Overview
We’re guessing that they did some market research before giving the green light to this product, and somehow they must have come to the conclusion that bird owners really don’t like changing out the bottom of the bird cage. Surely they must have also tested the reaction that people have when they are first exposed to this toy. Still, it made it to market and now the hope is that people are willing to part with their hard earned cash for a chance to have a fake plastic bird chirp at them.
The Claim
The claims made on the Perfect Polly Pet fake bird toy are that it responds to motion, looks at you, and then chirps when you enter the room, or any other time it sense motion. They refer to it as a replica, and they say that it is able to look and act like a real parakeet.
The Hype
This has been dubbed “The Saddest Toy in the World” by BuzzFeed, which seems to wrap up the sentiment by the public at large. They say all press is good press, but it seems most are just getting a laugh out of this, and not really taking it seriously.
The Cost
The Perfect Polly Pet is sold as one unit for $22 or two for $29, bringing your per bird price down to $14.50. There’s no good explanation given as to why you’d want a second bird. If they are near each other they might be able to trigger each other with their head movement and tail feather shaking so that they never stop chirping. Maybe you
The Commitment
Compared to owning a real parakeet there are some benefits, like not having to buy bird seed, not having to remember to refill the water dish, and not having to clean out dirty newspaper from the bottom of the bird cage. But the same could be said for the Pet Rock.
Evaluation
OK, seriously, let’s see how the Perfect Polly Pet actually works, and whether or not it’s something a person would enjoy. If you saw the infomercial once, watch it again. Notice that the bird only makes ONE sound, that this sound does not in fact sound like a parakeet. Rather than choosing between any number of tweet sequences, it simply makes the same sound over and over and over again. The reason that parakeets are the most popular bird when it comes to having a bird as a pet is because their birdsong is so beautiful, and they mix it up a lot so it doesn’t get annoying.
The sound that this makes cannot be likened to singing. They give you ample opportunity to judge for yourself in the infomercial:
Perfect Polly Pet is getting our Thumbs Down as far as it working to recreate the benefits of having a bird as a pet. Sure, it doesn’t come with the drawbacks of pet ownership, but sometimes you have to take the bad with the good to get the good. It’s a little depressing to think that a human being would perch this on their finger and find it as fascinating as a real bird, or get some feeling of companionship from it.
Our Recommendation
This should not be used as a substitute for bird ownership. If you think that it’s cute and you’re aware that you’ll likely have to switch it on and off or risk becoming completely annoyed by it, go for it. Other than that we remain quite skeptical that this would bring anyone anything but the briefest moment of joy.
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View Comments
I think it should be advertised as a toy instead of an alternative to owning a real parakeet.
I use this bird to scare people. I put it in their purses or desk drawers and watch them scream.
Works Perfectly and well worth the dollar I paid at the second hand store.
I think the little girl in the commercial was made by the same company.
In regard to this perfect polly I think this product is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. I have owned a number of different kinds of birds for a great portion of my life and there is nothing that can replace a real pet bird. For some people the cons might outweigh the pros as far as owning a real bird goes but to me this product is just one big con. There is certainly no more entertainment or companionship that you can get from this perfect polly than you could get from those animatronic fish that you can put in a tank and they simulate swimming, or am I the only one who remembers those? This product is a totally obvious waste of money and I personally would really like to see the makers’ sales records because if they sold more than one of these perfect pollys, or even just one, then I believe that consumers’ ability to see the difference between a good product and a very bad one has declined immensely.
I totally agree. Why would anyone purchase this ridiculous perfect polly? I think if you want to have a bird, then just get a bird. Can you imagine the look on your friends face if you have this fake bird in a cage in your home? Wow. This is a product that some people must have too much money and don't know what to do with it. I waste of money I think, but I don't have an abundance of money to throw away on fake birds.
As a kid who used to love Fur Real Friends and things like that (I couldn't have pets as a kid because my family members were allergic to all sorts of animals), even I wouldn't want this. Like this review said, the bird really only does one annoying chirp, shakes its head in a way that makes it look really fake, and barely moves its tail. This is unrealistic and kind of creepy. I'm not sure why you would want a fake plastic bird to look at you when you come in the room.
Real pets are work, but they're fun to interact with and they have personalities. You can bond with them. Fake pets are only really fun for kids who can play with them and imagine they're real, but this bird seems to be marketed towards adults as well as kids. I don't really get it. I guess it might make a cute decoration? But I definitely wouldn't buy it.