Shaun the Sheep iPod speaker system review

Full Review

iPod speakers come in all shapes and sizes, so it was only a matter of time that they would come packed inside a soft cuddly toy.

While some might find that the iTeddy, complete with its screen and built in MP3 player might be the way to go, Golden Bear, makers of all things cuddly things it has the answer with a Shaun the Sheep from the Aardman animation series Wallace and Gromit fame.

The woolly star is part sheep, part soft cuddly toy, part speaker and allows you to plug your iPod/MP3 player into Shaun and watch the coloured lights dance on his earphones as your music plays.

Those earphones aren't just a Jean Michel Jarre light show, but also the stereo speakers that provide the noise.

Sounds crap I bet, I hear you cry, and compared to your Bose or JBL's you would be right, this isn't going to be a match for any proper iPod speaker system, however for something for the kids its actually not half bad, plus when was the last time you cuddled a speaker?

Powered by four AA batteries that are locked and tucked out the of the way, one of the biggest advantages of the Sunday roast in waiting is that you can connect any MP3 player to it rather than having to rely on just the Apple variant via a 3.5mm jack also tucked away underneath the sheep's clothing (no there isn't a wolf under there as well).

Furthermore the plush toy is soft enough for a child to cuddle and our 18-month-old test subject loved it, especially when it started playing her favourite tunes.

Verdict

The sound might not be as great as the top of the range models, but if you are looking for a cute speaker system to allow you to play tunes or read a bedtime story to your little one then this is certainly one option.

• Comment on this story for your chance to win a TomTom XL Live IQ Routes Europe