Edwin the Duck

[dios.del.sol]

Short version of the story: FIL gives us Edwin the Duck for our 2 year old. I think this rubber duck retails for like $100. It turns out you need a smartphone app to run him and it only works in Apple products, which we don't didn't have. His solution: send us an iPad mini. Now my wife (intelligently) wants to get it a protective case because of the 2 year old.

I don't want to complain, his intentions were nothing but good, and hey, free-ish iPad, but it all does seem sort of silly, does it not?

[Basenji]

Yes

[lunahsol]

You're gonna want a screen protector, too . . .

[gooki]

FYI our toddlers were fine using my iPad without any protection.

[Syonyk]

Edwin is a friend who lives in your child’s hands and on your mobile device in the form of an animated character. Your child will be immersed in a world of games, stories, songs, and lessons within a collection of apps, using Edwin to control the animated Edwin.

Mmhmm.  That's totally where I want my kid - immersed in a collection of apps!

The horrors of being actually immersed in a world of "games, stories, songs, and lessons" in reality.  I mean, you could control the physical duck by... moving the physical duck?

*sigh*

We don't really plan to let our kid do much with tablets or phones, and she's been a driver for us using ours less (because she WANTS them!) - which I think is a good thing. :)

[bobechs]

Howard the Duck

That's my duck...

trapped in a world he never made

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

Edwin is a friend who lives in your child’s hands and on your mobile device in the form of an animated character. Your child will be immersed in a world of games, stories, songs, and lessons within a collection of apps, using Edwin to control the animated Edwin.

Mmhmm.  That's totally where I want my kid - immersed in a collection of apps!

The horrors of being actually immersed in a world of "games, stories, songs, and lessons" in reality.  I mean, you could control the physical duck by... moving the physical duck?

*sigh*

We don't really plan to let our kid do much with tablets or phones, and she's been a driver for us using ours less (because she WANTS them!) - which I think is a good thing. :)

Yeah, that's a big pile of Do Not Want for me. I want my daughter immersed in creative play.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

It's kind of odd how one purchase can potentially trigger the purchase of a bunch of related items a person wouldn't otherwise have bought.

[cloudsail]

My husband was going to buy this!!!

My reaction:
"It's a $100 rubber ducky!"

His response: "But look, it's connected with an app and does this and this and this...."

Me: "It's still a $100 RUBBER DUCKY!"

DH: "Oh. Yeah."

[slugline]

It's kind of odd how one purchase can potentially trigger the purchase of a bunch of related items a person wouldn't otherwise have bought.

Strictly as defined by "uncommon or not frequently seen" I don't think this is "odd" at all in consumerism!

[HairyUpperLip]

My daughter is 2.5 years old. What a stupid toy.

[SeanMC]

A rubber duck that requires electronic "accessories"???

Did I miss the part where rubber ducks were a common toy without the whole water/bath experience?

[dios.del.sol]

Ahh... I feel better now. Thank you all.