HappiTaps Review: It’s a Toy and an App!

Did you receive an iPhone for Christmas but you’re worried about sharing the smartness with your toddler? Or, are you looking for a way to make your family’s iTouch more toddler-friendly? Infantino has an awesome solution in the toy and app combination known as HappiTaps. We’ve downloaded – and the kids have played with – a countless number of apps and games designed for kids, but we’ve never seen anything quite like HappiTabs. It’s an iPhone / iTouch cover AND a free app that brings the cute bear cover to life.

What is HappiTaps

HappiTaps are the first-of-its-kind toy/app hybrid. A lovable teddy-bear friend that leverages toddlers’ newly found fascination with touchscreen smartphones and the classic comfort of plush, huggable toys creating a truly interactive, lovable companion. Put your iPhone or iPod touch inside a HappiTaps cover, download the free app, and voilà: the 21st century Teddy.

HappiTabs Features

• Uses 3D computer animation in conjunction with the iPhone/iPod Touch cutting technology to create a toy that reacts to a child’s life moments
• Over 150 different expressions to keep kids engaged and learning
• Full of games and activities for engaging play
• 2 Play modes: Toddler Mode and more advanced Manual Mode
• The cover features a lock for the home button to ensure kids stay within the app
• Age recommendation: 18+ months

HappiTaps Video

The Beary Happi Teddy cover is compatible with iPhone 4S, 4, and 3GS as well as 3rd and 4th generation iPod Touch.

Toy + App = Lots of Fun

The first thing you’ll notice is the adorable Beary Happi Teddy cover. In addition to being a cute bear, he protects the iPhone with lots of cushion. We’ve experienced a broken iDevice or two around our house, but I wouldn’t hesitate to hand over the iPhone or iPod to a child with this on it. The bear really comes to life when you download the app. The Beary Happi: Lovable Friend app is basically an adorable teddy bear who talks, laughs and interacts with your child. He’ll ask your child to scratch his ear, when you touch his nose it squeaks and that’s just playing with the bear.

There are actually a number of games and ways to play within the app. My daughter giggles at the bear playing Hide & Seek. My son likes giving Beary food during Feeding Time. I like Story Time – where Bear reads a story – and ABC Pop – which reinforces letter recognition. When my daughter plays with the app we place it on Toddler Mode which automatically goes from one game to the next and doesn’t require her to use the drop down menu bar to change from, say, the Expressions mode to Story Time. My son, on the other hand, is better able to control and maneuver between games on his own so he uses Manual Mode.

My daughter, not surprisingly, was immediately smitten. My son turned 5 earlier this month and he thinks that means he’s very mature and too old for some things now. At first glance, he wasn’t into HappiTaps because of the teddy bear appearance, I think. As soon as he saw it in action he wanted it all to himself. In fact, when he saw my daughter playing with it he said, “I want it because it looks so cool.” Safe to say he’s now hooked as well.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… The combination of the teddy bear cover and toy with the actual app is pretty awesome. It’s one of the most interactive apps my kids have used and it kept each of them engaged and entertained for quite some time – certainly longer than some other apps we’ve downloaded. This is a great way to make your iPhone or iPod Touch a kid-friendly toy.

Or Not to Buy… The Bar Happi app has some in-app purchases which can add up. The first thing I did was turn those off so that the kids didn’t accidentally on purpose turn our free app into a costly one. The cover makes hitting the home button and some other functionality difficult to get to so is really best suited to using this app and not as a general cover.

Shop! HappiTaps Beary Happi is available directly from our friends at Infantino for $19.99 with free shipping. The Beary Happi: Lovable Friend app is FREE for download from the App Store.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Infantino HappiTaps and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.