TestTubeAliens–For Kids Who Think Outside the Test Tube
TestTubeAliens
“From a dying world they are coming to ours.! The better you treat ‘em–the longer they live!” And so the aliens leave their toy boxes and come to life in this virtual world filled with games, adventures, and loads of kid-fun.
Things That Made Me Go Hmmmm….
When I first started reading about these, my first thought was that there were many parallels to “Transformers.” Seeing as how my five-year-old is everything “Transformers,” this was probably an overly-easy connection to make. The aliens are from the dying planet of Naratuko and are looking for a suitable planet to colonize and Earth happens to be the perfect planet for this - go figure. They can be registered through the computer to keep up with their health, age, etc.
The Downside
I wasn’t able to see much of what the site was capable of as I did not have an alien on hand that was willing to volunteer to interface with my computer… I will say that when visiting the site, my computer fan went nuts and I thought for a moment that it was going to transform into a miniature space ship and blast off of my lap… that’s for another post… The other downside is that it turns being cruel into a sport where you can poke and prod your alien causing it to panic, or expose it to the elements and damage their health… not the best for smaller children who may hope to get a dog or real pet someday.
Other Thoughts…
The aliens are easy enough to purchase at big box retailers and may end up being a lot of fun, for some - but it seems the packaging and set up of your alien adoptee may be the most entertaining … water, fizz, “sloog” - instant alien, or a big mess!
From Popular Mechanics…giving even more pause to parents
“Finally, a toy that invites children to explore the nature of cruelty. In fact, Electronic Test Tube Aliens ($15) are either the most cynical and ill-conceived toys on the market, or the world’s first truly existential toy. The story is simple: There’s an alien invasion on, and you get to be a collaborator by taking care of a Wi-Fi-enabled, battery-powered alien adoptee. Three of the aliens are good and three are evil; whether yours is good or evil has no bearing on how your creature will behave, since these test-tube babies can’t fight each other or really do anything. Except die. In fact, that’s their specialty.” Click here to read the entire review.
Quick Facts
* Ages 7 and up
* Must purchase alien to use the site (at any toy store or big box store)
*Games
*Teaches Responsibility (though in a round about way)
How many ‘Clicks’ does this world get?
We like this site and give it between 5 and 6 Clicks! What do you think? Send your views and votes to OneClickMoms.
Today’s Reviewer is Meredith Gilley
Meredith Gilley is the Managing Editor for CIRCA magazine, a home and lifestyle publication, contributing writer for The Rolesvile Buzz, and owner of TheMerryWriter.com a custom content and editing service for businesses and their web sites. Meredith works from home and has two children, Alek, who is almost five and Amelia, who recently turned two. Finding balance while working from home has often been a challenge and Meredith often finds herself wearing one of her daughter’s tiaras, and holding her son’s Transformers in one hand while typing, but wouldn’t have it any other way.
Coming up next
We visit a virtual world for kids with the fun name of Poptropica! Please join us.
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