Welcome to my review of the new Zoomer Dino Jester Interactive Dinosaur Robot. If either dinosaurs or smart / robotic toys are your kind of thing, then you’ve certainly come to the right place. This guy is very different from the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex that I covered this past weekend. Whereas Rex is somewhat mean and scary, Jester is more the jokester type. Depending on your point of view, you may either find this endearing or annoying. Keep on reading to make your choice!
Initial Impressions
The first thing I thought when I opened up my Jester was that this guy is seriously tame looking for a tyrannosaur! In fact, he kind of reminds me of Barney the Dinosaur more than the nasty Jurassic Park type monsters I’m used to seeing in the toy aisles. But this isn’t at all a bad thing. In many ways, it’s a refreshing change to see this type of dinosaur portrayed as a fun and friendly joker (particularly as jester doesn’t take this routine quite to the point of the actual Barney—I’d have had to draw the line at singing!). In any case, Jester features a very bright colour scheme (of mostly blue & green), significantly smaller forearms than the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex (and a far less menacing look overall), as well as the standard Zoomer Dino body / frame (complete with roller ball feet, a multi-segmented neck & tail, a big toothy grin, & light up eyes that change colour to reflect Jester’s many moods & modes). Overall he’s a pretty cool looking dino whose physical design fits quite nicely with his outgoing personality.
Charting the Key Considerations
| How much set up time is required? | Much like the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex, Zoomer Dino Jester works straight out of the box without needing an initial round of charging. When charging does become necessary, simply plug him in for 1-2 hours and he’ll be ready to roll again. |
| What type & quantity of batteries does Zoomer Dino Jester use? | Again, it’s the same as with the Zoomer Indominus Rex. The hand held remote takes 3 AAA batteries, and the Dino itself has a built-in 1.5 Volt rechargeable battery that charges from the included USB cord. Of course, limited play with Jester is possible without using the remote at all. |
| What are Jester’s mobility characteristics? |
Jester rolls around on a pair of roller ball feet & is capable of achieving excellent balance on nearly any flat surface (whether hard or soft) thanks to his use of True Balance Technology. This amazing system allows Jester to raise himself from a sitting or face down position and move around quite effortlessly on his feet. |
| Does the Zoomer Dino Jester feature any special lights & sounds? | Jester’s eyes light up in a variety of colours (which correspond to his various modes), and he includes several different sound effects (some of which are a bit crude). He’s definitely more of a goofball than his Indominus Rex counterpart, and he truly lives up to his foppish name. Jester is 100% clown. |
| What is the suggested age range of Zoomer Dino Jester? | Zoomer Dino Jester is intended for those ages 5 and up, though I do believe that a younger child (in the 3-4 year old range) could enjoy Jester as well. Of course, this depends on the individual child’s ability to play nicely and not toss Jester about (I doubt Jester would last long if abused) and on whether or not the child is interested in (and not afraid of) dinosaurs. |
| How much of a WOW factor (on a 0-5 scale) does Zoomer Dino Jester have? |
Jester gets a score of 3.5 out of 5 from me on the WOW scale. This below average score is due largely to my opinion that his look is far surpassed (coolness wise) by the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex, though it is also partially due to Jester’s extremely silly personality, which may resonate a good bit more with the under 10 crowd than it does with me. Jester does do some pretty cool things and is a Tyrannosaur though, so he certainly scores points for that. |
Testing & Play
Playing with Jester is an altogether different ballgame from playing with Indominus Rex. While both dinos are capable of the same great balance and basic movements, the sound effects are wildly different between the 2, and even the hardware is a bit different. Specifically I’m referring to Jester’s hand held remote control. The interesting thing about this remote is that it has an extra button that the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex’s remote does not have. This is the “Shift Button” (which may be seen on the top left side of Jester’s remote in the photo at left). This button, when used in conjunction with the other buttons on the front of the remote, unlock some of Jester’s most silly features. These include, but are not limited to, a fart, a burp, and a dog imitating trick that Jester does. I don’t much care for some of Jester’s more crude behaviors, but I can certainly see where some smaller kids might get a real kick out of them.
Jester’s 5 different modes are indicated by a change in his eye colour. These modes include an Auto Mode (either green or blue eyes—blue eyes are for when he’s feeling curious). Here Jester reacts to your hand gestures (done in front of his nose based sensors at a distance of about 5-6 inches). In Patrol Mode (with his eyes showing white), Jester patrols about in a square or triangular configuration as he investigates everything in his path. In Training Mode (Jester’s only mode that’s different from Zoomer Indominus Rex, who has a red eyed Attack Mode instead), Jester’s eyes turn purple as he does tricks in response to your hand gestures. In Control Mode (with his eyes glowing orange), Jester can be controlled via the joystick on his hand held remote. And, finally, in Record Mode (yellow eyes), Jester remembers up to 10 seconds of commands and can replay them just as they were recorded.
The Auto Mode is Jester’s default mode, and he is initially in this mode when you switch him on. No remote is necessary here. Simply press Jester’s back button to get him going. You can have a lot of fun with Jester just using him in this way. It’s especially useful if you’re all out of AAA batteries.
For & Against
The biggest factor in favour of a Jester purchase would have to be his good natured personality and the fact that he’s not at all a scary dino for younger children to play with (or run from, as the case may be). There’s really something quite wholesome and lovable about this little guy, and I think that these qualities, along with the fact that he can do a number of fun tricks and movements, are sure to make Jester a hit among kids who A) like dinosaurs, and / or B) like interactive robots & other remote controlled toys. All told, there are definitely some good qualities to this toy.
Residing in the negative column, however, is probably just the fact that some of Jester’s actions are a bit too crude for my liking. There’s actually one trick that Jester does where he makes a loud farting noise and then quickly spins around (180 degrees) and makes sniffing noises and gestures. I’m sure that many people—and particularly kids, may bust a gut over this sort of thing, but it doesn’t really appeal to me. Jester also giggles constantly and mimics chickens, cows, and even a zombie. I don’t take issue with any of these things—or even the constant burping I guess. It’s really just the farting and then trying to smell it that bugs me a bit.
Examining the Video Evidence
Please check out my short
introductory
Final Thoughts
In the final analysis, I have to confess that I don’t prefer Jester over the Zoomer Dino Indominus Rex. Yet, even so, there’s a lot to like about Jester and I’m betting that a lot of folks will prefer him over the Rex. After all, Jester is a fun-loving chap who’s amusing to watch and not the least bit scary for the young’uns. With his stylish bright colours and big friendly grin, I’m sure that Jester will be most welcome in homes with children at the lower end of his suggested age range and beyond. He’s certainly worth picking up if you’re not a huge fan of his menacing Jurassic World counterpart, as I am. For more of Best Buy’s great selection of Smart & Robotic Toys, just follow the link! And, until next time, have a wonderful week!
Mini Gallery of Additional Photos
