This year's favourite Christmas toy?

[luke]

Meet My Keepon, the dancing yellow robot made by tiny British firm, set to be this year's favourite Christmas toy



It might not look like much, but this dancing robot made by a tiny British firm is set to become this year's must-have Christmas toy.

The enchanting £39.99 yellow robot, called My Keepon, was originally designed to help autistic children interact but soon became a global hit.

Almost three million people have watched a YouTube video of it dancing to Spoon's I Turn My Camera On.

The toy, which looks like two tennis balls, has flown off the shelves in the U.S. with sellers offering second-hand robots for up to £145, more than triple the retail price.

Thanks to a built-in microphone in the robot's nose it can pick up the tempo in any song.

It then matches the beat with an uncanny sense of timing and looks like it's dancing.

The toy also mirrors movements and even giggles when tickled.

My Keepon is made by Wolverhampton toy development company Wow! Stuff, which said it was struggling to meet orders.

Its promotional material says of the toy: 'My Keepon will dance to any style of music, from slow ballads, to pop music, to high-energy disco.

'Each performance is an original and unique interpretation.

'Turn up the volume and bass and watch as My Keepon really gets carried away!'

Wow! Stuff managing director Richard North said: 'Whilst we are delighted to see My Keepon getting fabulous reviews, we are going to struggle to meet the demand.

'With now well over six million combined YouTube views and with hindsight we think this has contributed to the exceptional levels of pre-orders.

'We've already ramped up the factory to meet the demand but stocks have been allocated to an overwhelming volume of pre-orders.

'When the final shipment lands on the 25th November that is it for Christmas.'

The Keepon character was designed by two scientists who used it to study social development and autism in children.

When they put it on YouTube it became an instant and enormous hit. The scientists then teamed up with Wow! Stuff to develop the robot as a toy.

A sum from every My Keepon bought will be donated to research into the use of robots in autism therapy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2062625/Meet-My-Keepon-dancing-yellow-robot-tiny-British-firm-set-Christmas-toy-2011.html

i want one!