Momma Told Me: Sonic Distractors

*** +Spin Master Toys provided our family with several Spy Gear toys and accessories for the purpose of this review series. Regardless, all insight and product opinions are original and un-altered. All photos below are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2013.

Momma Told Me: I see you! You're not invisible, you know!

Okay, be honest, raise your hand if you ever dreamt of being an International Person of Intrigue. Okay, Okay, stop the swooning, I didn't say 'being with;' so you can get those lazy day Bond daydreams out of your head, ladies!

It seems everyone, at least once in their life, has craved the mystery and suspense of being a Spy. No time of the year, in a child's life, illustrates this more than right around a birthday or Winter holiday, am I correct? I recall, one time, no more than 6 or 7, I hid in my mother's closet for what seemed like days trying to catch her hiding the Christmas presents. I'd been told to go next door and play with my friend for a few hours, but the crisp edges on the department store shopping bags by our front door tipped me that something was up. I very clearly remember drawing on my face with Black (licorice) smelly markers, and wrapping myself up in the bottom of my father's trench coat as I 'staked' out the master closet.

Of course, when I was a kid, ambitions of being a 'spy' were spearheaded by the latest in spy tech for kids; my personal favorite being the send away Disappearing Ink. I'd spend ever weekend, during the Summer, running to our mailbox in hopes my next Decoder Ring or Secret Mirror would be delivered that day. Yes, that, and a good imagination, was what I had to pretend with when I was a child. Today, Spin Master Toys has seamlessly blended modern technology with Spy fantasy to create a line of Spy Gear toys for children ages 6 and up. From 360 degree sliding cameras to microphone darts that cling to virtually any surface, these are not your grandma's Spy Toys.

We received 3 Spy Gear toys from Spin Master, and I was sure to start our budding secret agent off with the simplest. Spy Gear's Sonic Distractors retail for $11.99 and feature 2 Sonic Distractor Balls, each generating 4 unique sounds, a belt clip, and instructions. I was immediately glad to see that I didn't need to install any batteries for these; they operated immediately after a battery pull strip was removed from the button battery compartment. With one Silver and one Black Sonic Distractor ball, these lightweight plastic orbs are intended to deal with a bit of abuse, from hiding to tossing, and rolling. Their single operation button, in red on the top of each ball, lights up to indicate the sound cycle and imminent noise production.

Click the red button to match the number of the desired sound, then hold the button for 10-15 seconds until it blinks repeatedly in a countdown. Next, stash, toss, or roll the Sonic Distractor to the desired area where it will emit one of 4 (8 total, between the two balls) distracting sounds. I was surprised how loud these little balls were, and how well they seemed to sit in the provided belt clip without falling out. Sabrina's (11) favorite sound seemed to be the barking dog, which is perhaps one of the more natural tones; other highlights include air raid sirens, a swooping eagle, and gunfire.

While children are certainly going to go ga-ga over these digital noise makers, some parents may be weary of hearing these loud and jarring sounds repeatedly. For this reason, I suggest this Spy Gear toy be used primarily outdoors. Siblings and friends will also enjoy setting off both Distractors at once, in different areas for a result that is truly alarming. While these will appeal most to younger kids 6-12, I also fancied myself borrowing them for a game of midnight Capture The Flag- wouldn't that be fun? In general, noise making toys are never a parent's first pick, but these certainly go well with the SpyGear series. Stay tuned for our future Spy Gear posts, which will wrap with a giveaway for the entire collection!

What Daughter Says: Let your children experience Spy play like never before with Spy Gear toys from Spin Master.