FurReal (formerly FurReal Friends) is a line of robotic pets created by Hasbro and Tiger Electronics in 2002.

Introduce little ones to creative storytelling and caregiving with these beautiful FurReal Friends toys. The Roarin Tyler, the Playful Tiger is quite a big plush toy – about the size of an actual tiger cub.During this time, the brand also began to release toys that were not modeled after real-life animal species. The FurReal Tiger responds to over 100+ sound and motion combinations, and he also comes with a squeaky toy rubber chicken that he responds to as well. Over the next several years, the brand would continue to expand by adding various new models and species.

Read on to find out whether I think the FurReal Tiger was a big hit or big miss before spending any of your precious moolah. The tiger toy seems to love attention from the children and really liked being petted and played with. He has over 100 sound and movement combinations so rather than having a set routine and pattern of sounds he actually seems to be engaging with you and doing something new every time.The children loved that if they rubbed Tyler’s back or head he would almost purr and make happy noises. The children love that Tyler roars when they roar at him but they have to roar loudly for him to respond. Tyler is definitely more engaging and interactive than a stuffed animal for a child – and who needs another stuffed animal sitting around in their house? He crouches down on his front paws and stands up straight, his head moves and his facial features show so many different expressions – with his eyes opening and closing, his mouth moving and even his ears moving.

Children do seem particularly drawn to him and are intrigued by the idea of FurReal interactive pets. Tyler Tiger’s chick is meant to be a chew toy and if you put it in his mouth he will make eating noises but we haven’t been able to make this happen but, watching other YouTube videos of Tyler I know that it does work, we must just be doing something wrong! Compared to other FurReal toys, the Furreal Friends tiger pet moves quite a lot with different motion combinations and is very animated. As far as I can tell, the age restriction is more based on his size and ability for your child to interact than any choking hazards. Many of the models were designed to provide a realistic pet experience to consumers, without the complexities of actually caring for one.The package does contain instructions so that you know how to interact with Tyler the Tiger and the motions and sounds he responds to. On to what my final review of the FurReal Tiger…I have to say it is kind of a mixed bag on this one.

The FurReal Tiger would be a great alternative for a child who cannot/does not have a living pet that they can play with (or perhaps they are not gentle enough with a real pet…. The toys from this era have large heads and eyes, softer fur, and often have less realistic color palettes. He is fairly heavy at about 4 pounds total, and even though he is covered in a soft fur, there is clearly a lot of plastic underneath, so I wouldn’t describe him as plush.The cat was a smash hit during the 2002 holiday season, and effectively solidified FurReal Friends in the toy market for the coming several decades.