Electronic educational game with responsive animation

Claim 1

A unitary, portable, self-contained animated educational and entertainment game/toy constructed for encouraging continued use by children, said game/toy comprising A. a housing incorporating audible indicia and visual indicia activated in response to the receipt of control signals; B. an input panel formed on the housing for producing a plurality of signals in response to user activation thereof; C. control means mounted in the housing for receiving the signals from the input panel and producing first control signals for activating the audible and visual indicia; D. an animatable three-dimensional character a. removably mounted to the housing, b. controllably connected to the control means for producing animated movements in response to receipt of control signals from the control means, said control signals being produced in response to specific user initiated input signals and c. constructed for producing a first animated response representing the receipt of input signals consistent with a correct answer and a second animated response different from said first animated response and representing receipt of input signals consistent with an incorrect answer; and E. a plurality of game cards constructed for overlying cooperating interrelationship with the input panel and comprising a plurality of separate zones each of which is aligned with an input zone of the panel and contains indicia representing a question or an answer, whereby the user is able to produce the desired input signal by pressing the particular question zone followed by pressing of the answer zone related thereto; whereby an animated toy/game is attained which provides animation directly responsive to the input provided by the user.