Parker ar bear


Parker: Your Augmented Reality Bear

Most tech-enhanced plush toys become the bane of parents’ existences: they come alive with lights and sound at inopportune times, require batteries, can be heavy and clunky, and may not wash very easily. And in the case of certain connected toys, you might even worry about your child’s personal data being recorded and stored.

Given all of that, you might bristle when you first hear of Parker: Your Augmented Reality Bear, Seedling’s new iPad and iPhone-enhanced toy. But this charming bear is fully squeezable with no caveats: it doesn’t have any wires or batteries inside, and it won’t make a peep or start to glow if you accidentally step on it while your kid is asleep. 

Instead, all the digital lifting happens on your iOS device, letting you interact with the soft toy as if you were treating its wounds or feeding it a snack, or even getting it ready for bed. That kind of approach has its clear benefits, but also limitations—yet it’s pretty pleasing all the same.

Just stuffing, no tech

With most connected toys, my four-year-old son and I will play with them for a stretch, and then I’ll collect all the pieces and make sure they’re stored out of his reach. The Sphero Star Wars R2-D2 droid and Anki Overdrive cars, for example, seem fairly durable when you’re using them as intended—but they’re not meant to take ongoing abuse from a rambunctious child. One steep drop down the stairs and those pricey tech toys are likely to be toast.

Not so with Parker: this bear has already been down the stairs with nary a nick or scratch. My son’s eyes lit up when the bear was first unboxed: he asked if Parker could sleep with him at night and join his family of stuffed bears. Of course. Why not? Parker’s just as soft and fuzzy as the rest of his plush “guys,” as he calls them. Now Parker has a bed to sleep in, and a boy of his very own. And I can toss the bear in the washing machine when he inevitably gets gross.

Seedling

Parker comes with all sorts of stuff (but not an iPhone).

But looks are deceiving here, as Parker isn’t just another stuffed toy. He’s a bear designed to live in the digitally-augmented world of your making via the iPad/iPhone companion app. 

And as you’ll quickly find out, via both a rhyming poem on an included card and the short intro cartoon in the app, Parker’s been on a long journey and he’s feeling a bit under the weather. Of course, the included wooden stethoscope, thermometer, medicine bottle, and spoon might have given his ailments away, but in any case, you’ll have a chance to make things right within the app.

Bear care

Playing doctor with Parker spans a variety of quick-hit activities within the app, some of which include actual augmented reality elements via your device’s back camera, while others require only simpler actions within the app itself. All the while, you’ll aim to make Parker feel better by tending to his wounds, giving him healthy snacks, and checking on his insides to ensure that everything is working right.

Seedling

It’s pretend play with an assist from your iPad, but it’s cute all the same.

Augmented reality comes into play in a couple of different ways. You can place plants and animals into the 3D space around you via an ARKit-powered activity, letting you create a snazzy environment for Parker within the digital version of your living room or bedroom. And if Parker is happy and well cared-for in the app, then it’ll make the AR world a bit sunnier in the process. In other moments, you’ll put a felt skeleton overlay on top of the bear and look at it with your iPad or iPhone camera. Onscreen, you’ll see the bones come to life, sometimes with little smiley faces, or you’ll watch the digital food that you just fed Parker slide down into his tummy. 

IDG

My son loved decorating an AR world around him. Unfortunately, this part didn’t load right on my older, original iPad Air.

The non-AR activities, on the other hand, might have you “check his temperature” by putting the soft stylus-like end of the wooden thermometer into Parker’s mouth before pressing it on your touchscreen, sliding food to Parker, or applying an ice pack or bandage as needed. You can also color and design your own in-app bandages, and create drawings for Parker.

While the AR world and drawing activities can keep kids occupied for potentially extended stretches, some of the activities last for mere seconds—and then they cycle and repeat, or you can access them in any order you choose. Soon after my son and I started playing with the app, I felt like we had pretty much seen it all. After another hour or so of cumulative play, that was pretty much still true: a couple of unseen mini-games had popped up with further play, but by and large, he was still going through the same routine of simple activities.

The sweet spot

I was a bit bored of the activities at that point, but I fall well outside the recommended age range (3 to 6). My four-year-old, on the other hand, was still enthralled by placing dozens of plants and items around the AR world, feeding Parker snacks, and hearing the bear’s joyous yelps when he’s tickled and taken care of. He also loved the poem on Parker’s card, which comes in its own little envelope, which I’ve now read several times over.

Andrew Hayward/IDG

My son is still happily playing with his new pal, Parker.

Seedling emphasizes that Parker is a STEAM toy—that is, one that targets science, technology, education, arts, and mathematics-based learning and fun—and also suggests that it helps build empathy for other living creatures (pretend or otherwise) and digital literacy. But for all my son cared, it was just a silly and fun thing to do on Daddy’s phone with his new bear friend. Besides, learning is always best when you don’t realize it’s even happening, right?

Parker may not be the most technical or elaborate of app-enhanced toys, but there’s something very pure and sweet about the whole experience. It’s a great little plush bear with a few fun doctor toys alongside, and the app is just the cherry on top—albeit one you’ll pay a slight premium for in the overall cost. The app download is free, but the kit with Parker and all of the physical stuff is $60. That’s a little bit more than you’d probably pay for just toys of comparable quality.

Seedling

Yes, that actually is pretty adorable…

And there’s an expansion pack, too: a Bedtime Kit ($40), which come with bear jammies, sleeping masks for both Parker and your kid, play toothbrushes for both, a storybook, and additional app content. I didn’t have a chance to try out the bonus bedtime stuff, but given my son’s reaction to Parker’s doctor gear, I’m sure he’d get a kick out of it. I’m not certain that I want to spend $40 on toy bear accessories, but it is a way to extend the experience. We’ll have to wait and see whether Seedling makes any further Parker add-on sets.

Parker: Your Augmented Reality Bear offers up one of the best compromises for a connected toy right now. When completely disconnected from screens, it’s still a delightful little plush bear ready to be hugged, tossed, trampled, and loved, not to mention used to spur little ones’ own imaginations. But when paired up with your iPad or iPhone, it has just enough of an added layer of storytelling and interactivity to make it worthwhile. That it works so well in both forms is really a delight.

 

Parker: Your Augmented Reality Bear

Author: Andrew Hayward, Contributor

Andrew Hayward is a Chicago-based games, apps, and gadgets writer whose work has been featured in more than 70 publications. He's also a work-at-home dad to an unruly four-year-old.

Seedling's Classic Teddy Bear with Augmented Reality — The Very Best Baby Stuff

/ Miriam Cohen

My son is nearly three and tells anyone that will listen that he is a doctor.   So, when I saw that Seedling (a favorite toy brand of ours) unveiled Parker, I was intrigued and excited to give it a try and write this review! 

This post was sponsored by Seedling.  Thank you for supporting the brands that I love!  This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the Disclosure page for additional information.

Parker is a classic old school plush teddy bear that comes with an interactive toy thermometer, toy stethoscope, wooden medicine spoon and bottle, and felt x-ray bib, and Parker's little backpack to carry the tools. 

When paired with a free iOS app,  Parker comes to life on your iPhone or iPad with games and activities designed to boost your child's problem solving skills, inspire empathy, and increase digital literacy. 

Parker is recommended for ages 3-6.

I'm always on the hunt for toys that allow my child to evolve in how he uses them so that he can enjoy them for a long time.  Parker definitely fits the bill.   He can be played with as a classic teddy bear or your iPhone or iPad can unlock an interactive experience using Augmented Reality (AR).  And within the app, the more you play, the more magical the in-app world becomes, ensuring that Parker keeps your child's interest for years!

Parker is available on Seedling's website and at Amazon. 

My son is turning three this month and was elated to receive Parker. 

He loves to hug him and "read" books to him and carry him all over town.  As I'm writing this, he has had him for almost a week and the novelty has not worn off at all! 

He cares for him by taking his temperature, giving him "medicine," and covering him in band-aids.  He even set him up with a cozy nap station because he knows that extra sleep helps you recover faster when sick. 

I'm 20 weeks pregnant.  During my first trimester my son saw me having morning sickness and was not very empathetic.  Instead, before I could even catch my breath, he was telling me enthusiastically about every experience that he had ever had with vomit.   I talked to him about empathy, and it didn't seem to make an impression.  I think the concept was just starting to click for him last week because he overheard me tell my husband that I didn't feel well and came over to hug me and say in the sweetest voice "I'm sorry Mommy, I hope you feel better."  So Parker arrived at the perfect time, as my son is primed to explore empathy, nurturing and caring for others through play.  

Parker does not have a camera, batteries, wifi, or any buttons on him at all.  He looks and feels like your classic teddy bear, but read on to learn how to unlock Parker's world of imaginative play on your iPhone or iPad.  

The free Parker app transforms your child's care giving and play into an interactive experience using AR technology that already exists on your phone.  The bear has patterns and touch points that the app recognizes through your camera, and that allow for incredible AR experiences on your phone.  

I didn't get a chance to play around with the app before introducing it to my son, and I found it really quick and easy to set up (even with him eagerly hovering over me).  

Kids always amaze me -- he had no trouble navigating the app and finding games.

So far, my son has played a few of the games within the app that work without the bear -- including popping balloons, and feeding fruit to Parker.  He also designed a digital bandage for Parker.  And finally, we played doctor and gave Parker a check-up by taking his temperature and playing around with the x-ray bib to see Parker's insides on the phone. 

I was selective in which features I showed to my son first, because I wasn't sure how he would react to the AR technology. His expressions alternated between awe and pure joy and he kept asking to try more things, so clearly I had no reason to be concerned!

There are a bunch more activities that we didn't try yet, but I wanted to take it slow introducing them to keep the toy exciting.  Other features that I'm looking forward to trying with my son include using 3D touch to help Parker take deeper breaths and test lung capacity, helping Parker fight a stomach bug by squashing stomach germs, building an under sea garden or magical mushroom forest using the magic camera feature, and watching how Parker's Happiness Factor grows and his world gets brighter the more you play with him!

Parker the Bear is a STEAM toy.   It teaches:

  • Science: Teaches basic biology through in-app doctor play.
  • Technology: Develops Digital Literacy and explores the magic of Augmented Reality
  • Engineering: Promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Encourages empathy
  • Arts: Create drawings, connect the dots and even design your own bandage
  • Math: Solve puzzles, play games.

I really appreciate that the more you play, the more games and activities are unlocked -- this naturally paces your child and keeps them within the right skill level.  

I'd recommend Parker for play for any occasion, but it seems like an especially great toy to keep your child entertained when you travel!  I could see my son happily playing with Parker for hours on a plane.

As a side note, we took some of these photos in the Apple store and employees kept commenting that Parker is the toy of the year!

Parker is available at Seedling.com and on Amazon. 

For a limited time only, you can take advantage of this buy more, save more event at Seedling. com:

  • Save $20 off $100 or more
  • Save $50 off 200 or more
  • Save $75 off $250 or more

Click here to buy at Amazon.

Seedling Parker: Your Augmented Reality Bear for Toddlers Ages 3-6 Learning Kit Buy on Amazon

Teaching Children to Care with Augmented Reality I MacTime Blog

Want to teach children to care?! Then the Seedling Parker bear will be useful for you. This toy is an interactive bear that supports augmented reality technology. Parker will become a reliable friend for your child and will help him become more caring and learn various sciences. The toy simply connects to the gadget and creates a virtual reality world around you. The child will be able to "heal" the bear and take care of it, and also complete various puzzles to develop ingenuity.