When you were a child, perhaps you played with toys with names like Action Man, Barbie or Hulk. New for 2014 is the quaintly named Ollie. Don’t let the cute name deceive you, though – this is a hugely playable but also mighty little toy developed by Sphero, the company that brought us the robotic sphere, Sphero, in 2010.
Think of it as a toy for the Despicable Me generation, where the hero is the tiny, rather strange looking Stuart The Minion. A normal, cute name for a little toy that, actually, isn’t normal at all and always manages to punch above its weight – but still possesses oodles of cuteness.
The launch video for Ollie tells you all you need to know. A dozen or so Ollie’s, all of different colours, are thundering around a desert at high speeds, spinning, drifting, flipping along to high-octane music that gives it a decidedly action-movie flavouring.
Then the scene changes as the Ollie’s (there are loads of them) enter a marble-furnished mansion, the pumping beats replaced by plaintive classical music as the Ollie’s snoop around. The mood quickly changes once again, though, as the adrenaline rush resumes once the Ollie’s take to a skatepark where they rock up with attitude, putting their moves into good use as they ride the concrete swerves and curves.
It’s an action-packed video that’s received state of the art filmmaking treatment. It’s where toys are in 2014, with Ollie leading the pack. But what does it actually do?
Well, it’s a robotic cylinder toy on wheels that is designed for speed, thrill and spills. It comes with a huge amount of tricks that kids can program it to perform, whether that means launching it off the precipice of a skatepark, racing it with fellow Ollie’s at speeds that reach 14 mph on flat planes, or impressing their friends with dizzying feats of spins and back flips on rougher terrain.
It can be propelled from the floor with masterly control, and it moves so fluidly that it really is the kind of cool, forward-thinking robotic toy that will have 21st century kids gasping with awe. It comes with various different tyres and hubcaps so that kids can adapt it to different landscapes, and it is also Bluetooth compatible, with a range of 100 feet. Charging time takes around an hour for a full charge.
The exterior is composed of polycarbonate, which makes it extremely durable, meaning it can take on jumps and leaps without causing any damage to the internal mechanics. It’s truly a toy ready made for the Smartphone generation, and if you’re looking to buy your boy a toy this holiday, you won’t go far wrong with Ollie from Sphero. It may be a toy for the Smartphone generation, but it’s as cute, endearing and playful as anything there’s ever been – if not more so! You literally cannot own Ollie and not have fun. Compact, fast and full of potential.
**Disclosure: I received a sample of the product to facilitate this post. No other compensation was provided and all views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.
My grandson would LOVE to see Ollie under his Christmas tree!
My boyfriend would actually have such a blast with this haha