Look for the surprise.
Written: Jan 13 '03 (Updated Jan 13 '03)
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Pros: Absolutely adorable, interactive, and a whole lot of fun.
Cons: Takes a lot of batteries. Not a lot of story cards...
The Bottom Line: I wish I had purchased this toy sooner. I would recommend it to anyone with or without kids. *grin*
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| BlackCat2's Full Review: The Original San Francisco Toy Makers Yano Interac... |
My mother sent this toy this Christmas for my son. I can't say which of us loves Yano more. Being largely an 80's kid he reminds me of Gizmo a little and I wanted one of those after seeing the movie but of course they didn't exist. Yano is about as close as I will get. *grin*
He stands 11 inches tall and needs 3 AA batteries for the remote and 4 C batteries for Yano himself. He has a magic amulet on his neck that you can use to start him up or you can use the remote.
The amulet has five buttons: Yes, No, Wish, Pause, & Start I like the Wish button. You press it and he wakes up and asks if you want to make a wish. Press the green Yes button or the red No button to answer. So I pressed Yes and he asked me to make a wish then press the yellow wish button.
I did and the amulet lit up and there was all this tinkling music. Then he said "Your wish will come true, If it was meant to be." Closes his eyes and goes back to sleep.
Yano comes with one story cartridge. Jana and the Magic Fish. These resemble choose your own adventure stories. You decide by pressing keys on the touchpad remote how the story will go.
Does Jana keep the fish? Does she throw it back? Will she put it in the pond near her home or put the magic fish in a show? You and your child decide and I think that is great.
The remote is cordless but is sensitive. It has to be pointed pretty much directly at Yano in order for him to do what he needs to. However, if you don't respond quick enough he will ask you again the same question or make the same suggestion.
If you don't respond after this second prompting he puts himself in sleep mode but always says goodbye first. I think that is so cute and good because it will save on battery life.
There are five other stories that I have been able to find out about. Two of them I have but they will be reviewed seperately as they are on Epinions. I will only name them and offer a brief overview here.
Two Tents:
Yano and his friends take a camping trip where they learn what the true meaning of friendship is.
The Secret Singing Stone:
Lori and Joe go on an adventure to find the Secret Singing Stone. They want to bring back the gift of song to their village.
Bernie, the Computer Bug:
Bernie is doing buggy things to Max's computer. Find out where Bernie finally is placed so Max can use his computer without worry.
Bunny or Not? :
Ben Bunny hops away from his home to find a better place to live. What does Ben learn about being a bunny?
The Search for the Golden Whale:
The children of Perch learn the value of nature in this story. Join them on their search for the Golden Whale.
Now that the technical details are out of the way I can really have some fun. *grin*
When you start him up he says "Hi, my name is Yano" and then asks if you want to go on an adventure. If you press yes he checks to see if the story card is correctly entered.
If it is then Yano proceeds to tell the story to you. What is the greatest is his facial expressions.
The surprise face is my favorite hence the title of this review. He also frowns and smiles. The smile is awfully cute too.
His arms also move as does his head and ears. He has cute soft tan fur as well. His eyes are blue but they don't appear to move. The only part of his eyes that move are the eyelids.
If you want to find this toy and perhaps get a bargain over the price from $59.00 to $129.00 you can check on Ebay. I found five auctions myself searching for just Yano.
Also the search for Yano on Ebay turned up a few story cards that I will try to get sometime soon. I do wish though there were more story cards but maybe someday there will be.
Of all the toys my son got this year for Christmas this one is the best one in this mom's opinion. I have as much fun with him as my son does.
This toy is recommended for ages 3-6 years old. My son loved him from moment one out of the box. His laughter and really focused interest was all I needed to see and hear.
If this toy ever broke I would definitely be looking for another to replace it as quickly as possible. Of course I would call the Yano Hotline first. The number is toll free for USA only and is on the back of the remote.
~,,,^..^,,,~ BlackCat2
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 0.00
Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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Epinions.com ID:
BlackCat2
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Member: Heidi Gagne
Location: San Marcos Texas
Reviews written: 363
Trusted by: 216 members
About Me:
*Shake it off and Step Up*
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