the inside is an advanced robot which produces life-like (or more accurately, muppet-like) movements. This gives him the ability to move his mouth synchronized with his speech. Elmo waves his arms, sits and stands, and even crosses his legs while telling stories and jokes, singing songs and playing games. Elmo Live has a fairly large vocabulary. Children can activate Elmo Live's magic with a tickle or a squeeze of Elmo's foot, tummy, back or nose. Parents who buy Elmo Live will delight in this latest version of everyone's favorite Sesame Street character. With his interactive style, Elmo Live! encourages creative play, and with his wide variety of actions, he can entertain kids through different stages of their development, from 18 months onward.

Elmo Live is a super-fun, interactive toy designed for toddlers 18 months and older, although I've seen children even younger positively light up, smile, laugh, and point their fingers as soon as they see Elmo Live on the shelf. That's the power of Sesame Street branding.

Here's my list of Elmo Live features that I've personally tested myself (OK, played with). Let these real-world comments and observations guide your purchase decision.

1. Great Quality. One of criteria used by the toy industry to assess product success is the number of returns, which for Elmo Live have been shockingly low. I say that because new toys that push the envelope of technology and, here, interactivity, often get returned in droves. Usually, my prime play time with a toy is when I'm repackaging a return (sorry, boss). Not this season. I had to get all of my playing time from the Elmo Live demo model during coffee breaks.
2. Perfect Choice. Elmo is the flagship character of the Sesame Street brand. Parents and children trust and love him. Like I said, even pre-toddlers recognize him immediately. Elmo Live is flying off the shelves as much for reasons of trust and recognition as it is for his advanced animatronics. So if you need a fast gift for a toddler, Elmo Live is the perfect choice.
3. Total entertainment! Elmo Live talks, sings, laughs, jokes, tells stories and dances. Squeezing one of his pressure/tickle points like his nose, foot, tummy or back will elicit different reactions, all of them highly entertaining. He comes with a little, blue plastic chair. When he sits down, he crosses his legs and tells a story. He flails his arms, tilts his head way back, opens his mouth (in sync with speech), bows and twists. He is the full entertainment package.

1. Elmo Live is the mirror image of his TV persona. Fisher-Price has really captured the essence of Elmo's on-camera personality. He's just as silly, funny, loving, spontaneous and crazy as he is on Sesame Street. I don't often find this kind of perfect match in other toys/dolls/action figures that attempt the spin-off from TV/film to toy-store shelf. So the good news when you buy Elmo Live is that you're getting exactly what you expect.
2. Educational, too! Elmo Live's expressions, speech, gestures and personality are all so spot-on lifelike that children see him as human, too. You should see just how engaged children become when playing with Elmo Live. It's as though they're interacting with a real family member, who, in this case, happens to be a fuzzy, red baby monster. I mention this for the real education and socializing features that Elmo Live offers. He's very polite, and he'll teach that to your child, nephew, niece or godchild.
3. Batteries included! Yes, you read that right! Elmo Live comes with 6 AA batteries. Fisher-Price has also wisely designed a power-down feature into the toy. If Elmo Live doesn't get any attention for a few minutes. He'll politely shut himself off to save on the batteries.

Buy Elmo Live Now Elmo Live! creates an almost magical experience for your child, as if her toy is really coming to life. The wide variety of things that Elmo Live! can do makes him a great toy to grow with your child.