Puppy Grows And Knows Your Name Poodle

by Fisher-Price

Product Features

• Puppy Grows and Knows Poodle is an electronic mechanized plush dog from Fisher-Price
• The Poodle is the smallest size when the child brings him home
• Over the course of four days puppy will grow to his full size
• As puppy grows, he will know the childżs name and his own name
• Puppy is personalized using the software on the included CD-ROM and the USB port on the consumer's PC
• Puppy comes with accessories - a bone and a brush

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 12 x 14.1 inches ; 4.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000NW133S
• Item model number: K4191
• Our recommended age: 36 months - 7 years
• Manufacturer recommended age: 3 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,975 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Getting to know a new friend is fun with the Puppy Grows & Knows Your Name Poodle from Fisher-Price. This interactive toy puppy comes complete with curly white hair, a pink plastic collar, a bone-shaped treat, and a brush. More than that, the puppy actually "grows" over time, and it can be programmed to know your child's name and it's own name (which you pick). With this puppy, children 18 months and up can enjoy having an interactive pet all their own.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Puppy really grows and "learns" new sayings The Bad: Hard body isn't padded beneath the soft fur In a Nutshell: Kids are sure to love having a pet that calls them by name At a Glance Ages: 18 months and older Requires: Windows PC with a CD drive and USB port

Puppy is smallest when you first open the box. View larger.

In four days, puppy is fully grown. View Larger.

Cute, Cuddly, and Easy-to-Program
Before your child adopts this puppy, an adult will need to program the puppy and make sure that four AA batteries are installed. Programming is fast and easy. Simply insert the included CD in your computer's CD-ROM drive, follow the directions to complete installation, and open the user-friendly application. This lets you select your child's name, check the pronunciation, pick a name for your puppy, and upload the data to your puppy using the included USB cable.

Now "Pickles," "Snowball," or "Chi Chi" is ready to meet your child. The first time we touched her back, our puppy wagged her tail and said, "Hi, Tony. How are you? I'm feeling happy today." A few seconds later, she said, "Let's play, Tony." Try sticking the bone in her mouth to hear crunching sounds, or petting her soft fur.

Have Fun Charting Puppy's Growth
Puppy has more to offer than just fun, interactive movements and sayings. Over the course of four days, this puppy actually "grows." Watching the puppy get taller right in front of our eyes quickly won us over. And, unlike a real dog, Puppy Grows and Knows Your Name can go back to being a puppy, so you and your child can watch the growth cycle all over again. Our puppy didn't come with a set of instructions, so we had to figure out her pattern of growth on our own.

The included chart helps kids measure and track the growth of their puppy. Plus, puppy has something new to say each of the four days, which makes it seem like she really is learning as she grows. Part of this learning process includes singing two songs that feature your child's name, which are sure to delight little pet owners.

This puppy is recommended for children as young as 18 months, but younger children, who are sure to love the way puppy speaks right to them, may not be as interested in measuring growth and watching puppy mature. Plus, since Puppy Grows and Knows Your Name is battery powered, she has a hard body underneath her furry coat. We felt that a little more padding would make this her a much more huggable friend.

While the programming CD requires a system running Windows 2000, XP, Vista or higher, the puppy can still be fun even if you use a Mac or don't have a computer. Without programming, the poodle simply calls itself "Puppy" and your child "Friend." And even though a wide variety of names, including David, Geronimo, Sharif, and Zelda, appear in the list of names your puppy recognizes, if your child has a very unusual name, you may not be able to "teach" it to the puppy. Setting the puppy to speak to a "Friend" or "Buddy" instead of using a single name can also be an excellent solution for children who share their puppy with siblings.

Overall, Puppy Grows and Knows Your Name is a great pick for children who love dogs but can't have a live puppy of their own. She's sure to inspire lots of creative interaction, and parents are sure to appreciate that they don't get stuck walking the dog, buying food, and picking up messes.

What's in the Box
Puppy, bone, brush, tape measure, growth chart, birth certificate, 4 AA batteries, USB cable, and programming CD.

Product Description

Give this adorable puppy lots of tender loving care, and he'll grow to his full size within one week. This plush pooch is at his smallest size when you bring him home, and over the course of the week, he flourishes under your care.

As your puppy grows, he will learn to speak, learn his own name, your name, your birthday and your friend's name. He'll even pick out his favorite spots to visit, along with a couple of favorite activities. Puppy can be reset to a small size so you can watch him grow again and again. Includes personalization software, plus bone, brush and puppy toy. Requires 4 "AA" batteries, included. Measures 14"L x 8"W x 12"H.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Puppy Grows And Knows Your Name Poodle, September 29, 2007

By 

Carrie (Sun City West, Azerbaijan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Puppy Grows And Knows Your Name Poodle (Toy)

I purchased this for my Granddaughters 7th birthday. She is a dog nut but cannot have a live dog in her Condo.

She loves this dog....The first day we programed her to learn both of their names. You must have a computer and USB cords to do this. 1st day: the puppy asks to be petted, sings songs and wants to be brushed. 2nd day: the puppy grows and has more sayings, she wants to eat, be scratched and sings another song. 3rd day: the puppy grows, again, and has more sayings. 4th day: the puppy grows to full height, asks to be measured and wants kisses etc. The puppy shrinks down to puppy size and starts all over again.

This was a fun toy for her and she loved the different sayings each day plus the growth. The puppy sings the childs name in songs and asks for kisses, giggles, and wants to be played with. Comes with a bone, brush and a measuring tape. Can be turned off when not being played with.

I'm sure after a few more weeks she will be tired of the toy but it was a great gift. She has "a million toys" and this was something different for her.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great toy - not enough accessories, October 21, 2007

By 

Kristen Mondaruli "iamkmondo" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Puppy Grows And Knows Your Name Poodle (Toy)

We purchased this for my daughter for her 5th birthday. She loves "snowball". She comes with a bone, brush and a ruler (to measure the growth). One major thing she doesn't come with is the usb wire to connect her to the computer. It includes the software (which is not mac compatible), but I have to purchase the usb a-usb b wire separately. The dog is able to work without being hooked up to the computer, she just calls you "friend" and herself "puppy". The actual dog is adorable. The concept to me was creepy, but after hearing the voice and seeing the dog grow, I overcame that. If your child is a fan of dogs, this is a great toy for them. Just be sure to purchase that wire or you'll have a dissappointed kid on your hands.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Christmas Hit!, December 26, 2007

By 

Kendall's Mom - See all my reviews

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Puppy Grows And Knows Your Name Poodle (Toy)

This was one of two items my daughter requested this Christmas, and the best price was on Amazon.com. I admit I was concerned about the price ($50 in retail stores) and thought it would probably be a dud, given the mechanical nature of the toy. How soft and cuddly could it be? That's one of the reasons it was important to get the best price on the toy, which Amazon gave (as of this writing).

My husband and I did the set up before giving the puppy to our daughter, who was thrilled that the puppy already "knew" her name the first time she petted it. This is essential! My husband had the required cable you MUST have in order to personalize the puppy (but it is NOT included in the toy). The CD has over 3,000 names on it, so our ease in finding our child's name was a pleasant surprise. (We have difficulty finding pre-personalized items in stores for our daughter.) There were even multiple spellings of the name. You do not have the option of just typing your child's name, however. All you can do is click on one of the names listed. After selecting the child's name and the puppy's name from a list on the CD (no customization option is given), you download the information to the puppy with the cable. It doesn't take long to do, but keep in mind that the software is only PC-compatible (not good for a Mac-only home).

The toy itself is fairly soft, and has a pleasant "voice". It "grows" after you touch any activator twice - growing once each day, so you'll need to click the reset button (near the battery compartment) for it to return to its original size before gift-giving. My daughter (age 5) has carried it with her everywhere, so it's cuddly enough for her to snuggle. You CAN hear the gears when it wags its tail and/or turns its head, but it doesn't bother my child. Just be aware that it isn't a quiet toy. It hasn't been dropped yet, so I can't attest to its durability, but it appears to be a good quality product (so far).

A hit for the pint-size pet lover in your family! Mac compatibility would be a bonus, and an option to type your child's name and the puppy's, as well as choosing from a list provided by Fisher Price, would make the toy (in my opinion) more user-friendly for parents, but so far, it's been a good toy for our child.