Pleo's skin is made of a custom-formulated soft thermoplastic material, made to be durable, flexible, and touchable. The more you pet Pleo, the paint will begin to flake off (the paint flakes are not toxic). Perfecting the skin has been one of the most challenging aspects in developing Pleo, and we continue to work to find ways to make the paint adherence more durable.

Below is a photo that shows the development of the wear pattern.

There are several ways to slow the paint wearing process, and we expect more ideas as people experiment with their Pleos. Here are a couple that we have found effective:

Baby powder: yep, use the baby powder on your baby dino. This decreases the friction that causes the paint to flake and slows the wear.

Don't use your fingernails to scratch Pleo. His touch sensors are very sensitive; all he needs is a light touch, and he'll still wiggle in delight.

But here at Innvo Labs we prefer to pet him and love him all day long—and simply let the wear happen. It is one way we personalize our Pleos and tell them apart from others.

Some Pleo owners have experienced white paint flaking off of Pleo's teeth. Innvo Labs engineers are working with our manufacturer to identify and address the root cause of this problem. Although flaking tooth paint on Pleo is only cosmetic and will not affect the normal operation of Pleo, some customers have requested that we investigate a way for them to “touch up” any chipped spots that might occur. Our engineers have found an Enamel Paint Marker from Testor's (#2545C at www.testors.com that appears to be an effective solution as well as easy to use and readily available at hobby stores, Michael's craft stores, and even drugstores like Walgreens in the U.S.. It retails for $3.99. Simply follow the instructions on the package and carefully apply the marker to the affected areas on Pleo's teeth, by drawing the marker pen over any spots (taking precautions not to touch the gums or lips to avoid discoloration). Allow adequate time for the touched-up areas to dry (at least 1 hour) before placing anything in Pleo's mouth (like the training leaf). Touching up the paint on Pleo's teeth will NOT void the product warranty. Thank you for your support and understanding.