The first time my son saw a real fish, he was mesmerized. We had gone on a simple fishing trip with his grandfather—not far, just a pond outside the city. I honestly didn’t think he’d last more than an hour, but something about the stillness and suspense caught his attention. He stared at the float, whispered, “Is the fish coming yet?” and got excited with every ripple. We didn’t catch anything that day, but on the way home he proudly declared, “Dad, I’m going to be a fisherman!”
That memory came flooding back when I saw the Robo Alive Junior Little Fish by ZURU—a bright orange robotic bath toy that swims on its own. It looked simple, but I could instantly imagine how this tiny fish could extend the magic of that fishing trip. And I wasn’t wrong.
When my son saw it in the box, he shouted, “That’s my fish! The one that came to me!” From that moment, this little toy didn’t just become part of bath time—it became a continuation of his imaginary world, where he was a brave fisherman, an underwater explorer, and a captain of his very own sea.
Stories Born in a Bathtub
From the moment we unboxed it, bath time became something new. He drops the fish in the tub and it starts swimming right away—no buttons, no fuss. What makes it even more fascinating is how it swims—not in circles or straight lines, but with turns and pauses, like it has a mind of its own. For a child, that kind of movement is magic.
One night he gathered all his toys around the tub and hosted what I can only describe as a bath-time nature documentary. He introduced “a rare orange fish that loves warm water but hides when it’s cold, so we must play fast before it vanishes.” My wife and I could barely hold back laughter, but at the same time, it was incredibly heartwarming. Bathing wasn’t just a routine anymore—it had turned into a stage for stories, discoveries, and invention.
Now, every evening starts with: “Dad, where’s my fish?” And even when the water is getting cold, he begs us to let the fish swim just a little longer. One night, he even asked if he could take the fish to bed—with it sleeping in the sink, “so it has water dreams.” I had to explain that the fish sleeps best without water—it has a schedule, after all.
What I love most is that the fish has become more than a toy. It’s a little friend. He named it Nemo, even though we haven’t shown him the movie. He said he made it up himself—“because it’s small, but brave.”
More Than Just a Bath
Sometimes I think being a parent isn’t about big gifts or flashy toys. It’s about small, honest moments like this. When your child laughs—not because something beeps or flashes, but because they imagined, believed, and created something in their mind. This fish doesn’t do much. It swims. That’s it. But the way it’s become a part of our routine, our stories, our evening rhythm—that’s what makes it special.
I appreciate that it just works. It doesn’t break easily, doesn’t need constant fixing, and doesn’t stress us out. But more importantly, I love the way it unlocks my son’s imagination. Every night, he dives back into his underwater world. And I’m lucky enough to be there, listening to tales about Nemo searching for friends, swimming through bubbles, escaping foam-made sharks, and finally returning home to warm water and an excited young captain.
DISCOVER MORE MAGICAL MOMENTS WITH ZURU ROBO ALIVE