Mattel taps into social media craze with Puppy Tweets

Twitter Inc. has gone to the dogs. Tapping into the social media craze, toy giant Mattel Inc. is preparing to release Puppy Tweets, a high-tech toy that will allow dogs to publicize their everyday activities on Twitter via a sound and motion sensor.

Attached to a dog's collar, the plastic tag randomly generates one of 500 canned tweets when it detects barking or movement and automatically posts an update to Fido's own Twitter page.

A round of woofing could lead to a tweet of "I bark because I miss you. There, I said it. Now hurry home." A frenzied run through the backyard might garner "I finally caught that tail I've been chasing, and . . . OOUUUCHH!"

But before you begin to drool over the prospect of having your own Dug, the animated dog from Disney-Pixar's "Up" whose translator collar allowed him to talk, Mattel executives caution that the toy is just a toy.

Unlike advanced pet gadgets such as GPS tracking collars that keep tabs on roaming cats, the technology behind Puppy Tweets is simply sending out random messages triggered by movement or sound.

So even though Fido's device may be tweeting about tracking a squirrel, he could actually be digging a hole or scratching himself. And that might be a letdown for people hoping for the real thing.

"It is a new frontier for us," Mattel Brands President Neil Friedman said. "We think it could be the start of a new wave of products for people to interact with their pets."

Designed by Mattel's Radica division, Puppy Tweets is expected to hit toy stores and pet shops nationwide in the fall for $29.99, although the company will show the product to industry watchers in New York on Friday. Retailers such as Amazon.com Inc. have already signed on to sell the toy.

To use Puppy Tweets, dog owners are provided with a USB receiver that they connect to their computer. They then download the toy's software online and create a Twitter account for their dog.

When a dog moves or barks, a signal is sent from its Puppy Tweets tag to the receiver, which updates the dog's Twitter page. Owners can then check Twitter to see their dog's latest posts.

[Source: Los Angeles Times]