Before the company contacted me I had never heard of YooHoo Friends, much less this newest incarnation that are called Wannabes. Now we think they are just great! I was surprised when I learned that Aurora released the original YooHoo & Friends collection in 2006 and has sold more than 14 million pieces around the world since (13,000 daily). When the package came I let my 11-year old daughter open it and she squealed with delight at how cute her little Wannabe was. Then my 13 year old son came in and he was just as taken. What can I say? My kids are a bit older than the demographic but they love anything with huge eyes!
The ‘WannaBes’ (5”, MSRP: $9) are some of the most popular items in the YooHoo & Friends line. For 2012, Aurora added jungle and domestic/barnyard assortments including a giraffe, elephant, lion, tiger,horse, cow, cat and dog. Each makes a fun sound when squeezed and sports a removable hoodie for added play value. We received a lemur dressed as a cow from the barnyard collection. I can certainly say that we loved it! My daughter and son have not stopped playing with it. It is even the right size for playing catch inside the house…with the added bonus that every once in awhile it “moos!” They enjoy the mooing, but it does eventually grate on my nerves. I have never been much of one for noisy toys, but kids always are!
www.yoohoofriends.com is a free, interactive website which complements the line and is based on animals from around the world (many of which are endangered). When we discovered these toys (thanks to the sponsor) my daughter went on and created an account. On their site you can learn about where the animals the YooHoos/Wannabes come from and you can also interact with different YooHoos and create your own. There are also a lot of fun games that my daughter has spent a few hours enjoying.
AYooHoo&FriendsAdventure is an ebook for iPad adapted from the YooHoo & Friends animated series while ActionStickerHD is an educational app for iPhone and iPad that helps children build learning skills via the theory of multiple intelligences. We have not checked this out as we do not have an iPad, but if their other products are an indication I would suspect it is highly entertaining.
YooHoo is giving one of our readers the chance to win their own little Wannabe. Just follow the prompts below to enter.
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