Wednesday, Dec. 07, 2011

Fijit Friends

Your new dance partner is a soft plastic alien. Mattel's Fijits use beat-detection technology to "dance," with each doll performing a different set of movements based on the tempo of the song that is played — and they even come with four songs of their own. Haven't danced with your doll in a while? It'll remind you that it's bored. Set to hit store shelves this fall, Fijits are essentially a plastic desk toy with Flubber's personality. Though the personality chips vary among the four colors (purple, blue, pink and green), each will chat with its owner and is programmed to understand more than 30 verbal commands, responding to comments based on keywords and answering with one of 150 built-in phrases or jokes. It's Siri meets Furby, but in a good way.

Price: $50, Mattel