Tag Archives: FlyTech Butterfly

Pick of the Day: FlyTech Butterfly

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flytechbutterfly I really feel like I need to gush about these really cool flying butterflies. Finding toys that fly without a huge scary propeller can be challenging. There’s also the whole class of flying toys that require a lot of space and finesse. Having neither a lot of space or finesse (when it comes to flying things)…I really liked these easy to use FlyTech insects (there are moths and mosquitoes in the line) when they came in last spring. So I took them to the Today Show. They were intended as the last “wow wee” toy of the segment. At set up the night before the entire crew also really liked them. We all took turns flying them around the studio. The segment was outside the next day–so everything got a little damp when it started to rain. I’m not sure exactly which factor played a bigger role but when I went to show Al Roker how cool they were–none of them would fly, not a one. It was really disappointing since such a poor performance made the toy look bad. (Not to mention that I also looked a bit silly protesting that they really do fly!) You can fly these butterflies inside–the wings aren’t hard–so it’s not like flying a plane in the house. For a full review check out our award listing. They are from WowWee and retail for just under $25–making them a good value for the holidays.

So cool: WowWee's new FlyTech Butterfly

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flytech-butterfly-pink.jpgI’m always on the look out for toys that fly–that don’t hurt. As a professional toy tester, I do feel a responsibility to stick my fingers near the propellers (as I think most 8 year olds would) to see if it hurts. Most really do! For the past few years I’ve been a huge fan of the Kid Galaxy planes–they work, easy to launch and very satisfying. I still like those a lot. This week we received Wow Wee’s new Fly Tech Butterfly ($24.99). While I’m not big on gender specific toys, this pink and purple butterfly really works. Much like the Kid Galaxy launcher, you hold down the button until the wings really start to flutter–aim and there it goes! It’s really easy to use (the age label is 6 & up). The launcher takes 3 AAA batteries.

Interestingly all the boys loved playing with it but said they wouldn’t because it was sooo pink.  There is also a yellow and orange butterfly (is that less gender specific or is it the butterfly itself that makes it gender specific?) We didn’t have one the day we tested this product with kids.  I wonder if a blue butterfly would have sparked the same reaction from our boy testers. Would girls play with a blue butterfly? This would make an interesting research project.

In either case, the company also makes a mosquito! My suggestion, have a fly off–which flies further.