Q: How does he work?
A: Instead of having a single song and movement commands programmed onto an internal chip, Lionel receives the movement commands he needs directly from each song played through him.

Q: Does that mean he will move and sing along with ANY song played through him?
A: Unfortunately, no. Lionel operates on a complex series of digital codes that are painstakingly added to his proprietary music files so he moves as desired on command. You can play any music through his speaker system, but he will not move to it.

Q: Who programs those movement codes?
A: Actually, we hired professional puppeteers to do the programming work, since they have an artistic sense about how a mouth should be synchronized and what movements might help emphasis a particular point.

Q: Can I play the songs from my MP3 player instead of a CD?
A: Yes! But if you plan to do that, you may want to consider downloading the songs directly as MP3 files instead of converting the CD audio. Conversion may result in some slight degradation of the command code which could result in imperfect response by Lionel.

Q: Can code my own songs?
A: Not at the moment. However, we are in discussion about possibly creating a "coding kit" and making it available to those who might wish to do so. NOTE: because programming the command codes is a complex procedure and improper coding could result in serious damage to the internal workings of the animatronic character, we are being very cautious about this possibility.

Q: Will you custom code a specific song for me?
A: Again, not at the moment. That may become a service we offer in the future if there seems to be enough interest.

Q: Can I order more 8" Plush MiniLionels?
A: Yes! They are available in multiples of 5. Consult the order page for pricing and details.

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