One of the essential truths of the universe is that kids want to play with whatever grown-ups are playing with. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen adults start fiddling with their tablet computers, and before you know it, their children want in on the action, too (especially the touchscreen, which acts like a magnet for young fingers). An obvious solution is to hand your electronic device over to your precocious progeny, but that seems ill-advised at best.

Thankfully, there’s the new LeapPad Ultra from LeapFrog Enterprises Inc., which has the physical build of a grown-up tablet to go with enough safe content to keep kids involved all day. Art Studio Ultra, one of 11 pre-packaged apps, lets kids create artistic masterpieces through a seemingly bottomless well of brushes and paint colors; while Pet Pad Ultra is an interactive pet app featuring lots of different toys, a customizable playing space, even cool pet choices like a penguin and robot. The LeapPad Ultra also has an embedded MP3 player and cameras and video recorders both in front and in back. I fired up the camera to test it, and I’ll admit, I was pretty impressed by the resolution on the touchscreen. With all these options at their disposal, it seems unlikely any kid could get bored of their LeapPad Ultra very quickly. However, if that does happen, parents can always purchase more content via the built-in wi-fi, and the device is compatible with LeapFrog’s existing learning library, which is pretty substantial.

While on the topic of the built-in wi-fi, the browser, Zui, only allows web sites and content deemed suitable by the company’s learning team. A cursory browse revealed an easy, intuitive interface, to go with funny photos and videos of animals—exactly the kind of harmless content that LeapFrog’s audience, kids ages 4 to 9, should be looking at. There’s also a 4-digit security code parents can implement, which may seem like overdoing it a little, but I can respect LeapFrog’s efforts to make a tablet experience that’s ultimately as safe as it is fun.

About the author

Phil Guie

Phil Guie

Phil Guie is an associate editor at Adventure Publishing Group. He writes and edits articles for The Toy Book and The Licensing Book. Phil also serves as lead editor for The Toy Book Blog and The Toy Report newsletter, and manages social media for The Toy Book. But of course, Phil’s pride and joy are his weekly reviews for The Toy Insider, in which he writes about video games, movies, and other cool things. His hobbies include comics, baking, fidgeting, and traveling to off-the-beaten places and making new friends.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube