Yano he tells good stories! (Yano the Interactive Storyteller)

Name: Gladallover

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Product:	Yano the Interactive Storyteller
Date:	10/01/08 (208 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, educational, low maintanance

Disadvantages: Young children need supervision. Loud motors

I first saw Yano: The Interactive Storyteller on one of the TV shopping channels last year and to be honest the first thing that went through my mind was how scary Yano would be to a child! So obviously I was a little shocked when a few months later one was given to my young nephew...and he loved it!

Yano is advertised as 'an interactive storyteller electric animated talking pal that loves to tell you stories'. He is a small, fluffy, electronic creature that looks as though he would be more at home in one of the Star Wars films! When combined with the cordless remote control and storybook touchpad supplied, he tells some lovely stories that children can really get involved in and help tell themselves.

Yano is about the same size as an average sized teddy bear (around 12" tall) but is quite heavy so he is best stood on a level surface like a bedside cabinet while he tells his stories. He feels nice and robust and it would probably take more than a short fall to break him! He is covered in long, beige fur apart from his hands and feet which are hard plastic and his face, which is rubber to allow him to make all sort of different facial expressions while he is telling his stories. He is wearing a 'magic amulet' around his neck which also doubles as Yano's control panel. The amulet has 5 buttons on it so you can carry out basic functions without the remote control (just incase you lose it) and it also lights up when Yano is making wishes!

Aswell as 4 C cell batteries, Yano also needs a 'Story Cartridge' to be able to tell stories. The cartridge is very similar to games cartridges you would use in a game boy and needs to be inserted into the cartridge slot on the underside of Yano. There is a lock facility that stops the cartridge from being accidentally pulled out during use and spoiling the story. The lock switch is located on the underside of Yano, and the whole area can be covered over with a flap of fur, so you can forget all about it once the fun starts!

Accompanying Yano is a remote control called the 'Storybook Touchpad'. It needs 2 AAA batteries and a 'story art card' to function. It is made of plastic and is nice and chunky and simple to use for children. The touchpad has the same 5 buttons on it as Yano has on his amulet; Start, pause, wish, no and yes. The buttons are all bold, bright colours and different shapes. To be used, the touchpad needs to have a 'story art card'. The card has lots of different pictures on it, and once slid into the front of the touchpad, becomes the buttons for the remote control! During Yanos stories, the child can press the different buttons to direct the story down a different route and change the ending!

The story art cards come with the story cartridges, each one helps Yano tell a different story. The Story packs can be bought separately, but one is supplied with Yano; Jana and the magic fish. Other story packs available include; The Secret Singing Stone, Bunny or not and The Search For The Golden Whale.

When you first turn Yano on he asks if you would like to go on an adventure or make a wish. If you choose to make a wish Yanos amulet will flash different colours while you make your wish. Then he will tell you one of several different answers including; 'try again later' or 'I think your wish will come true!'.

To begin the story follow Yano's simple instructions. As Yano begins telling the story his face becomes brilliantly animated. He smiles, frowns, wiggles his ears, moves his mouth and forehead and blinks to create lots of different facial expressions. Yano can make a happy face, sad face, scared face and excited face and when you have finished playing with him he closes his eyes and goes to sleep.
As well as his face, Yano can also move his hand and head around during stories. The effect is so captivating for children (and adults!) but if the child does get bored there is a pause button so they can continue their story later or by pressing the wish button they can wish themselves out of the story! If Yano is left alone for too long he will say goodbye and shut down to save battery power.

The stories are fairly simple and no matter what ending you choose there is always a good moral to the story. The touchpad buttons are big and bright with bold pictures and words accompanying them. They help to encourage children's reading skills by helping them learn to associate the pictures with the words.


Yano is suitable for children from 3 years old and is best suited for children up to around 9, although adults can find him fun aswell!

Yano speaks in a soft, male voice with 'The Queens English'! He has the voice of a lovely old man (what I imagine a lovely old man sounds like anyway!). He is easy to understand but one problem with Yano is that the sound of the motors moving his face are loud enough to be noticeable and can make it hard to hear Yano's voice. There is no volume control either so there's no way of remedying this.

Younger children will need to be accompanied when playing with Yano for help operating the touchpad, especially as it needs to be quite well lined up with the sensor on Yanos chest to operate., but whether children are playing with Yano alone or with a grown-up the story can go so many ways it will keep them entertained for hours!

Overall Yano is a great toy for children to play and learn with. I recommend him for children of all ages as he is not the sort of toy a child would grow out of in a matter of months and even very young children can enjoy listening to Yanos stories and watching his funny face with a little help. He certainly has the stamp of approval from my little nephew!

More information about Yano can be found on the official Yano website:

www.storyplus.com/yano

Yano is available to buy at www.ebay.co.uk for around £19

New story packs are also available from www.storyplus.com/yano.

Summary: An excellent educational toy that wont be a 5 minute wonder!