Takecopter!!!! OK, so maybe we've got some 'splaining to do here...If you're not a Doraemon fan (*gasp!*), and have no idea what a "takecopter" is, "take" is Japanese for "bamboo," and "copter" comes from "helicopter". Japanese kids grow up playing with little bamboo-bladed toys that you spin in your hands to send flying away...bamboo helicopters! Right...now, fast-forward to that beloved anime character Doraemon. He's a robot cat, to be sure, and one of his tricks is that he can deploy helicopter-like blades from the top of his head and fly like a helicopter...or a takecopter, even! OK, so now we know all about takecopters, and why this robot cat named Doraemon has one.

Which leads us to this great toy from the folks at Epoch! Yes, it's Doraemon, with his takecopter deployed from his noggin...and he flies! You can control Doraemon with the twin-stick infra-red controller, which can be set to "beginner" or "advanced" mode. The dual counter-rotating blades let him fly high and free (be careful of the spinning blades, though!). Set includes Doraemon, the controller/recharger, two fun "secret tools" (an "air cannon" and a "small light"...assembly required), and a mini-diorama of Doraemon's buddy Nobita's town (made from the box itself). Requires six AA batteries for the controller/recharger (Doraemon comes with a rechargeable lithium ion battery already installed). Charging takes about 30 minutes, and you get about three minutes of solid flight time. You can recharge using the same set of charger batteries about 15 times. The range of the IR controller is about five meters. A great item for fans of Doraemon, or for anybody who loves flying things!