Spike the Dinosaur Reviews

We purchased Spike the Dinosaur through Amazon and received him the Next Day. They must have a warehouse in town. We didn’t pay for faster shipping.

Kids will find that he is a blast to play with, indoors and out.

Animals will be very curious.

We’ve provided a short video for parents to see Spike in action.

Kids will be better at the remote than you.

We’ve included the Amazon review but the video shows it all.

Spike would be a great gift for many children.

The pre-historic world comes roaring to life with the Spike the Ultra Dinosaur, an Imaginext toy from Fisher-Price. Flashing lights, blinking eyes, and grunting dino speak make this big, green remote-control dinosaur a fun companion for adventurous play. Rugged and curious, Spike has a quirky personality that will draw children ages three through 10 into an exciting world of their own imagining.

Click on Spike for more information.

Spike stands on his hind legs, waves his tail, and roars. View larger.

Big, illustrated buttons make the remote control kid-friendly. View larger.

What We Think
Fun Factor:

Durability:

(what this means)

The Good: Dynamic remote-control dinosaur with lights and sound effects

The Bad: Large size makes traveling with Spike tricky

In a Nutshell: An awesome new friend for imaginative kids

At a Glance
Ages: 3 to 10
Requires: 3 AA batteries

A Fearsome New Friend
This awesome oversized, plastic dinosaur stands 27 inches tall, with textured green skin, a yellow underbelly, gnarly teeth, and plenty of serious spines–enough to make any young dino-enthusiast swoon. Before Spike is ready to roam the Earth, you’ll need to snap his legs and tail into place. These pieces are color coded to prevent confusion, and the instruction booklet offers a nice illustration. Make sure all three connection points on each front leg are securely attached, otherwise he’ll struggle to walk.

You’ll also want to fully charge the included NiMH rechargeable battery before kids get their hands on this dinosaur, a process which may take up to four hours. With all the use Spike will be getting, you’ll enjoy the long life of this power solution. The convenient wireless remote requires three AA batteries (not included) for operation.

Innovative and Easy to Control
As soon as you turn him on, spikes on this long-necked dinosaur’s back and tail light up, and he starts blinking his eyes. Big, kid-friendly buttons on the durable remote control let you make Spike walk forward, turn left or right, and swing his neck around. At first he can be a little tricky to maneuver, but with just a few moments of practice, he becomes incredibly easy to control.

Holding down any one of the four middle buttons unleashes a new action. Pick between having him stand on his hind legs, swinging his neck around while unleashing a huge roar, or hanging his head low. Another button controls the motion of his jaw. Practice combining movements to snatch up the plastic boulders off the ground or toss them in the air (a skill we never perfected). There’s even a mystery button that lets Spike pick any motion he wants to perform. Press it again and again to get a sense of his playful nature. Two modes let you pick between having continuous background music accompany play or just hearing occasional growls, snorts, and roars.

Durable and Adventurous
The well-crafted Spike the Dinosaur was still going strong, even after our vigorous testing. We crashed him into table legs trying to make him crawl over obstacles that were just too high, and even though he might not have been happy about the way we dropped the remote control repeatedly, he kept right on doing all those dinosaur things that make him a fun addition to any family. While this ultra dinosaur held up well in the face of vigorous use, he could succumb to the rough reality of enthusiastic play and be damaged by children sitting on him or pulling apart his otherwise sturdy joints.

Spike’s large size makes him a great outdoor playmate, but be sure to warn kids that, since he is battery-operated, he shouldn’t play in streams or jump in puddles. Cooperative kids will love putting their heads together to think up new places for their friend dinosaur to explore. The height and length that make Spike so much fun may make it hard for smaller children to carry him around, especially if they are headed to a far off relative’s house. While this dinosaur is recommended as a companion for children three through 10, even adults are likely to be charmed by Spike’s fun-loving personality.

What’s in the Box
Dinosaur, remote control, 9.6V NiMH rechargeable battery, battery charger, two plastic rocks, and a plastic bone.

Spike the Ultra Dinosaur

Two things that little boys love are dinosaurs and anything remote controlled. Now combine those two items, add flashing lights, an assortment of dinosaur noises and make the toy almost as big as the boy and you’ve got a birthday or Christmas present that will knock his socks off. Spike the Ultra Dinosaur is a toy for children aged three and older and is sure to be a hit.
Spike is 27 inches high and moves in a variety of ways, all controlled by an easy-to-use remote control. Movements on the remote can also be combined to have him do other, more complex movements. For instance, with practice you may be able to have Spike throw one of the two plastic rocks that come with him, or chew on the plastic bone that is also included. There is some initial minor assembly needed, snapping the tail and legs in place, out of the box. This is easy to do because the pieces are color coded and there is an illustrated instruction book. Once assembled and charged, he is ready to go.
Spike is rugged and dependable. In tests of both the dinosaur and the remote control, the product withstood the handling that could be expected from a small child. It is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, but children should be cautioned not to use the toy near water. Once fully charged, the NiMH rechargeable battery in the dinosaur lasts a long time. The remote control requires three AA batteries that are not included. This toy is simple enough for a child to imagine all sorts of adventures while playing, yet fascinating enough to captivate children of all ages. It is a toy that a child can have fun with alone or with a group of friends and will use for a long time.

Spike the Dinosaur Reviews