Animatronics have been around for decades and like any other technology, they’ve come a long way since their origins. Sphero is a company that is takes classic robotics and fuses them with digital technology bringing immersive entertainment for all ages. Their most recent endeavor is an interactive Spider-Man toy, just in time for the hero’s upcoming film.

On the outside the interactive Spider-Man looks like a smaller, cuter version of the hero from the upcoming film. However on the inside there’s an android device that turns the Funko Pop-esque doll into a talking crime fighting companion.  With 100 comic books worth of storytelling content within the little red and blue body, the interactive Spider-Man will be able to tell jokes and stories, answer questions, even guard a room or help fight crime with the help of some motion sensors.

Users are required to pair Spidey with a downloadable smartphone app and Wi-Fi in order to be used. Wi-Fi connected toys and what data they collected have been a concern with parents in the past however the interactive Spider-Man will only “listen” when his Spider emblem is pressed or during the back and forth conversation between user and toy. Users will be able to download updates over time bringing more content and hours of fun for everyone however all voice processing is done by a chip internally and never sent up to the cloud. This makes the toy safer for the target audience of children.

Sphero’s interactive Spider-Man toy is available now for a price of $149.99. Users will also need a smartphone to download the app which is required for the use of the toy. While it isn’t cheap the toy is quite adorable and who doesn’t love Spider-Man. Does that make the toy worth it? Let us know what you think about the interactive Spider-Man and animatronic toys in the comments section below. As always don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for 24/7 coverage for all things gaming and entertainment.