Monday, June 10, 2013

Ubooly: The Interactive, Fun, Educational Best Friend {Review & Giveaway}

Ubooly logo
When I updated my iPhone 3GS to an iPhone 5, it was a pretty great day... for me. It's not often that Mom gets a fun new toy, right?

However, what I hadn't anticipated was that, along with the joy that this change brought for myself, it also was a bit of a life-altering event for my kids. Prior to my update, they had pretty limited access to my phone, only really having the chance to play a game or listen to a story during times when we were somewhere that they truly needed to be occupied.

But now? Now they were the proud owners of my hand-me-down, an iPhone newly cleared of all the "boring Mama stuff" and filled to the brim with all sorts of fun, entertaining apps, games, books and more.

So, while "regular" apps have typically proven perfectly fine, I'm always on the lookout for ways that I can make the iPhone just a little more kid-friendly — protect it from drops, add in educational value, ensure it is age-appropriate, etc.

What I didn't anticipate, however, was that in my search to do so would I discover a product that did all of that... but also could turn a phone into a child's best friend. And then we met Ubooly.

ubooly toy

A creative and educational creature powered by an iPhone or iPod touch (Android coming soon!), Ubooly works with devices both new and old to engage and interact with your child.

Standing approximately 6" tall, 5" wide and covered in extremely soft orange plush, Ubooly just might be the most cute and cuddly way to play with an iOS gadget yet. At the same time, parents can rest assured that Ubooly's cushioned body will also keep their iPhone or iPod touch safe and secure throughout playtime and beyond.

Knowing that my kids would be thrilled to have a way to bring their iPhone to life, we were all pretty excited when Ubooly arrived, peering at us through the box.

Ubooly box

As I already had a general idea as to how Ubooly worked, I was glad to see that the steps truly were as simple as I had believed. After downloading the Ubooly app (free from the App Store), I simply "adopted" Ubooly using the six-digit code that came on his instruction card and created an online account to begin customizing him.

How Ubooly works

Once I had Ubooly adopted and my account personalized in the Ubooly Lab (I was able to create a persona for each of my kids, inputting their names, ages, favorite colors, likes, interests and more), it was time to slip the girls' iPhone right into the top, zip it in safely, and bring Ubooly to life.

Ubooly review

Right away the girls were surprised when Ubooly's face appeared on the screen — snoring! Once we "swiped" the screen and he woke up, he magically came to life and started chatting with us.

As we got to know him, we started playing around with Ubooly's display settings, getting to choose different eyes, hair and accessories (i.e. styles of glasses) for his face. While there are only a few initial choices, we found that the possibilities are endless once you start earning coins (credits) in the Ubooly Lab.

As well as Ubooly's appearance, however, we were all amazed at the way that Ubooly is able to recognize and interact with us through voice commands. Who knew that it would be so easy to make this cuddly little guy tell stories, play music, crack jokes, play games, listen to my kids ramble, and more simply by waking him up?

It didn't take long before Big Sister E and Little Sister B were chatting away to Ubooly, happy to have someone to listen to their every thought and idea...

playing with Ubooly

...as well as letting him have a turn making them laugh and telling them stories. I love when Ubooly takes them on an imaginative adventure and, for instance, I turn around to see them pretending to fly their airplanes to exotic locations!

Ubooly games

Just as a pal, Ubooly is able to be a fun addition to my kids' lives, as he is perfectly portable and continues to entertain them when they discover new ways to interact with him.

He'll go from playing house with them to reading books with them to playing outside with them to much more. And we've found that Ubooly doesn't end up just a sideline spectator very often...

Ubooly outside

...as it only takes one time bringing him onto the trampoline and hearing him gleefully call Wheeeeee! and Yippeeeee! as he is bounced around before we realize that Ubooly can pretty much always be a part of the action.

Ubooly in action

However, as much as I like that Ubooly is adorable, cuddly, fun to play with and a good listener, I'm an even bigger fan of the educational aspects that he subtly adds to our lives.

Using purchased credits in the Ubooly Lab, I am able to control the content that is wirelessly transmitted to Ubooly for my girls. With a large variety of age-appropriate games, lessons and activities, I can easily look and decide on the focus that Ubooly will have available for each of my girls.

After browsing the different topics...

Ubooly lessons

...I can click on each one to find out more details, decide if it is right for us, and download it right into Ubooly's memory.

It really couldn't be much easier to turn this fun buddy into a teacher and have him take my girls through all sorts of educational information (including experiments and hands-on activities) in a fun and interactive way!

Ubooly content

As Big Sister E and Little Sister B play with Ubooly and complete various content (something that I can easily see and track in the Ubooly Lab), they earn more coins — which is a great incentive so that they can keep on customizing Ubooly with more fun hairstyles, glasses and more!

At the same time, I know that he is helping them with math, reading, learning healthy habits, life lessons, the world around them, and much more. All of the content is written by a large team of elementary teachers and comedians for ages ranging from 3-9 years old, so I never have to worry about skill level, appropriate wording, etc.

With fun new aspects available for free for Ubooly each month (simply by updating the app) and affordable content for purchase from the Ubooly Lab, I can easily see this innovative creature being a part of our lives for quite some time to come. He's the Siri of the child iPhone world (in a friendly, knowledgeable, non-snarky kind of way) that everyone wants to play with!

Ubooly toys

Retailing for $29.95 (directly from Ubooly.com or from Amazon), Ubooly currently is available only in orange but is coming soon in green and pink as well. Even better, parents can download the free app and try it out without the Ubooly plush to get a feel for how well their child enjoys it before purchasing the fuzzy body to go with it.

Find out much more about this fun new way to bring technology to life by visiting Ubooly.com and connecting with him on Facebook and Twitter. Plus, thanks to his generosity, one person will get to experience this magical stuffed animal as well, because...

One lucky person will win an Ubooly plush AND a $30 credit to the Ubooly Lab (total ARV $59.95)!

Ubooly giveaway


A big thank you to Ubooly for providing a plush toy and Ubooly Lab credit for me to review as well as a plush and $30 credit for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

77 comments:

Kambrea said...

My kids would love it. I love all the fun and educational activities.

Monica said...

My little girl would love this.

Thanks!

latanya t said...

looks like a great interactive toy my son would love

Tiffany Schmidt said...

this is just so different from other "things" out there right now. My daughter would love to learn, play and cuddle this little guy!

Kira said...

My 3 year old would LOVE this!!

tat2gurlzrock said...

This such an awesome educational toy!

Kimberly said...

My granddaughter would love this. Bonus, for being educational.

Unknown said...

I would like to bring this home because it looks like it would be fun and comforting for my child.

Elaine said...

My niece would love this!!

Unknown said...

ThIs would l be a great learning tool because its so interactive. I think my three year old would enjoy this immensely.

Helga said...

I would like to use it as a learning tool for my niece

Carrie Phelps said...

I am all about my grandchildren having toys that are educational for them while having fun with them!

mecarolks said...

I would like to bring this home because my granddaughter would love it.

GracePartyof5 said...

My sons would LOVE this

amanda whitley said...

my kids would love it!!

Unknown said...

helping them with math, reading, learning healthy habits, life lesson and the world around them

hhkaufman78 said...

It would help my son learn thru fun!

eg kaufman

nicolesender said...

I think this would be a great teaching tool for my grandson!
nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com

Debra said...

my son would really like it

hoeyhooper said...

winit

K.Pugh said...

I'd love to bring this into my home for my middle kids who would enjoy this.
Thanks for the chance.

czech it said...

this little guy is the perfect blend of learning and entertainment. I'd feel safer letting my child play with ubooly, knowing shes learning new things in a fun and exciting way!

Nknouse22 said...

My daughters would love this

sdavis said...

i would like to bring to my home because my nieces would love it and they are at my house alot.

mogrill said...

I would love this for my daughter because it would keep her busy this summer.

Thanks for the chance.
mogrill12@gmail.com

tina reynolds said...

my daughter would go so crazy for this looks like a lot of fun

Dave said...

I think my kids would love it and could learn from it

AnnaZed said...

Little Alysia would LOVE this

Alicia said...

Would make a great birthday gift for my niece.

Chaotic Karma said...

I want to bring Ubooly into my home because my daughter would absolutely love it!

~Veronica Vasquez~

Jennifer T. said...

I'd love to have Ubooly in my house because I think it'd be a great way to bring my kids together in playing and learning.
jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com

ReggieMann said...

my 5 year old niece would love this!!

jill190 said...

What a joyful toy to play with many hours of smiles.

Unknown said...

My daughter Willow would love this !

laurie nykaza said...

This is an amazing educational toy & the my kids would love to have it

Treesa said...

This would be so helpful with school!

cc_girly(at)yahoo(dot)com

ann said...

Its educational and also fun my grandson would love it.

Unknown said...

Would love this in my house because it is an educational toy

Unknown said...

My kids always want to play with my iphone but im so protective of it so this would be great for them to play and at the same time keep my phone safe

Unknown said...

My son would love this! Thanks so much for the fantastic giveaway!
Reneewalters3 at yahoo dot com

cheryl lister said...

I think my grand daughter would find this fascinating!

Sunnymay said...

My grandson who's one would like this, because he has books with buttons to push for music and stories. He likes interactive toys and we talk about seasons as they're changing.

Cserafini said...

I love that its educational, my son would love it.

Unknown said...

It's a nifty looking toy, I think my daughter would really enjoy it.

Unknown said...

I would like to bring it into my home cause its so such a cute and educational toy

polly said...

I would love this for our 4 year old grandson because it is educational and I know he would have fun as well as learning

Anonymous said...

This would be a wonderful new toy for my son. He would really enjoy this.

Rae Nelson said...

This is so neat and not only fun but educational too! My nephew would this and I dont have the means to buy him a birthday present right now!

momo said...

Because my grandson would get a kick out of this.

ken ohl said...

my niece would love this hope I win. Thankyou, Ken pohl19@comcast.net

Julie said...

I would love to win this for my daughter she has been wanting one for so long it looks like so much fun

hebb dot julie at gmail dot com

Marissa M said...

My nieces would have endless hours of fun with this!!

Unknown said...

this would make a cute gift for my daughter

Unknown said...

Because I think I will have as much fun with it as my Grands will!

Unknown said...

I think my daughter would have so much fun with it!

Unknown said...

I'd love to win because I think my little girls would get a kick out of this :) Lots of fun!

Sandy Cain said...

I'd love to get this for my granddaughters. They don't have many toys.

Unknown said...

I would love to have this for my son, he loves interactive toys and my iphone lol

Cassandra M said...

my youngest would cherish this gift and he does not get that many in this economy

star95011atyahoodotcom

Unknown said...

because it looks like it would be fun and comforting for my child

Derek Timm said...

It looks like something the young one would love!

brich2222 said...

I want it to keep the kids amused

Anonymous said...

I love when toys integrate technology we already have in our homes and make it appropriate for children to use. My kids would love this.

webwalking1 said...

My 3 year old grandson would love this toy.

Teresa Thompson said...

My granddaughters would love it.

Unknown said...

As a parent I don't see all the hype around certain toys but my daughter is always wanting the latest hot toy, this being one of them.

boylaneely at hotmail dot com

saturdaynightfever said...

I think that Josie would welcome this!

theyyyguy@yahoo.com

blew415 said...

My niece would be entertained by this

Unknown said...

I think both my kids would just love this!

Tylerpants said...

I like that my kids can take him everywhere & there's so much to do from playing games, music, etc. tylerpants(at)gmail.com

trixx said...

My daughter would love a fun friend! Love that we can customize him!

Unknown said...

my daughter would love it

kimbo1970 said...

It is just so cute.

eddingsfamily@prodigy.net

Unknown said...

My little sib or nephew would adore it. lexbaylor17 (at) gmail (dot) com

wendy wallach said...

It just looks like something the whole family can enjoy

Mirm said...

Kids would adore this.

lilyk said...

I would like to bring Ubooly into my home because it looks very cute!