A graphics tablet for 2 euros, a helicopter for 8 euros: Voonze shows curious children’s toys such as interactive animals, robots, dinosaurs or RC speedsters.
Whether as a small gift for the school cone for school enrollment, for the boot for Santa Claus or as a surprise at Easter: there are countless small electronic gimmicks for children of almost all ages. Interactive picture books, digital graphics tablets or talking soft toys are conceivable for small children. Bigger kids might enjoy a tiny pocket RC car or quirky flying machines. Digital toys and remote-controlled vehicles do not have to be expensive. These are already available for less than 10 euros. Our guide introduces some products and shows what else is currently available on the market.
However, there are a few things to consider: if you value sustainability, you have to be particularly careful with inexpensive products from the Far East. The durability is usually very modest. In addition, a lot of plastic is used. Cheap toys can also contain harmful substances. Consumer centers therefore recommend paying attention to the GS mark (“tested safety”). Toys with this seal have been independently tested to ensure they comply with applicable legislation in terms of harmful substances and safety. If anything is unclear, the online advice on harmful substances from the NRW Consumer Advice Center will also help . In addition, parents should read the instructions for use before handing over the gift and pay particular attention to warnings.
There is a wide range of electronic toys for children. According to our price comparison, interactive animals from manufacturers such as Silverlit, Spin Master, Hasbro or Vtech are particularly in demand. Here you will find talking pets and stuffed animals that make animal noises or tell stories. Not to forget: There is still the good old Tamagotchi – also as a bunch of keys. Walkie-talkies are still in demand .
The Silverlit Junior Robo Dachshund is a robotic dachshund that can follow gestures. The recommended age here is 5 years. Also amusing among the toy dogs is the Chi Chi Love Poo Poo Puppy from Simba. The little ones can feed this little Chihuahua, the mutt even poops afterwards.
Another example of an electronic toy is the Silverlit Yoco Biopod , which we tried, starting at €15. The whole thing can be imagined as an oversized surprise egg without chocolate. Inside a white, egg-shaped structure is a plastic kit for one of a total of 14 dinosaurs. There is a small battery in the head piece. If you press a button on the head, the eyes light up and the dino makes wild noises. The manufacturer’s recommended age is 5 years.
Silverlit Ycoo Biopod In Motion
There are also electronic toys for small children from 3 to 36 months. These include small cars from Vtech from the “Tut Tut Baby Flitzer” series with sirens and talking figures from 10 euros. But they don’t drive by themselves. There are also unicorns with flashing LED horns and toy dogs. Replicas of mobile phones or remote controls that small children can play with are also in demand. Toddlers can learn words with the interactive picture book from Vtech from 27 euros. To do this, click on an animal and the digital book reads out the term.
Remote control cars for kids
RC cars (guide) offer significantly more interaction . A remote-controlled speedster for children does not have to meet the same high requirements as for adults. Simple, small vehicles for indoor use in children’s or living rooms without proportional control and with a remote control in the MHz range are usually sufficient here.
Mini RC cars are particularly practical as gifts. With a length of between 5 cm and 15 cm and a scale of between 1:67 and 1:43, these still fit well in the school cone or Santa’s boots. Revell and Amewi offer some miniature cars here. Carrera also has toys that go with Super Mario , and figures from Paw Patrol can be found at Spin Master.
Revell Control Mini RC Car Racing Car I
There are also larger models on a scale of 1:24 to 1:16 for up to 40 euros. Sometimes there are already remote controls that transmit at 2.4 GHz. The digital standard is less sensitive to interference when other vehicles of this type are nearby. The radio range is then usually also higher. In addition to realistic and true-to-scale replicas of real sports cars, there are RC cars with characters from the animated film Toy Story as well as tiny crawlers (guides) , RC buggies (guides) and fun cars in the optics of a shark.
A special category that is particularly entertaining for children are the so-called stunt cars. These allow unusual manoeuvres. A flip car, for example, can do somersaults and drive upside down thanks to its large wheels. Other cars also drive over water as amphibious vehicles or are capable of quick 360-degree turns and even a wheelie. We show even more vehicles of this type in the guide Crazy RC fun and stunt cars from 20 euros: swim, jump, race .
We took a closer look at the Exost 360 Mini Flip for 17 euros . The small model car has a length of almost 9.5 cm. Thanks to oversized wheels, he can continue to drive even if he has rolled over. One side is black, the other white. In addition, he can quickly turn in circles on the spot. The maximum speed is 8 km/h, which feels very fast in your own four walls. Infrared is used as a remote control. The racer is charged by cable from the remote control, which is operated with four AA batteries. Unfortunately, this turns out to be inaccurate. The battery lasts almost 10 minutes and charging takes about 45 minutes. The recommended age is 5 years.
Exost 360 Mini Flip and X Monster
The Exost X-Monster for 17 euros is a compact, remote-controlled off-road vehicle. The remote control even uses 2.4 GHz. Up to ten friends can compete against each other without disturbing the radio. Thanks to large tires, the model can also get over smaller obstacles. The top speed is also just under 8 km/h. Three AAA batteries serve as the energy source, with which the RC car lasts about 25 minutes. The X-Monster is suitable for children from the age of 5 and controls itself quickly and precisely.
RC aircraft
Helicopters and aircraft are particularly fun. But be careful, this is not for small children, because flying is much more demanding than driving. There is also a certain risk of injury from the rotors. A minimum age of 8 years is recommended. However, the fun is mostly short-lived and the flight is over after just under 5 minutes. Unfortunately, the models break quickly.
Parents who want to be on the safe side can choose a flying device with protection around the rotors, as is also the case with some toy drones. These include the Revell Copter Twistar for 18 euros , the Spin Master Air Hogs Rollercopter from 25 euros and Spin Master Air Hogs Gravitor for 20 euros as well as the Carrera RC Nintendo Mini Mario Copter (test report) . The Air Hogs Gravitor is not controllable and just hovers over the hand.
There are also classic helicopters with coaxial rotors. Either as an abstract variant, such as a ball that glows in the dark, as a character from Super Mario or as a miniature replica of a real helicopter. We explain in detail what you should pay attention to in the RC helicopter guide: Strange helicopters with remote control from 30 euros .
Robots and Battle Drones
Children prefer robots – and some adults are also fascinated by them. There are some miniature models in the price range up to 30 euros. Some robots have a small infrared remote control, such as the Silverlit Mazebreaker or Ycoo Robo Up. The Pokibot can talk and offers voice and app control. There’s even a robotic chameleon that can shoot with its tongue. Models from films such as Star Wars , Transformers or Toy Story can also be found. We show even more fun gadgets to play with in the guide Strange RC toys: Dinos, crocodiles & robots from 20 euros .
It gets interesting when you let the robots compete against each other in a boxing match. The Silverlit Ycoo Robo Kombat Balloon Puncher uses a balloon instead of a head. If this bursts, the other has won the fight. So-called battle drones are also very fun. These are vehicles or robots that shoot at each other via infrared. If a vehicle takes too many hits, it will be deactivated. We explain more about how it works in the article RC toys for multiplayer: cars, drones and co with battle function .
Digital drawing board
Children like to paint and draw. One way to save paper is with a digital notepad or drawing board — also known as a graphics tablet. You draw on the screen with a pen. The model we tried is already available for less than 2 euros on Aliexpress.