Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf
Written: Aug 11 '02 (Updated Aug 11 '02)
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Pros: Realistic sounding wolf
Cons: The rubber body is easy to pull apart
The Bottom Line: A collector’s item for kids that love animals that live in the wild
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| bonniesayers's Full Review: Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf |
Several years ago I came upon the AnimalTronics collection at Spiegel and ordered one for my son. He loved looking at them online and had a hard time choosing which one to get so we got a new one each month. They were selling at $19.99 and finished at $9.99. We have them all standing on a table with a bear lamp, a Rhino figure and a tiger we picked up at the Los Angeles Zoo.
This table happens to be close to my computer and I feel these animals are protecting me late at night! When we first received the Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf I had the brainstorm idea of bothering the dog next door. From our kitchen window we can see the neighbor’s dog and it barks constantly for no reason, unless it just does not like to be tied up. With the press of the button located on the back portion of the Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf the Wolf arched his head back, taking about ten seconds before a howling sound was emitted from him. The dog next door went nuts looking for the sound and my son pressed the button a few more times!
There are cats that roam around my yard from other residences and we tried the Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf at the front window to warn the cats to stay out of our yard. My son loved this so much he shared it many times with his preschool class. In fact the teacher bought one for the classroom because my son would not stop bringing it to school. Many of the parents asked me where we got this so they could get one too. I have seen them at Toys ‘R’ US over the years as well.
Last year the preschool teacher gave us the one she had because she was moving to another classroom. This worked out well because my son had destroyed our Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf by ripping the skin off. I think this happened because he was pressing down too hard and got excited with it. When my now seven-year old was four and five years of age he was in the habit of carrying his favorite item of the moment with him everywhere. This is an autistic trait that he seemed to outgrow but it started with the Thomas the tank trains and then his animals went everywhere.
I would say for at least a year he was wild about wolves and then it turned to snakes and from there the Dinosaur fascination that has yet to end, although takes a back seat sometimes to the Lego sets. The staff at the Hospital where he had his speech therapy were used to the Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf as it came with us each time. Finally the therapist had to take it away from him during sessions so he could focus on something else. If we had to tell a story it always centered on a wolf, the topic was always wolves! When the preschool class went on a field trip to The Los Angeles Zoo, I accompanied both my sons with the joined classrooms. The Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf went along for the trip, getting pressed often around all the animals. It was a disappointment when we could not see the wolves in their area, but my son was still pressing the button to call out to the wolves. Other visitors to the Zoo stopped to watch and look at the Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf.
Even when we got the new Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf from the teacher my son did not want to part with the original one we had purchased. He played with them together to form their own little pack of wolves. This Wolf is a very nice looking replica and the howling sounds like a long Hello from the Wolf. The button to press is not visible but easy to spot by pressing your fingers along the backside of the Wolf. When not in the moving mode the Wolf looks like his skin is wrinkly around the neck, but it moves when depressed.
It would have been nice to have the tail move as well but it stays in the same position and feels hard to the touch. The tail can come off as is evidenced by our injured Wolf. There is a hole that the tail is fastened to. I suppose my son was mad at one point and removed the tail, as I have never seen it again. The ears are always upright and do not move either. When I question my son now about it he says it does not matter because we have one that works.
With a bit of inspection you can easily tell the difference in the skin on the back of the Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf. The skin above the hind legs is not slimy like the rest of the plastic and the line is visible to see how this was made. The broken Wolf shows the plastic inside and loose wiring as well as many pieces screwed together. When you turn the Wow Wee Animaltronics Timber Wolf over there is a white belly along with the legs and the battery compartment box.
This arrives with the batteries intact as these boxes have the Try Me! attention grabber to entice kids to hear the animal sounds, thus convincing parents to purchase. They are usually close to the door at the Toys R Us store along with the stuffed animals. The box is a pain to remove the wires holding the animal in place and tough on the parent if the child wants to keep pressing the button while you are struggling with the contraption!
The batteries are three “AA” and slide in the down position and need a screwdriver to close it up. The second Wolf we have has not needed another dose of batteries and can still Howl along with the other AnimalTronics. The two front feet are at the same position while the back legs show in the walking mode. When you press the button you can hear the noise of the Wolf moving into position and impatient children want to hear the sound immediately. When the howling starts the Wolf opens its’ mouth to show the teeth and fangs and slowly close when the sound has stopped. The eyes are red, as is the inside of the mouth. Both of our Wolves have a black hole in the back of the body and no indication what this is for. Inside the box with every AnimalTronics is a collector’s guide on that particular species. This is called A Fact Filled Guide to the Animals of the World!. This explains the body length, mane, height, weight, life span, family unit, territory range and marking, responsibilities, pecking order, hunting strategy and location. Also located on the belly of the Wolf are holes that I believe are the speakers for the sound to come through.
We have these scattered around the house and thus far all I can find is the guide to the African Lion. Our house is loaded with species of all kinds placed at various locations. When someone comes knocking they will never know if a singing shark, howling wolf, singing parrot, roaring lion or elephant as well as a few slithering snakes will show up to greet them. At least the bear lamp just sits there providing a source of light.
My son has learned a great deal about animals of the wild by having these AnimalTronics as well as watching Discovery Channel. I truly believe he will become the Jack Hanna of his generation, already a walking encyclopedia. The age for these starts at four and can be of interest for many years as my seven-year old still finds them worthy of his time. For now these are as close as he will get to the animals of the wild.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19.99
Type of Toy: Science and Nature
Age Range of Child: Kids to Teens
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bonniesayers
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
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