Jimmy Neutron's K-9 Goddard Makes the Grade
Written: Mar 31 '05
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Pros: well made, good imitation of the dog on the show
Cons: Minor problems with remote in houses with lots of walls, remote is not that sturdy
The Bottom Line: If your child likes Jimmy Neutron's show, this is a long-lasting toy.
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| susiee's Full Review: Mattel Jimmy Neutron: Radio Control K-9 Goddard De... |
My sons love the TV show Jimmy Neutron, and they love dogs. So Radio Control K-9 Goddard seemed like a good gift for my son at Christmas.
Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius is a show about a strange little boy who is always inventing things and having adventures. One thing he invented is a robot dog named Goddard, who has helped save the day in many an episode. On the show, the dog is quite intelligent and can do a lot of things. The toy version of Goddard has a list of things it can do, too.
First of all, Goddard looks like a robot more than a dog. He has a square grayish body, and his head is long and thin. He does bear a vague resemblance to a dog, and is a very good imitation of the character on the show.
The only assembly required is to install 3 C batteries in his battery pack (a screwdriver is required to open the battery cover. I don't know why everything requires a screwdriver to remove the batteries these days, it is very annoying when my son wants new batteries in something!). Also, the remote control requires a 9V battery (this one just slides open, no screwdriver needed).
This toy has an on/off switch on the bottom of Goddard. It also has a Try Me mode, which allows you to play with it in the store. You need to reset the on/off switch after inserting batteries to make it work with the remote. Also, if you have any trouble, make sure it hasn't been switched back to Try Me mode.
So, what does this radio controled canine do?
The remote control has six buttons. Wow, six functions, you say. This is what the buttons do:
The first button makes Goddard walk forward. His eyes light up and his brain spins. (You can see his brain on his head, it doesn't look too disgusting.). He kind of wobbles as he moves forward, not the motion of a real dog.
The second button is to make Goddard bark. While barking, his head moves and his eyes blink.
The third button makes Goddard makes him lurch forward and growl. Very fierce for guard dog mode.
The fourth button has him make a panting sound. The fifth button has Goddard make a whimpering sound. Both are kind of annoying.
The last button is the coolest one. By pressing and HOLDING the button down, you can talk into the transmitter and have what you say come out of Goddard. I don't recall ever seeing Jimmy and Goddard do this on the TV show, but the kids thought this was great. My younger son had trouble holding the button down long enough to talk. Due to the layout of my house, this could only work if you were in certain rooms (for example, from the kitchen you could make Goddard talk in the family room, but not in the living room unless it was right in the doorway). I don't know what the range is supposed to be, but we have a lot of electronics and walls which seemed to limit the range to being within visual contact and not more than 20 feet or so. The instruction manual did note that it works best away from large buildings or walls, so this is probably typical. It also warned that operating multiple Goddards in the same area would cause interference an poor performance. Since we only have one, that is not an issue, but I imagine other similar remote control toys could also interfere with the performance.
In addition to playing with the remote to make Goddard do things, you can open the trap doors on the back to see gears and a circuit board. Not a big feature for my kids, but fits in with the dog on the show.
Goddard does have a strange tendency to bark, whimper or growl for no good reason when the remote is not even in the room. We have found that a typical problem with electronic toys in my house for some reason.
Goddard has amazingly managed to survive two years in my house and still be in one piece, a tribute to its sturdiness. However, the remote was not so fortunate. The kids cracked the back off, and we had to tape the batteries in place (ah ha, that's why the battery compartments require screwdrivers, to prevent the kids from breaking them off!) The tiny antenna broke off after about 6 months, which really reduced the ability to control this thing. And now we haven’t seen it for at least 1 month.
Even without the remote, I keep finding this toy all over the house, which shows that my kids still pull him out to play with. I personally don't see much fun in a hard robot dog that doesn't do anything, but the boys like it and it joins the stuffed dogs in their play.
This is recommended for children 4 and up. My son got it when he was 8 and loved it. You can usually find it on clearance now for about $15, which makes it a deal.
While it didn't impress me with its remote control features, this has been a popular toy in my house. And it has been remarkably sturdy. I would recommend it to Jimmy Neutron fans.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 24.99
Type of Toy: Radio Control
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older
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susiee
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