If you’re a parent, you may have put Disney and Pixar films on constant repeat on your TV to entertain your little ones. One of the movies that they almost certainly request all the time is Wall-E. He’s cute and charming, and chances are your kids have asked to have their own adorable little robot to play with. Thankfully, the future is here (well, at least to a certain extent). You can now purchase your children their very own toy robot with artificial intelligence. We’ve scoured Walmart and found a couple of fun and educational toy robots that we think are great gifts for your kids this Christmas.
BOXER
– $26
Boxer is a miniature robot pal from Spin Master suitable for kids ages six years and up. This robot is packed with play features designed to engage and entertain. As soon as you take Boxer out of the box you can immediately start playing with him as he comes with a little bit of charge. He also comes with remote control, a Micro USB charging cable, 10 activity cards, an instruction manual, and his very own ball.
There are many ways to control this toy robot. You can use the battery-powered remote control to drive Boxer around like a toy car. It allows you to make Boxer go forward, backward, spin, and do all kinds of stunts. Play Mode is all about interacting with Boxer physically by picking him up, petting him, making him follow your hands, and other similar functions. This will elicit all sorts of fun reactions from him. These capabilities are made possible through built-in sensors that allow Boxer to respond to your movements. He even has a personality of his own. While he’s not as advanced as Anki’s Cozmo and Vector, your kids are guaranteed to have a blast with him. See him get grumpy, laugh, cry, become upset, or whatever mood he feels like.
Game Activity Mode is designed to make Boxer play in different ways using cards. Select one of the game activity cards that come with the unit, push the button found on Boxer’s back, and let him drive over the bar code on the card to get the game going. Games include Bot Bowling, Paddle Bot, or Go Kart with Boxer. You can also unlock even more games by downloading the Boxer app to your phone.
Unfortunately, Boxer can get pretty loud, which might annoy some people, and there’s no way to turn the volume down. The Game Activity Mode is also a little tricky. You have to make sure that you place his wheels right on the spot where they’re supposed to be on the card before pushing the button.
Boxer is normally sold for $80, but right now you can get him on Walmart for the low, low price of $26 – that’s a huge $54 worth of savings.
FISHER-PRICE CODE ‘N LEARN KINDERBOT
– $35
For something a tad more educational, you can get your kids the Fisher-Price Code ‘n Learn Kinderbot.
This robot toy not only promises a jolly good time but also teaches an essential skill your kids might need in the future: Coding. Hopefully, it’ll pique their interest in software engineering. The Code ‘n Learn Kinderbot also incorporates all of the basic learning equipment such as colors, shapes, counting, following directions, and problem-solving. It is suitable for kids aged 3 to 6.
Learning coding normally entails sitting in front of a computer screen. With the Code ‘n Learn Kinderbot, though, children can learn the fundamentals of coding the fun and colorful way. The coding process is already embedded within the robot. All your kids have to do is to push the arrow buttons found on top of it, and then press the play, and it will move according to the sequence they’ve encoded. They can just push random buttons and see how the robot will react, or use the Code Book with its set of Secret Codes to unlock more complicated moves like Seesaw Balance, Obstacle Course, Motorcycle, Walk-the-Dog, Tap Dancer, and more. They can also let the robot present them with a challenge and if they do it correctly, they’ll be rewarded with a funny little dance. The robot speaks in a clear and audible voice that even toddlers won’t have difficulty understanding.
Some parents had reservations about whether this toy is actually appropriate for three-year-old tots. We’d say it really depends on your child and how he takes it. It’s a wonderful toy for learning and what’s good is that as your child progresses, there are higher levels that can be accessed.
The Fisher-Price Code ‘n Learn Kinderbot normally retails for $60, but now you can get it on Walmart for just $35.
Boxer is more of a straightforward plaything who’s endearingly silly and endlessly engaging. If you want your kids to get a head start over the rest of their kindergarten playmates by learning how to code early, you can get the Fisher-Price Code ‘n Learn Kinderbot. Get these toy robots at cool discounted prices on Walmart ahead of Black Friday.
Looking for more? Head over to this page for the best tech toys for kids. Don’t forget to visit our curated deals page for more exciting discounts.