LeapFrog My Pal Scout, Plush Pre School Learning Toy with Personalisation, Songs, Learning Puppy with Phrases and Lullabies, Suitable for 6 Months and 1, 2, 3 Year Old Boys and Girls

Bought for my son last Christmas. He was 10 months. At the time, I would say my 2.5 year old got more use out of it, but now at 18 months, he loves it. You can personalise it by plugging if in to the computer and choosing the child's name, favourite colour, favourite food and favourite animal. You can also choose which songs you would like it to play when they squeeze its paw, which is great for when they get too repetitive and annoying. Not all children's names are available as you must choose from a library, rather than inputting any name, although there are plenty to choose from. There is a paw to squeeze to sing songs, including a song about the child's name and one about their favourite things; a foot to squeeze for bedtime mode, so he will play lullabies for a chosen number of minutes to help your child sleep; and the collar lights up in four different colours when some songs are played. The other paw enables you to play games with Scout, like guessing an object he's describing, and the left foot switches him on and off. There is also a volume control inside scout on his battery pack which enables you to switch from high to low. Neither I find offensive, but low is quite quiet (although we have a busy house so may not be if you have less children!), so we usually have him on high volume so my son can hear him. We find that sufficient for night time lullabies too. A great little toy for a brilliant price that my son loves, and when he grows out of it, I can reprogram it for him little sister, so can get plenty of use out of it! He is very cuddly despite his battery pack and a good size too. Overall, a fantastic toy with some educational value that I imagine we will get a good few years of play from, at a cheap price. Well worth the money I think.

My 3 year old son got this for his birthday and although he loves it and it is a neat toy, it really could have been technically executed a little better. I am hoping they send out updates via the USB cord to make his speech a little bit smoother and that they enhance the variety of "elevator" music available The USB cable that comes with Scout is incredibly short and I would recommend a second mini USB cable if you do not already have one for another computer peripheral. The customization process was straight forward and we had him done quickly. My only complaint is that you have to create a user account and the Internet is required but that's a minor compliant since Scout ships able to be interactive without being customized. Additionally, Scout has volume control on his battery box and is not obnoxiously loud even on his highest volume Scout is very, very soft and even with the battery box in his trunk, the puppy's body is soft and cuddly. My son spends a lot of his play time with Scout hugging him and petting him. Scout has three main features - Play games, Sing Songs, and Night Songs (the fourth paw is on and off): - The Play Games paw just chatters with your child. Asking him what his favorite color, animal and food is - Scout and Baby have the same ones after you program them. Scout also makes animal noises, talks about feelings "I feel happy, show me your biggest smile!" and engages your child in direct dialog. - The songs Scout sings are cute and the choices you make when customizing show up in the songs he sings. Poor technical integration is shown when any of the customized items appear in the songs - Scout sounds like he has a speech problem because the tamper and inflection of the customized objects does not match the song being sung. Also, the only music you can customize in this section is elevator music. I would like to see songs with words, more known children's songs (very surprised not to see "Baby Beluga") or the ability to add your own music to Scout. - The Night Songs paw is pretty cool. You click it once and it does 5 mins of the "night" music you choose when customizing continuously. Press it again, you get 10; once more and you get 15. Although our guy doesn't have problems sleeping, it might be a nice touch if your little one has some problems sleeping or being alone in the quiet. If you are looking for a chatty puppy - Get Scout or Violet.

What a great toy! LeapFrog have surpassed themselves this time. There is no doubt in my mind as to why this was chosen as mother & baby item of the year! Although this is for 6-36 months, I bought this for our 6 week old daughter, it says her name, favourite animal, colour & food ( chosen from a list of options ). Granted, she doesn't have favourites yet, but with the ability to change the options as frequently as we like, there's no harm in hinting that her favourite food should be vegetables ;-) She loves her Scout, he speaks in an adorable little boy's voice, and is quickly becoming her best friend. Everyone we show thinks it's fantastic that he says her name, and with little songs about how they're best friends, and spelling out her name, we couldn't ask for more... Well, maybe one thing- it'd be nice if he said mummy/mum and daddy/dad as we think her first word might end up being her own name.. And we're a tad jealous! Knowing how great this is, I'd have happily paid more, it's a great investment and can be altered to be used with subsequent children too. 5 Stars & A++ from us.

This is one of the best toys I ever bought. I bought it for my son for his first Christmas just so he had a teddy to sing to him in bed. He was only nearly 4 months old. That was over 2 years ago. I've only had to replace the batteries once. Scout's been EVERYWHERE since. My son adores him. He takes him to bed, puts him to sleep, enjoys singing the songs that Scout sings to him, he helps to progress my sons speaking, my son tries to feed him food, he takes him out anywhere we go and my son speaks to him and tells him stories I also bought my son the Leap Pad, which has Scout and Violet on it. So combined they are perfect because he loves Scout. I'd say this is a must for any parent. At first, my son didn't bother with him because he was just another teddy. But over the past year he's adored him. I also had to buy this as a Christmas present for another member of the family! Definitely a 5 star toy, as are most of Leap Frogs products. Every single one that I've bought for my son have helped him in one way or another just by playing with it. I teach him stuff from books and flash cards etc but they're not as effective as toys, because he likes playing, he's a child. And the more he plays, the more he hears!

When his Great Grandma asked what Freddy would like for Christmas one of our suggestions was the Leapfrog My Pal Scout. Although Freddy already had several Leapfrog toys, I'm not really sure what I expected from Scout, only ever having read reviews I knew that Scout could be personalised, but didn't realise just how big he is. Our Friend Scout Scout came packaged in an open-faced cardboard box, that was relatively easy open. The fact that I can't remember there being a particularly huge number of plastic ties that needed untwisting is a testament to how quick and easy he was to free ready for play. Although Scout can be played with as soon as he was removed from the box, your child will have far more fun if you spend a little time setting him up. Scout himself is a surprisingly large soft toy, especially as he's advertised as being suitable for babies as young as six months old. Sitting about ten inches high, Scout is made of the most beautifully huggable, soft, pale green plush, with darker green ears and white nose, tummy and paws. With his child-like, friendly face, it's almost as if he's begging to be cuddled. There's a battery compartment on Scout's back that is hidden behind a Velcro flap. As an adult it's a little fiddly to get to the on/off switch, USB connector and screw closed battery compartment, which is reassuring as it means it's even harder for little hands. As well as switching Scout on and off the switch also allows us to choose between full and half volume. Scout takes three AA batteries, but a demonstration set is supplied and these are still going strong with over two months of daily use. Before giving Scout to Freddy for the first time I connected him to my laptop via the rather short supplied USB lead to personalise him. Although the supplied USB lead is a little too short, it is a standard micro USB connection, so since then I've used an old camera lead that is rather longer, which makes it a little easier to connect Scout. Once Scout is connected, the required software is automatically installed, after which your internet browser of choice opens and takes you to the Leapfrog website, where you can download and personalise Scout to your heart's content. I can't say how easy this process is with other browsers, but I've encountered no difficulty using Firefox. Among the different aspects that can be personalised there are a number of different songs for different occasions. As Freddy received this at Christmas, I loaded a couple of Christmas songs including Jingle Bells. But on his birthday next month, I'll be changing on of the songs to Happy Birthday. Most of this songs are actually tunes rather than songs, but they are all recognisable. You are also able to program Scout with your child's name, when I added Freddy's it gave me a choice of two spellings, but when I checked the sample it sounded right. Along with your child's name you can also program their favourite colour, animal and food all of which are incorporated into Scouts songs and phrases. Once Scout is programmed, he does need to be `ejected' from the computer before disconnected so as not to damaged to internal flash drive, but this is easily done via a prompt on the website. And then Scout is ready to be played with. Each of Scouts four paws will activate a different activity, well three of them really as one of his feet is an off button. The other foot will play two minutes of bedtime music, which tunes it plays depends on what you have downloaded, but all of the choices are slow and calming. Included in the choices for this selection is Brahms lullaby, which Freddy loves. One of the paws has a musical note and plays a selection of much more lively tunes, including one that involves spelling out your child's name and another that goes through your child's favourite things. Although, I must stress that again what tunes this plays depends on what choices you made when downloading. The final paw activates some activities, during one of which Scout makes animal noises and then asks the child what animal they think he's pretending to be. As well as playing the tunes and saying phrases, the bone on Scout's collar flashes. Although there is a volume control, this really only gives a choice between loud and very loud. Even the lower volume is loud enough to be heard in another room, and if Scout is accidentally set off in the night then it's loud enough to startle a child awake. The higher volume is, naturally, far louder and loud enough to have woken me during the night even in another room through a closed door. So as far as I'm concerned this is a loveable toy, that is great for during the day, but not to be used in the cot at night unless switched off. Freddy's New Friend Freddy was nine months old when he received this for Christmas, which I would say is just the right age to start playing with Scout. I really think Scout is a little too large for younger babies, and they might have a little trouble pressing the buttons. At nine months old, Freddy was fascinated with Scout and the fact that it said his name (in a very child-like, English voice) as well as playing lots of music, but he found pressing the buttons just a little too difficult. We did originally allow him to Scout to bed with him, that is until we were woken up at four in the morning on several occasions. As Freddy would toss and turn in his cot he would accidentally set Scout off and that was not only waking us up, but also waking him. So if you buy this for your child (or someone else does) a big tip is do not allow your child to take this to bed with them. It's only really been in the last couple of weeks that Freddy has been able to play with Scout independently and Scout is now a toy that Freddy will actively seek out. At eleven months, Freddy finds Scout a perfect size to hold and cuddle and he has no trouble pressing any of the buttons. Even though he will press the other buttons (and laugh at the phrases and songs), Freddy absolutely adores the two minutes of bedtime music. It's quite sweet to watch him examine each of the paws, before pressing the foot, setting the music off, then grinning as he give Scout a cuddle. As far as how long Scout keeps Freddy's attention, well it's long enough for me to start to get a little annoyed at the very childish voice, but not long enough to make me want to switch it off. At a rough guess, I'd say that Freddy plays with this for about a quarter of an hour at a time, but several times a day. Although Freddy does love Scout, he also likes to suck on it's paws, sometimes making them quite soggy. I was a little worried that this would affect the electronics, but so far so good. It has meant that Scout is a little grubby though, and being an electronic toy, I can't stick it through the washing machine. All in all, while Freddy can't actually tell me how much he loves Scout in words, he can show me by his actions. Freddy will regularly pull Scout out to play with, even if Scout is behind other toys and he has to make a real effort to get him (sometimes taking 5 minutes just to get hold of Scout). So I would say that Scout has made quite an impression and if Freddy could talk, he'd give him five out of five. Scout The Teacher As with any toy, Scout will help your baby learn new skills as they play with him, in fact Leapfrog are renowned for how educational their toys are. According to the Leapfrog website, Scout will help teach your child first words, daily routines, early number sense, animals and emotions and feelings. And I guess all this is true as depending on which phrases and songs Scout has been programmed with, all of these aspects are covered. But Scout will also help your child perfect their fine motor skills as they learn to press the paws and are rewarded with songs and phrases. Scout is also so cuddly that he makes a great comforter. As to the recommended age group, well while Scout is safe enough for a baby six months or even younger, I personally think he's a little too large for these younger babies. At nine months, Scout was the perfect size for Freddy to hold and Freddy was just about perfecting the skills required to make him work. While now at eleven months old, Freddy is able to play with Scout independently, so I would say that Scout is perfect for babies from about nine months. As to the older limit, well that obviously depends on the child and while I could see a child of three taking Scout to bed with them as a comforter, I really couldn't see them playing with him much. Final Words Although Freddy is well loved, much played with toy, it's not one that I think is worth paying the full recommended price of £19.99 for. He is very cuddly and I like the way that he can be personalised, with the sounds being changed again and again. But he is far too loud for me to allow Freddy to take him to bed. Also this is not a toy that I would recommend if you don't have access to the internet, as it's unique selling point is that it can be personalised and this cannot be done without an internet connection. But all in all, even with these minor quibbles I would still give Scout four stars out of five, simply because Freddy does love him so much.

My Pal violet is a great hit with my daughter. Violet really is her pal and is much loved and played with. In fact we hear from violet a little more than we bargained for. Fortunately she comes with a quieter setting, which is very good for nightime, when she might otherwise disturb people. Violet is very good value for money. You can't get everything you could want in a value for money purchase and one would be unfair to expect it. Personally I would like a little more educational matter but you do get a lot of enjoyment for your child and quite a few options to personalise Violet's responses. Violet is very lovable. I have 3 young daughters and they all have one. Once one was bought, others were much requested -in fact this one was a much awaited christmas present. So far we have had no problems with wear and tear, yet all 3 toys have been much used. Violet is lovable, fun and value for money. That makes her a five star buy.

Purchased Scout just over 2 years ago for my baby (then 4 months old). You are provided with a lead to connect to computer and to program his name and favourite things. This was an instant hit with catchy songs & scout is firm but cuddly teddy. This is a fantastic toy - it's educational toy. I can honestly credit scout with teaching my son how to spell his name at 18 months old! Unlike some musical toys which can take a while to figure out what each button does this is quick to work out as around a year old my son was able to press the buttons for what he wanted - game, song, bedtime music & off button. (But he rarely wants it off!) The bedtime tunes are soothing and can be set for 2, 5 or 10 minutes. Scout is a polite puppy too that says please and thank you though my son repeating 'please may I have a dog' still hasn't worked on us! Scout is a firm favourite in our house and we have ordered a Violet for my 2.5 year old son's little sister as I don't think Scout will be leaving his room anytime soon.....

Simply put- Scout is fantastic. Leap Frog astound me- they are a cheaper alternative to Vtech yet just as good (sometimes better), and this is no exception. Scout is a plush toy puppy with a very important difference. He is customisable. You can choose the songs he plays, the things he likes (food, colour, animal) and most vital; the child's name. My son's name is not particularly 'out-there' but also not very common- but Scout says it! Scout is a little garish in his appearance- but it is in keeping with the playful nature of the toy. The key thing for me is that Scout's voice is charming and not at all irritating. Also, the fact that you can change most of the things he says and the different songs he plays means that you don't reach for Scout and throw him across the room in frustration to the repetition you often get with other toys. My son was 8 months old when Scout entered his life and I can see them being close pals for years (not merely months) to come.

Article de bonne qualité, les enfants adorent cette peluche et elle a une bonne durée de vie, vu ce qu'elle subit lol

Quick delivery and toy was as I expected nice and easy to install. My baby loves it. I recommend to everyone.

Unsere Tochter 16 Monate liebt Ihre Violet und Sie kommt fast überall mit hin. Ideal ist auch das man einen Lautsprecherregler hat, was das Tier nicht allzulaut macht.

I bought this as a gift ( less than a year old girl ) and the little one apparently loves it.

Fantastic toy, love the customizability. Names are from a list available, so check online if your child's name is available else use the generic terms like baby etc.