List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $29.99
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I recently bought Cogsley for my 4 year old and she loves it. Yes, it makes noise so if you are the type of person who is irritated by "noise toys" then skip this one....though there is a volume control that actually works. Also, the different reactions he does are so cute and all the kids love them. If Cogsley says Ouch! it's usually because the child is "over doing it"...I like that it taught my daughter that if you take things too far, then someone can and will get hurt. Most of the time it is when you are twisting his "ear"...at first it tickles and if you keep going THEN he sometimes will say Ouch. I feel like today, a lot of kids are not taught limits and this toys attempts to do that. The different games are original and varied. I do wish there was more variety of actions when you clap...he does the same one everytime. BUT I was suprised to find that even the tiny clap of a little girls hands was picked up and Cogsley reacted. That made my daughter laugh she was so surprised. Cogsley is a great toy for a child who is old enough to sit and play with him. If Cogsley was thrown around, dropped on the floor, or if you try to force move his parts esp while he is running then this isn't the toy for your child. He moves a lot! But we love it. I keep it on lowest volume setting like if we are doing other things nearby and I really don't notice it. But when I catch myself being irritated, I just have my daughter put it away for awhile or go into her room and partially close the door and I don't hear a thing. And we have a very small house...one floor and only 2 bedrooms. Good luck to all!
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Update: After a very short peroid of gentle use, Cogsley is already broken (with a chip stuck in his inner mechanism). I e-mailed Customer Service at VTech and will update this if they respond with a prompt replacement/refund but just wanted to warn other moms. Second update: vtech emailed me that they will send a replacement and a return shipping label. Fingers crossed!Although not quite in the recommended age range (at almost 2 years old), my daughter squealed with delight when she saw Cogsley in action. He is a very engaging robot with many different features and the chips component adds a motor control development aspect that his main competitor (Alphie) lacks. His sound sensor is also a great feature as when my daughter claps, Cogsley rewards her with cheerful (albeit somewhat annoying) songs -although I'll note that it is very sensitive and will respond to any small sound in the room. I think the company could have picked more engaging (and "gender neutral") items for the chips ("nuts," "bolts," "lever," etc. could have been supplemented with animal or outer space-related chips that might have more universal appeal), and the pictures could have been more vibrant and colorful but my daughter did not seem to mind at all. I don't like it that sometimes Cogsley says "Ouch! That hurts!" when my toddler pulls his ears or eyes, and other times he says "hahahha that tickles!." This makes her confused -and she seems a little scared when he says that it hurts. I may be overly sensitive, but don't think there should be toys that make it a game to "hurt" something. If you are trying to decide between Cogsley and Alphie, Cogsley seems to do more in terms of movement, song, chip placement, sound sensor, etc. but Alphie has the benefit in allowing you to purchase additional card sets to tailor learning to your child's interests or needs (although at a $ cost) and has more engaging eyes and a friendlier demeaner. Both are probably equally annoying to the parent (and Alphie has some grammar issues ("this is so fun" rather than "this is so much fun" that I haven't seen in Cogsley yet). Cogsley makes a lot of unintentional mechanical noises when he moves which overshadow some of what he says or sings (especially in the "quiet" mode). Also, many of the things he says and his songs are pretty annoying and I have a decent tolerance for these types of toys. Maybe it's just his voice that bugs me. NoteI bought Cogsley for twenty five bucks on vtech's own site. I'm also afraid he may break as my daughter loves to hold him (rock him), and if he's moving or doing one of his songs, there's a grating clicking noise which I'm sure can't be good for him... However, she is only 2 so a child in the toy's intended age range (3-6) might be more sensitive/aware of this issue. I do think the idea of the chips is a good one (even if they are all lost within an hour of opening the toy...lol) but it's confusing to my daughter that they get placed in his nose rather than his mouth, especially when he says "I'm hungry. Will you feed me a chip?" (and then she tries to put them in his mouth, understandably). I do like it that he encourages good manners (many "please" and "thank you very much" expressions). So far, she does really love him but I have my reservations (especially at this price point) and do not recommend him overall. As of today's date, he is being sold for ten bucks less at k mart. Also note that his screen (in his belly) is not backlit at all, so unless you are in a very bright room, your child may not be able to see the picture at all.
A few months later: My baby does still love playing with this robot and interacts with him as if he is alive (playing her guitar for him, etc.). However, we also just purchased an "Alphie" Robot at a garage sale, and so far, I personally like Alphie better especially since the screen is backlit and the cards seem more educational. You can get him on e-bay used for about $25 (including shipping) or on Amazon for around $35 (new! including shipping), so I definitely think Alphie is something worth looking at before you make your choice although honestly, your preschooler will probably be thrilled with either (and you'll have chips or cards all over your house either way ha!).
Update: three months later and my 2 year old is still crazy over Cogsley (although now she seems to love Alphie more for some reason). What had been a negative (the fact that the robot says "ouch! that hurts!" when you pull his ear) actually has some positives because I told her to say "I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you!" and now she says that if she hurts anyone by accident, which is so cute to hear! :)
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