*We received Owleez for the purpose of this review.

It’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas when you have kids. In fact, I’ve already bought a few small bits over the last week or so, just so that I can spread the cost out a bit! It is also around this time of year that brands will be releasing their “Top toys for Christmas” list and I have no doubt that Owleez by Spinmaster will one of the “must-have” toys on those lists.

We were lucky enough to be sent an Owleez to review, have a read on to see what we thought.

What is Owleez?

Owleez is an interactive baby owl that you have to teach how to fly. It comes in two colours: Pink and White and is suitable for children aged 6+. 

I am pleased to report that there is no need to scramble around looking for the correct batteries for this toy as Owleez doesn’t require any and is rechargeable via USB. 

The package comes with:

• One baby Owleez
• A nest
• Berry food accessory

The bottom of the nest contains the USB cable that you need to pull out and connect to either a laptop or plug into a USB compatible plug. To charge Owleez, you simply make sure she is sitting in her nest. When she is charging her eyes will be red, they then glow green to let you know when she is ready to play.

How do you play with Owleez?

Owleez expresses her mood by changing the colour of her eyes. Children need to care for Owleez like a real pet and tend to her needs. She can tell you when she’s feeling cold and will respond when you give her a cuddle or feed her when she’s hungry. The best part is teaching her how to fly. Unlike any other interactive pets we’ve seen before, Owleez can fly and hover for up to 10 seconds!

Our Owleez review

Teaching Owleez to fly

The boys played with Owleez for a while by feeding and petting her. Owleez makes lots of appreciative sounds and even sings when she is happy. To encourage her to fly you have to swing her up and down. She makes “weeeee” noises while you do this and when she is ready to fly her eyes will turn a rainbow colour. You’ll hear a trumpet type sound that lets you know you need to pop her back in her nest so she can spread her wings. 

To try and achieve the best flying conditions, you need to place the nest on a flat surface with plenty of space around. Owleez will then pop her head up to reveal her propellers. Be warned – this part is rather noisy!

Owleez can be a bit unpredictable when in flight as she can fly in any direction. The first few times we tried, she would crash straight into an object and then close back up. However, the more you practice with her, the more she masters the art of flying. She does need a decent amount of open space to be able to fly freely and this can be difficult if you don’t have a large room to do so.

You can expect to be able to get Owleez to fly around 4-5 times before need to be recharged. Like I mentioned above, she is rather clumsy to start off with and will crash into objects. She’s pretty robust though and we’ve not had any problems with any dents or broken bits.

Owleez is a great interactive toy that would make a great gift for Christmas and is available in all good toy stores for £49.99.