Jennie: a robot puppy with 23,000 sign-ups and a shipping date that kept slipping

Jennie is a robotic Labrador puppy made by Tombot of the US for older people with dementia. Pre-orders and waitlist sign-ups passed 23,000, but the shipping target moved again and again, from 2023 to autumn 2026.

MakerTombot, Inc. (Santa Clarita, California; some sources say Los Angeles). Founded in 2017 by Tom Stevens. Exterior designed by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop

UnveiledPrototype shown in 2019. New design shown in November 2024

Price$449–450 or about $1,500 (sources differ). No price on the official site

FormA reclining Labrador puppy. The 2019 prototype was 20 inches long, 5 lb, with 16 motors. Senses where it is touched and responds to voice commands

SettingHomes and care facilities. Older adults with dementia or mild cognitive impairment, and people who cannot keep a live pet

ReachOver 23,000 pre-orders and waitlist sign-ups (June 2026, company figure). Units shipped to buyers unconfirmed

NowRaised $7 million more in June 2026 and set first customer shipments for autumn 2026. The official site says the first litter has sold out and takes waitlist sign-ups. Seeking FDA recognition as a medical device

Ended byNot applicable

Official siteTombot, Jennie ↗

See the robotDezeen, Tombot Jennie (2025) ↗

Pre-orders and waitlist open; shipping start unconfirmed

Timeline

2017FoundedTom Stevens
2019Prototype shownTarget price $450
2024.11New design
2025.06Funding$6.1 million
2026.06Taking preorders23,000+, not yet shipping

A puppy robot born from a mother’s rehomed dog

Jennie is a robot shaped like a Labrador puppy, made by Tombot of the US. Founder Tom Stevens started the company in 2017 after his mother’s dementia meant her dog had to be rehomed. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop designed its exterior. The 2019 prototype was 20 inches long, weighed 5 lb and held 16 motors. Sensors let it feel where it is being stroked, and it barks at voice commands such as “speak.” The company’s main users are older people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment who can no longer care for a live animal.

From summer 2023 to autumn 2026

In 2019 the company named a target price of $450. In 2021 it aimed for first production in summer 2023 and 1,000 units shipped by autumn 2023, targets it missed. It showed a new design in November 2024, and by CES 2025 pre-orders had passed 7,500. When it raised $6.1 million in June 2025, pre-orders and waitlist sign-ups stood at 16,000 and shipping was expected in the first quarter of 2026. Coverage of CES 2026 gave the price as $1,500 and said units would ship that year to more than 18,000 pre-order customers. In June 2026 the company raised another $7 million and moved first customer shipments to autumn 2026. By then pre-orders and waitlist sign-ups had passed 23,000. The company is also seeking FDA recognition as a medical device.

“She wants to go home with me!”

During CES 2026, Tombot demonstrated Jennie at a senior living community. Resident Margaret Botts, cradling a Jennie, exclaimed, “She wants to go home with me!” Margaret and Bill Botts both called the $1,500 price reasonable. Stevens said that showing Jennie in a booth is one thing and proving her impact in everyday settings is quite another. This research found no published clinical results on Jennie’s effects.

Pre-orders up, shipping pushed back

Like PARO, Jennie is an animal-shaped robot for older people in care. The difference is that it has not yet reached its users. Pre-order numbers rose every year, and so did the delays to the first shipment. It recalls Jibo and Keecker, which shipped two to three years after their crowdfunding campaigns.

As the queue of people waiting grows, how should promises made before launch be managed?

What we haven’t confirmed

Whether first customer shipments actually began in autumn 2026
The selling price ($449–450 or about $1,500, depending on the source)
How many of the pre-orders and waitlist sign-ups are paid orders
Clinical results on effects for older people with dementia