Best Gift: Fisher-Price Brand Name Imaginext BIGFOOT (Big Foot) Battery Powered Monster RC Robot Toy

I've always had a great imagination and a love of toys.  If you've read my Buzz Lightyear Collection and Buzz Movie Quality Replica Hubs, you've probably guessed as much.  Kids are luckier these days than when I was growing up.  They have so many great toys, and quite  few are interactive In one fashion or another.

Imaginext is a Fisher Price toy brand.  Designed for children ages 3 and up, they feature adventure and role-playing.  Bigfoot the Monster in particular is highly interactive, keeping children engaged and entertained for hours.  He has a distinct personality, expressed through his reactions to a wireless remote control.  He moves forward and backward in a very acrobatic fashion that children will love; he talks, gets emotional, and carries on in fine fashion.

Bigfoot, of course, is named after the monster that may or may not be real… but this bigfoot is as real as it gets.  He's made of a durable plastic designed to resist the impact of his rolling and stumping around.  A thick thatch of synthetic hair on his head lends him a slightly unkempt air, like a kid just out of bed.  His shoulders, elbows, and hips are jointed to accommodate his crazy antics.  His eyebrows, eyes, and mouth move to add to the expression of emotions.  With all of his rolling around, he can get a bit scuffed, but can be cleaned with a damp cloth and mild soap.  If he's playing on a hard floor, with his weight he tends to be quite noisy.  If the noise is bothersome, he plays just as well on carpet.  In either case, he needs a lot of elbow room to move around in.

He has two toys of his own- a red ball that he can throw, and a plastic green leaf.  A note about the ball… he can throw it, but getting it properly in his hand can be a bit finicky. 

Using the remote is simple, and designed with young children (ages 3-8) in mind. Everything is icon based, with easy-to-understand images. There are seven buttons and one rocker for forward and backward. Bigfoot can be made to walk back and forth, exercise, sleep, or be angry or happy.

He throws the ball, with the caveat mentioned above, and will do completely random actions with the 'wild card' button. When he sleeps, he snores and dreams. The exercise button will make him work out, but only so much. Once he's tired of working out, he says "No more!"

Aside from the remote control, Bigfoot the Monster has several points you can push manually to get reactions as well. Push on his jaw and he'll burp or chomp his teeth. And he's ticklish, so when you push his stomach, he laughs.

Bigfoot the Monster has over 30 sayings and comical sounds, enough to keep children playing happily; with so much variety and personality, Imaginext has made sure Bigfoot the Monster will have a great play life with your child.

He comes with a 7.2v rechargeable battery pack, and charger, but you'll still need 2 AA's for the remote control.  His arm is detached upon arrival; snap it into place, throw in the batteries, and he's good to go.  (You'll need a Phillips-head screwdriver.)

Of interest is the Amazon packaging certification.  It's referred to as Amazon Frustration-Free.  What it means is that Amazon certifies the package is easy to open, and has no hard plastic clamshell casings, plastic bindings, or wire ties.  Frustration-free packaging protects Big Foot the Monster as well as standard packaging, and the product inside is exactly the same.  Typically, Frustration-Free packages are sturdy enough to be shipped in their own boxes, without the added weight of being inside another box.

Having recently opened some toys that required wirecutters and light explosives (not quite, but it felt like it), I can understand what drives this pledge.  While I really appreciate a manufacturer who wants to ensure the toy is safe in shipping, it's great to see the same protection but without the unboxing hassle.

Altogether, Fisher Price / Imaginext has done a remarkable job with Bigfoot the Monster.  He's unique, personable, and provides hours worth of entertainment.  I think it's a quality touch that Imaginext included a rechargeable battery pack.  Moving all that weight around would eat through normal batteries like a bag of potato chips.   He's produced by a great company (Fisher Price) known for decades as a superior maker of toys.

If you're looking for a "showcase" toy, a gift that will thrill any child, Big Foot the Monster is a great choice!