From the Toysit archive
Slithering Jake RC Snake
A green cobra with a jointed tail travels forward, coils and turns, ready for an imaginary expedition between two landmarks.
The play at a glance
A green traveler with a curling turn
Slithering Jake’s upright hood rises above a long green body and jointed tail. The separate controller has two orange buttons, giving the player a simple way to send this cobra-shaped toy on a miniature journey.
Fisher-Price’s model 77149 guide assigns forward travel to the right button and reverse to the left. Reverse makes Jake coil and turn; when he faces the intended direction, forward sends him onward. That changing orientation is part of the play, and it gives a pretend expedition its turning point.
Try an out-and-back expedition
Draw two large landmark cards, such as a desert lookout and a leafy riverbank. Place them beside a clear play area on a dry, smooth, hard floor, leaving room for Jake’s turning motion and keeping the cards out of his path.
- Choose a starting landmark and say what the imaginary traveler hopes to discover.
- With the matching toy assembled and prepared according to its guide, hold the right controller button to move forward.
- At the imagined turning point, use the left button to reverse and coil into a turn. Once Jake faces the route home, use forward again. The return is a turn-and-travel sequence.
- Finish with one sentence about the discovery: a striped stone, a hidden pool or a message left by another imaginary traveler.
A finger following a snake route on paper offers the same story. Draw a broad curve for the turn, then tell how the traveler recognizes the way home.
Make the return tell a new story
Ask a second player to describe a landmark from the opposite direction. A tall tree on the outward trip might reveal an imaginary doorway on the way back. Add that discovery to a simple expedition log, then swap narrator and driver for another journey.
Follow the guide’s clear line-of-sight advice and keep hair away from the wheels. Play away from streets, water, loose dirt and grass, and carry the toy and remote by their bodies rather than their antennas. These scenes are for the toy cobra; real wildlife stays outside the game.
The historical record
Original Toysit coverage
The original product account and commentary are preserved below as historical coverage.
Slithering Jake is a two-toned bright green cobra that comes to life via the use of a wireless remote control unit.
Slithering Jake is a two-toned bright green cobra that comes to life via the use of a wireless remote control unit. To make Jake move forward, press and hold the right button on the remote. As he slithers along the floor, his tail moves from side to side. For reverse action, press and hold the left button. The jointed tail coils as the snake moves backward. Additional features include the cobra's head moving back and forth in a striking action, eyes that glow red, and a tongue that darts in and out of Jake's mouth. Jake works best on smooth, hard surfaces.
Children are often fascinated by cobras and other exotic creatures due to their mysterious and captivating nature. Cobras are notorious for their hooded appearance and deadly venom, qualities that can both frighten and intrigue. The cobra's unique ability to "stand" and expand its neck into a hood is unlike any behavior seen in local, less exotic animals, sparking a child's curiosity. Additionally, cobras are often depicted in stories, folklore, and media as powerful and mystical creatures, imbuing them with an allure that many children find irresistibly captivating. Whether it's the cobra's appearance in an adventurous tale or its depiction in documentaries and zoos, the snake's mystique and potential danger make it a subject of endless fascination for young, curious minds.
Sources and editorial notes
The complete Fisher-Price 77149pr-0920 guide was read and all four PDF pages visually inspected, including the remote diagram and movement directions. Its toy shape and two-button remote match the original image. The guide supports smooth, hard surfaces, forward movement, reversing to coil/turn, lighted eyes and tongue action. The original cobra-fascination essay remains historical interpretation, not a universal account of children or real-snake guidance. The expedition is an original storytelling suggestion, not a measured driving test. No physical testing was performed.
- Original Toysit image — Existing same-site photograph reviewed and retained unchanged.
- Fisher-Price Slithering Jake 77149 instructions — Complete four-page PDF reviewed in text and images, including assembly, forward/reverse controls, turning, surfaces and care.
- Original Toysit coverage — Complete original product account and historical commentary preserved.
Images and descriptions are retained as historical material. How Toysit covers toys.
Created for Toysit by Tabbloza — the artwork in our header.