Penbo the Lovable Penguin

Penbo is an adorable bright pink penguin that my daughter has been carrying around for the last week. Penbo is the Third Toy of Christmas on the Kidwinks 12 Toys of Christmas list. She is an interactive toy, so she reacts to movement and voice. Although she is sitting right next to me as I type this and is slightly creeping me out because she is staring at me, my daughter (5 years old) loves her. She has a big round belly that opens up to store her egg, which holds a cute little fuzzy blue baby penguin, Bebe.

Penbo reacts to your child's voice and touch by blinking her eyes, moving her arms & legs, and speaking "penguish" back to your child. There are no real words spoken back, just "penguish". You might think that would be a negative, but I actually don't think it is. Any words would be limited by what is recorded within the toy, you would get the same responses over and over. With "penguish", your child can user her imagination to determine what Penbo is saying. Your questions can be endless!

The legs are a kind of rolling wheel so Penbo can move backwards and forwards. She can even do a little cha-cha! There are 5 different games you can play with Penbo & Bebe. You start the games and interaction with different combinations of pressing their hands, forehead and heart on Penbo's belly. The interaction you see from just rubbing Penbo's head or talking to her is exciting for a 5-year old. In order to start the games however, there are specific steps to follow that seem a little complicated for a child to execute. We went through the games once, but my daughter prefers to just rub her head or talk to her to get her to respond. Getting her to open her belly and release the egg & baby penguin seems to be a popular activity for my daughter also. The enclosed play guide describe Penbo's delivery of her egg as a magical moment! I'm not sure its magical, but it is fun!

It definitely seems to have more potential than just a regular stuffed animal, but I'm wondering if the electronics piece would lose interest after a while. After a few days, my daughter was putting barrettes and headbands on her and just dressing her up. Penbo is such an incredibly cute-looking toy, regardless of whether you enjoy all her neat features. Kids who love electronic toys will really enjoy the games and interactions that Penbo makes. You can find lots of other ideas for great toys on the shopping section of www.kidwinks.com. You can also find tons of ideas for fun ways to spend your holiday break on the Kidwinks events section.