Walking dinosaurs, dancing robots

Wanda Ambrosini, Sales and Marketing Director at Prima Toys explains that toys that actually talk back are taking the top positions in the popularity stakes this festive season. "Roboraptor the walking dinosaur has been winning numerous awards, a total of 7 to date, including being chosen as one of the "100 Best Children's Products for 2005" by Dr Toy and the presented with the "2005 honors Award" from National Parenting Publications in the USA. Roboraptor is sure to charm his way into many South African households this Christmas as he's the type of toy that takes you by surprise, running after to you if you dare cross his path!"

Who knew dinosaurs could achieve such a status! Roboraptor also has a friend called Robosapien, a humanoid counterpart that can be trained to bring you your slippers. This toy is stylish, sleek and loaded with personality, with the design philosophy similar to that used to build NASA's automatons. "This 2 foot tall plastic muscle man can do almost anything", says Ambrosini. "He can push, pull, pick up, dance, kick, talk, walk and even blink providing fun entertainment for kids and adults"

The secret behind Robosapien™ is a philosophy called BEAM, short for biology, electronics, aesthetics and mechanics. The robots are designed with simple control circuits as opposed to complex computer chips, allowing them to be more human-like, so if a Robosapien lifts one arm, its centre of balance shifts so that it doesn't fall over; or if it's walking and it all of a sudden turns, its arms will swing about just like a two-legged human.

"This robot is also full of attitude, so don't be surprised if he starts giving you his opinion on things. In fact, he's is so like a human that if you leave him alone for too long, he might fall asleep and start snoring."

This festive season isn't just about hunting for gifts... it's also about being hunted by a wild robot dinosaur followed by his humanoid friend. Watch your tail...