Magic Hat

by Emily Lux

Abracadabra. Hocus pocus. When a Kerry’s playing, it’s hard to focus.

This 6”H magic hat is made by Kyjen, the creators of the Hide-A-Toy. Finn loves his gingerbread house Hide-A-Toy, so I thought he would “conjure up” a lot of Kerry enthusiasm for his new addition. Wrong.

Sure, the magic hat is cute…but that’s about it. The actual hat is made from a material that’s a step or two up from felt. Inside: 3 plush squeaker bunnies – all attached by elastic. Elastic? Huh? (This was a vital piece of information that dogtoys.com forgot to mention.)

Kyjen claims that this toy entertains while sharpening your dog’s cognitive skills. Simply show your pup the bunnies, tuck ‘em inside the hat and let your dog at it.

I put my skepticism aside and gave it a go. Finn carried around the hat for a bit and then looked at me as if to say, “Mom, this is boring.” He quickly lost interest and went to chew on some grass.

So I tried again. But this time I pulled a rabbit out and gave it a squeak. Ok, I got his attention. Finn promptly pulled on the bunny and elastic. That is, until the elastic broke. Now that’s a magic trick: one toy turned into two…right before your eyes!

Kyjen states that the elastic-bound bunnies help to increase your dog’s problem-solving skills. The only problem Finn saw was that the plush toys were “trapped” inside the hat. Frankly, I don’t see any dog, especially a Kerry, being satisfied with just pulling out a rabbit that’s still attached. The elastic is simply an invitation to “come chew on me!”

If I had to do it again, I would cut the elastic from the rabbits to resemble the Hide-A-Toys.

So when it comes to big Kerry fun – at least in Finn’s case – this hat is not where it’s at.

Purchased from dogtoys.com for $10.99.