Robochi.AVI
Poo-Chi (or Poochi, Poochie), one of the first generations of robopet toys, is a robot dog designed by Samuel James Lloyd, manufactured by Sega Toys, and distributed by Tiger Toys.[1]
History[]
Sega Toys' Poo-Chi hit markets on 1 April 2000, with Hasbro's Tiger Electronics distributing the toy in all countries other than Japan and Korea. Retailing at a price of 3,980 yen (then the equivalent of $38 USD) in Japan and $24.99 in the United States, the toy offered low-priced competition to Sony's AIBO's prices of up to 250,000 yen (then $2,400 USD).[2][3][4] At the time, Hasbro's sales in their leading Furby line were slowing since its initial release in 1998 and sales of Star Wars branded merchandise was in decline.[5] The Poo-Chi's release was a success, selling over 10 million units worldwide over the span of 8 months since its initial debut.[4]
Special editions of the Poo-Chi soon sprouted, such as the 102 Dalmatians holiday release of three Poo-Chis resembling the characters Domino, Little Dipper, and Oddball.[4][6] In addition to special editions, an upgraded version, the Super Poo-Chi,[7] and differing breeds of the Poo-Chi were released (all of which could communicate together), along with spin-offs such as the Meow-Chi and the Chirpy-Chi.[4] Miniature versions were featured as toys in the McDonald's Happy Meal.[8]
Poo-Chi stopped selling in 2002.Template:Citation needed
Description[]
The original Poo-Chi had a gray body with ears, tail, and leg joints of either purple, blue, pink or green colour. With four legs allowing the toy to stand up or lie down, it utilized a red LED display as eyes to show emotion.[9][10]
Special Editions[]
For a short period of time, a limited edition of the Poo-Chi toy was produced for Christmas, coloured red and white with snowflake designs covering the body, ears, and included interactive bone. For the special release, the toy was shipped in a seasonal box and had its list of songs updated to include Christmas music. The Christmas Special Edition was only available in a handful of countries and even there was only retailed for 2–3 months, making it the rarest and most collectable of the genre with collectors realising in excess of $300 USD for boxed Christmas Poo-Chi units.Template:Citation needed Other Poo-Chi's had different color variations, different breeds, such as the Poodle and Bulldog.
Speech[]
Poo-Chi spoke using pre-recorded sounds such as barks, whines, and growls. These were not very realistic and often sounded more like beeps than anything. Poo-Chi could also "bark" songs, which could be prompted by pressing the button on the top of the head.
Spin-offs[]
Template:Unreferenced section Multiple spin-offs of the Poo-Chi were produced. All were based on different animals, other than the Super Poo-Chi, a larger version of the original toy.
- Meow-Chi - a robotic cat.
- Super Poo-Chi - a larger version of the original toy.
- Dino-Chi - a robotic dinosaur, with two types produced: the Dino-Chi T. Rex and the Dino-Chi Pterodactyl.
- Chirpy-Chi - a robotic bird.
- Petal-Chi - a robotic flower or plant.
- Baby-chi - a robotic baby.
Songs[]
You could make Poo-Chi sing one of 6 songs by triggering the light sensor (placing your hand or something else over his nose) and pressing the touch sensor on its head very quickly, until a series of high-pitched 'beeps' are heard. Then, press the touch sensor 1 to 6 times, each amount getting a different song. Poo-Chi sang and danced to songs such as 'The Wedding March' and 'When the Saints Come Marching In'. The different songs you can hear are listed below.
| Number of sensor presses | Song title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Wedding March |
| 2 | Camptown Races |
| 3 | Bingo |
| 4 | I've Been Working on the Railroad/Home On the Range |
| 5 | Beethoven No.9 |
| 6 | When the Saints Come Marching In |
Poo-Chi would also often sing "Ode to Joy" by Ludwig van Beethoven when happy, and if another Poo-Chi or Robo-Chi pet is nearby (such as a Meow-Chi), that other Robo-Chi would begin to sing "Ode to Joy" as well, though unsynchronized.
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