 | |
| Type | Robot dog |
|---|---|
| Company | Sega Toys Tiger Electronics |
| Country | Japan [1] |
| Availability | 2005–2009 |
| Slogan | Beggin' for the Beat [2] |
| Official website | |
The iDog (stylized as i-Dog) is a robot dog toy designed and manufactured by Sega Toys. An iDog figure receives input from an external music source, such as an MP3 player or iPod, and will light up and "dance" to the music's rhythm. [3] It is marketed as the eDog in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
The iDog reacts to music from an external source, such as an external speaker or through a direct connection to a music source such as an MP3 player or iPod. It features seven flashing LED lights on its face and has the ability to "dance" to the beat of the music by intermittently wiggling its ears, moving its foot and tilting its head around. It also has a number of switches on its nose, head and tail which allow it to react to user input. It has various "emotions" (which change based on user interaction) that provide different color patterns on its LED lights.
The iDog began shipping worldwide between March and April 2005. [4] The iDog comes in several colors including white, black, pink, red, lime green, blue, a tiger print, and a dalmatian print. Decorative clothing for the iDog has been released, including feet-warmers, ear-warmers and scarves.
In 2005, Sega partnered with Atmos Tokyo to produce sports-themed iDogs as part of a new line, titled "iDog x Atmos". [5] In 2007, Tiger Electronics released the iDog Amp'd, an upgraded version of the iDog with stereo speakers that nod its head and tap its foot in time with the music being played. [6] The iDog Pup, a puppy version of the iDog with poseable ears and a moving head, was released in 2007 and was a localized version of the iDog Mini released in Japan in 2005. Also in 2007, two variants called "SpiDogs" were released to promote the film Spider-Man 3 . They resemble the standard red Spider-Man costume and the black costume. In 2008, three new versions of the iDog were released. The iDog Clip is a fully functional mini-sized iDog which can be clipped onto a backpack, the iDog Dance is a larger version of the iDog that stands up and dances in time to the music, it also features 7 touch sensors (like the iCat), and the iDog Soft Speaker, a plush version of the iDog Amp'd that remixes some songs on it and has a pocket where the battery compartment is so you can store things in it. In 2009, as one of the last iDogs released, Hasbro released the iDog Plush Puppy. This smaller plush iDog came in pink and purple and was one of the first iDogs that didn't need batteries. It came with a cord attached to it, like the iDog Clip, but it had the light patterns stitched onto it.
As part of a promotion with McDonald's in Japan, sets of iDog-based toys were included in Happy Meals in 2007. [7] In 2007 and 2008, Burger King had a promotion which included miniature models with stickers representing the dots.
The iCat is a feline version of the iDog. Similar to the iDog, it reacts to music from an external source. It features seven flashing LED lights (like the iDog) on its face and has the ability to "dance" to the beat of the music. It also has switches on its tail, head (nose), and 7 touch sensors which allow it to react to user input. Like the iDog, its LED light color patterns display various "emotions" based on user interaction and the music played.
A piscine version of the iDog, the iFish plays music and moves in a swimming-like motion. [8] The iFish also has an internal selection of music. The iFish comes with a blue or orange tail fin, with a 3.5 mm audio cable for audio input. Like the iDog, it is touch-sensitive. It has a flaw where the iFish can get tangled in its own cord due to it being wired.
The iCy, marketed as the iPenguin in select countries, [9] is a penguin version of the iDog. In addition to playing music, it dances and the LED lights on its stomach flash in time to the music. Unlike its predecessors, it has only two touch sensors for user interaction: its tail, which is designed to "annoy" it rather than "reward" it, and its beak, which is used to "pet" it. It has various "emotions" which change based on user interaction and music played.
The iTurtle is a turtle version of the iDog. It also comes with a plug cable (3.5 mm) with 2 touch sensors on its tail and head. It moves its shell up and down, shakes its head side to side, and taps its foot. It has the same features as others except its moods are modified.
In 2006, UK musician Jesta was inspired to write a song focusing on the product, titled "Me, My Music & My iDog." [10] That same year, as part of the Daily Source Code podcast, host Adam Curry spoke about the iDog. [11] [12] [13]
AIBO is a series of robotic dogs designed and manufactured by Sony. Sony announced a prototype Aibo in mid-1998, and the first consumer model was introduced on 11 May 1999. New models were released every year until 2006. Although most models were dogs, other inspirations included lion cubs and space explorers. Only the ERS-7, ERS-110/111 and ERS-1000 versions were explicitly a "robotic dog", but the 210 can also be considered a dog due to its Jack Russell Terrier appearance and face. In 2006, AIBO was added into the Carnegie Mellon University Robot Hall of Fame.
A game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device or input/output device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game. Input devices that have been classified as game controllers include keyboards, mice, gamepads, and joysticks, as well as special purpose devices, such as steering wheels for driving games and light guns for shooting games. Controllers designs have evolved to include directional pads, multiple buttons, analog sticks, joysticks, motion detection, touch screens and a plethora of other features.
A touchscreen is a type of display that can detect touch input from a user. It consists of both an input device and an output device. The touch panel is typically layered on the top of the electronic visual display of a device. Touchscreens are commonly found in smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other electronic devices.
Nintendogs is a real-time pet simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was released in Japan, and was later released in: North America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and other regions. It was originally released in three different versions: Dachshund & Friends, Lab & Friends and Chihuahua & Friends. It has been re-released twice, first as a bundled release with a special edition Nintendo DS with a new version called Nintendogs: Best Friends and later as Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends.
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Pound Puppies is a toy line that was created by Tonka in the 1980s. It later inspired an animated TV special, two animated TV series, and a feature film. Shipments of the toys over five years generated sales of $300 million in 35 countries. The brand generated more than $1 billion in retail sales by 2002.
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i-Cybie (爱赛比) is a robotic pet that resembles a dog. It was manufactured by Silverlit Toys Manufactory Ltd Hong Kong from 2000 to 2006. i-Cybie was developed for commercial distribution by Tiger Electronics. Outrageous International Hong Kong distributed the electronic pet from 2005 to 2006. The i-Cybie robotic dog responds to sound, touch, movement, and voice commands. The toy robot can autonomously recharge its batteries using a special docking station. I-Cybie was the first mass-produced toy that used advanced voice recognition technology.
Poo-Chi, one of the first generations of robopet toys, is a robot dog designed by Samuel James Lloyd and Matt Lucas, manufactured by Sega Toys, and distributed by Tiger Toys. Poo-Chi was released in 2000 and discontinued in 2002.
The IZ is an electronic musical toy released in September 2005 from Zizzle. Taking the shape of an extraterrestrial tripod creature, the iZ allows users to interactively manipulate music by twisting particular parts of the figure's body as well as add sound effects to pre-recorded sound from a connected audio device. The toy also acts as a dancing speaker.
Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and cartoon series owned by Hasbro and currently under license with Basic Fun!. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s. An animated television series was made in 1995 by Sunbow Productions and Jean Chalopin Creativite et Developpement, based on the franchise.
Webkinz is a stuffed animal and video game franchise by the Canadian toy company Ganz. Webkinz stuffed animals have online counterparts in the video games Webkinz Classic and Webkinz Next. It was originally released by Ganz on April 15, 2005.
Ganz Midwest-CBK LLC is a Canadian soft toy and home décor company, famous for its plush animals and collectibles. They are the manufacturer of Webkinz, a toy with an interactive virtual-reality Internet site for children.
The ClickStart is an educational computer system created for children aged between 3 and 6 years by LeapFrog Enterprises and was introduced in 2007. It is LeapFrog's second home console, and the first to come with its own games. The entire system consists of a console unit and a wireless keyboard and mouse set. It is also designed to have specifically designed cartridges to be inserted into it, simply called My First Computer Software. The console also introduces Scout, a green-colored dog character who also appears in later LeapFrog products.
Genibo is a robotic dog produced by the Korean company Dasarobot of Dasatech.
Pound Puppies is an animated children's television series developed by Wendy Klein Moss, Nancy Steingard, Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere for the Hub Network. It premiered on October 10, 2010 in the United States as the first Hub "original series". It also aired on YTV in Canada and on Boomerang in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia. Produced by Hasbro Studios, it was the second series to adapt Pound Puppies into a cartoon format. Originally a property by Tonka, Hasbro acquired Tonka itself and currently manages Pound Puppies. The plot style and music were similar to the 1960s TV series Hogan's Heroes and to films like Stalag 17 and The Great Escape. The first seven episodes of the series were animated by 9 Story Entertainment, but DHX Media/Vancouver took over to animate the series from episode 8 onwards.
Tekno the Robotic Puppy is a popular electronic robotic toy which originally launched in late 2000. Tekno sold more than 7 million units in its first season and went on to sell more than 40 million units in its original 4 years of production. The worldwide popularity for Tekno led to prominent awards and widespread media coverage which included newspaper articles, television and film appearances, and a stand-alone feature on the cover of Time magazine.
The Jewel Pod is a touch-screen like device used by the Jewelpets first appearing in the Jewelpet Twinkle Anime series. As it became a main staple to the franchise, the Jewel Pod was made into an interactive toy by Sega Toys in 2010.
