robotindex Learning Resources Code & Go Robot Mouse
A screen-free coding toy for young children (ages 4+) built around "Colby," a mouse-shaped robot programmed entirely with color-coded directional buttons on its own body — no separate remote, no app. Sequences of up to 40 fixed 5-inch/90-degree steps are built and executed directly on the mouse, which is purely open-loop with no obstacle sensing beyond a magnetic nose switch that detects an included cheese piece. The 83-piece Activity Set builds a double-sided maze from included walls and tunnels. Released in 2016, this predates Botley as one of the earlier mainstream "unplugged" coding toys, and shares its core on-body-button mechanic with the earlier UK-made Bee-Bot.
learningresources.com/code-and-go-robot-mouse →
Image: user-submitted
Specs
Battery
3x AAA (not rechargeable)not included; Learning Resources separately sells a rechargeable version of the mouse as its own SKU
Dimensions
Mouse ~4in longboxed set 3.15in x 16.3in x 12.62in; independently-measured weight not found in any source checked
Programming
Buttons on the robot itselfno separate remote, unlike Botley or Bee-Bot's own tablet-paired sibling Blue-Bot; forward, back, left, right, Go, Clear, plus an extra action button
Memory
Up to 40 stepsan independent reviewer reports practical accuracy drift beginning around step 8-9 due to mechanical/motor imprecision, even though the buffer holds far more
Movement
Fixed 5in steps, 90° turnspurely open-loop/dead-reckoning; no obstacle-detection sensors at all — the only sensing is a magnetic nose reed switch that triggers on the included cheese piece
Editing
No step-by-step editinga programming mistake requires clearing and rebuilding the entire sequence rather than fixing a single step, per an independent review
Included
83 piecesmouse, 16 maze-grid tiles (20in x 20in double-sided board), 22 walls, 3 tunnels, 30 coding cards, 10 activity cards, 1 magnetic cheese piece, activity guide
Lights/Sound
Yes, incl. idle "personality"illuminated eyes, squeak/chirp sounds, random idle animations; low battery disables the Go button and triggers a warning beep
Age Range
4+ (younger than Botley)reviewers peg the sweet spot at ages 4-6; kids 7+ with prior coding exposure reportedly find it "too basic" within weeks
Reference Price
Learning Resources' current direct price for the full 83-piece Activity Set is $71.99, or $39.99 for a standalone mouse with no maze kit. Rechargeable-battery versions of both the standalone mouse ($49.99) and full Activity Set ($89.99) are also sold alongside the original AAA-battery versions, so the exact price depends on which variant a buyer picks.
Insights
This catalog applies no Open Source badge here: with no app, Bluetooth, or wireless pairing of any kind on this product, there's no SDK, API, or protocol for a community to even reverse-engineer in the first place. An independent hands-on review also documents a real spec-accuracy gap: despite a nominal 40-step program memory, the mouse's dead-reckoning movement can drift off course starting around step 8-9.
Firmware & Community
Closed platform
Learning Resources Code & Go Robot Mouse has not released a public SDK, firmware repo, or developer API — it's a screen-free coding toy with no app or digital component. Not currently listed in Builds & Mods.
Specs and history compiled from the Code & Go Robot Mouse user manual, Learning Resources' own product and coding-hub pages, independent reviews (Tech Age Kids, Mumsnet, Good Play Guide, Stemigo), and background on Bee-Bot from TTS Group and Terrapin Software's own product pages. Several details are flagged as unconfirmed above: the exact 2016 launch month/day and original launch price, an independently-measured weight for the mouse or boxed set, and Bee-Bot's exact launch year (understood only to predate this product by roughly a decade, not independently pinned down). Two commonly-recalled accessory names — a "Costume Set" and a simplified "Junior" version — could not be found in Learning Resources' current or historical catalog and are likely misattributed to a different product line; they are not included in this entry's specs. This entry hasn't yet been cross-linked into the rest of the Classroom & Coding Kits subcategory or synced to the directory listing; that's planned for a later pass.