Unboxing
The Beats Bow Wow is easily opened and parent-friendly in its package design. It’s secured by just a couple of plastic twist clips at the base and is easily removed from the package. The only things included are the Beats Bow Wow itself and the instructions.
The Playtime Experience
The Beats Bow Wow has a power button as well as volume control and is quite loud when turned all the way up. The chest lights up with multi colored lights when it’s playing music, and the lights keep time with the beat. Additionally, Beat Bow Wow encourages dancing by dancing itself and wagging its soft tail which also lights up with multi colored lights.
The buttons for activating Beats Bow Wow are located on the front paws in bright colors. Each button does about eight different things – playing music and singing, and sometimes just speaking phrases. There are about 25 different things it does in all, and it encourages the child do dance and sing along. One specific thing it does is howl, which my son gets quite a kick out of!
Things I Liked
I like that Fisher-Price made the Beat Bow Wow with soft ears and tail even though the tail wags and lights up to the beat like the chest plate does. I like that the head swings back and forth and encourages children to dance along to the songs it plays, and that it also offers the opportunity to learn to follow directions by urging children to complete certain dance moves to the beat.
Things I Didn't Like
I think it might have been smart for Fisher-Price to make the light up chest plate as a button. Since it’s marketed for very young children, it may have had added value not to require these little ones to hit the exact button on the paw to activate the dancing and music that makes this toy fun. Then again, the chest button would need just the right touch sensor – if it was too light of a touch, everything that brushed it could set it off; if it was too stiff, a younger child might just push the toy around instead of getting it to work.
Appropriate Ages
Beat Bow Wow is intended for use by children between 9 and 36 months, and I can see the value for this age range and possibly younger. I think for children even younger than 9 months the music and lights will offer entertainment value, but you have to be careful about overstimulation in ages younger than 6 months or so. Older children nearing that 3 year mark may have more fun following the dancing directions and moving to the beat while Beat Bow Wow dances along.
Final Beat Bow Wow Review
This is an inexpensive toy that offers a fun and musical experience for little ones, and I do like it for my son. I don’t think it will hold the attention of the younger age groups for extremely long periods of time, but it’s a good toy and I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase it for my son’s use. I love watching him enjoy the music and dance along, so the entertainment value for me is worth the price even if it doesn’t last until he’s 3!
Entertaining for the younger side of it's age group
The Fisher-Price Beat Bow Wow is a very cute dancing buddy. I like the music and dancing and I loved that my son found this toy so entertaining. Granted my son is young yet and I don’t foresee this toy lasting until he is three. But, it’s worth the minimal cost to me to watch him dancing a long and having fun.