Toy Story 5 Tablet: Fun or Problem?

As a parent and journalist, I've played with many toys, but the Toy Story 5 Explore & Learn Lilypad is very strange.

The Lilypad is based on a character from the movie Toy Story 5 and is a tablet for preschool-age kids.

The real Lilypad tries to use the friendship theme from Toy Story 5 but does it in unusual ways. Parents should think about its games and texting feature before buying.

The Lilypad has a small screen and keypad. It comes with three basic games to help kids count, identify letters, and solve problems.

The Lilypad also lets kids play music by pushing buttons that make fun sounds.

If a child hasn't seen Toy Story 5, some of the music and sounds might not make sense. The sound effects can be confusing.

The keyboard has six emojis that kids can use, but they might cause trouble when used for texting.

I was happy to find that the real Lilypad is not like the movie character.

In the movie, the Lilypad makes Bonnie spend too much time on the screen and forget about her toys and friends.

The real Lilypad does not have artificial intelligence or bad powers like in the movie.

The games on the Lilypad are designed for short play sessions, not long periods of time. This is a good thing.

The strangest thing about the Lilypad is its texting feature.

Kids can push buttons to 'text' with characters from Toy Story 5.

The Lilypad says 'Let's see who's on the pond,' which is a line from the movie. Then it says 'Let's stay connected!'

This feels like a contradiction because the movie is about the importance of in-person connections and play.

When a child selects a character, they get a message. They can respond with an emoji or letter.

The messages are limited and might not be what kids expect. It's not like a real conversation.

No matter what the child chooses, the Lilypad says 'Voila, friend made!'

A spokesperson for LeapFrog said this message is meant to celebrate interaction and building connections.

I'm not sure if the designers of the Lilypad saw the same movie as me. The movie's message is about more than just playing with devices.

The Lilypad's texting feature does not match the movie's message.

A doctor who studies family screen time said the texting feature might have been added for merchandising purposes.

The doctor thinks the feature is odd and not suitable for kids.

The doctor said she wouldn't be okay with her own kids using the texting feature.

As I tested the Lilypad, I wondered who it's really for.

After writing about the dangers of too much screen time, I think the Lilypad's limited games might be a good thing. But it should inspire creativity, not just check boxes.

The doctor said closed-loop education games can help with learning, but kids can do them without thinking. She likes that the Lilypad is safer than a smart tablet.

The doctor advises buying a magnetic drawing board instead of a device like the Lilypad.

A designer from LeapFrog said the Lilypad's activities are simple and good for young children. He thinks it can help parents balance technology and childhood.

The designer said parents want to create a healthy balance, not eliminate technology completely.

I appreciate this, but I think the Lilypad is more about making money for Disney, Pixar, and LeapFrog.

The Lilypad helps these companies make more money and get their brands known to young kids.

As a parent, I try to limit screen time. I'm sympathetic to efforts to make technology more mindful for kids.

But the Lilypad does something different. It makes us think our relationship with devices is personal when it's actually about making us customers.

Topics: Social Good, Family & Parenting

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