Squawkers McCaw is a children's toy

Toy

A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...

 bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

 from Fur Real that acts like a real parrot

Parrot

Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

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Summary

It was introduced in 2007 by Hasbro

Hasbro

Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...

 and the country of origin is the United States. The technology behind the bird allows the young child to enjoy a simulation of having a pet bird. In this way, children do not have to worry about the constant maintenance, lifetime companionship (some parrots can live for more than 20 years in captivity), and the handling of animal feces

Feces

Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...

 and urine

Urine

Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...

 that is a mandatory part of owning a real pet bird. The squawking sounds

Squawk (sound)

Squawks or short wheezes are brief "squeaky" sounds that are also referred to as squeaks. Their waveforms show a sinusoidal pattern with a duration 10 to 100 ms and a frequency between 200 and 800 Hz. Squawks have been described in bird fancier's disease and other forms of hypersensitivity...

 the toy produces are recordings of an actual parrot. Feeding the Squawkers McCaw toy with a pretend cracker

Cracker (food)

A cracker is a baked good commonly made from grain flour dough and typically made in quantity in various hand-sized or smaller shapes. Flavorings or seasonings, such as salt, herbs, seeds, and/or cheese, may be added to the dough or sprinkled on top before baking...

 brings in positive reinforcement for the child with some English phrases

American English

American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....

. While the "toy cracker" is not actually consumed by the parrot, Squawkers McCaw enjoys the "cracker" as if were real food.

The voice behind the popular toy was done by 23-year old E. Shapiro. The phrases the toy speaks consist of basic American English words that are repeated from the child and a pre-set vocabulary of words. Vocabulary is limited on all Squawkers McCaw toy birds because the toy is intended for a juvenile audience. As of 2008, all television advertising was pulled from the Squawkers McCaw toy. However, it is uncertain whether the toy line was disestablished in either 2008, 2009, or continues to operate.

Jingle lyrics

(note: lyrics not complete)

Have you heard the word about Squawkers McCaw?

Squawking, talking

That's what it's worth

Fur Real Bird

External links

• SquawkersMcCaw.com Hasbro FurReal Friends Squawkers McCaw Parrot