Curio’s AI plushie Grok is voiced by Grimes
Grimes is venturing into the toy industry with a plushie called “Grok,” a character she has lent her voice to for Curio’s latest collection of screen-free AI plushies. Curio harnesses curiosity in their joint pursuit of creativity. They craft a fun environment where science and stories thrive by blending technology, safety, and imagination. They aim to transform each learning opportunity into an exciting adventure, ensuring education becomes a lifelong delight.
Curio claims that the toys can engage in complete conversations, allowing children and adults to hone their communication abilities. Curio’s AI plushie lineup includes Grok, an animated rocket ship with Grimes as the voice, Gabbo resembling a plush Gameboy with limbs, and Grem, a cyan bunny adorned with heart-shaped marks.
Curio designed these plushies to respond to inquiries about rocket ship construction, partake in interactive games, and inspire kids to develop their listening and conversational abilities. Within each plushie lies a rechargeable, Wi-Fi-enabled speaker and microphone. Furthermore, these are connected to an app that allows parents to establish and oversee interactions with their children.
Notably, this toy is unrelated to the AI chatbot named Grok associated with Grimes’ ex, Elon Musk. Curio specifically crafted the characters Grok, Gabbo, and Grem to promote interactive play. Grimes discussed her commitment to fostering creativity in children from an early age by emphasizing dynamic conversations over a fixed set of prompts in a conversation with Curio founders Misha Sallee and Sam Eaton, as shared on Curio’s blog.