Arbor Cube’s iBuku Pets turns any iPhone or iPod touch into an interactive toy for kids. In addition to the easy to hold cuddly case, the educational iBuku Pets’ App and their cast of playful characters infuse an amazing balance of fun, learning, and entertainment into what is normally mindless touchscreen button pressing. Available on Kickstarter, iBuku Pets will ship to customers in December. [Read more...]
iBuku Pets Transforms Old iPhones into Huggable, Educational, Environmentally Friendly Toys
November 23, 2012 By
Random House Children’s Books Releases Barbie Color, Sparkle and Style
November 19, 2012 By
Random House Children’s Books (www.randomhouse.com/kids) announces that Barbie Color, Sparkle and Style for iPad, its first original coloring and activity app with Mattel, is now available in the App Store. Photo courtesy of PRNewsFoto/Random House Children’s Books
Random House Children’s Books has announced that Barbie Color, Sparkle and Style for iPad, its first original coloring and activity app with Mattel, is now available in the App Store.
This ultimate Barbie coloring app invites fans to play with color in a brand-new way. Packed with never-before-seen art tools, special effects, and pages of Barbie artwork, girls will be captivated for hours as they color, decorate, design, dress-up, and create on the go with their best friend, Barbie.
The Design Shop within the app offers additional coloring books and art supplies for sale. When kids have finished designing, their coloring book pages can be shared through email, Facebook, or Twitter. Parental controls can also disable sharing and in-app purchases.
Visit www.rhkidsapps.com to learn more about additional apps available from Random House Children’s Books.
HIT Entertainment, Discovery Bay Games Announce Thomas & Friends Steam Team Station App, Accessory for iPad
November 13, 2012 By
HIT Entertainment and Discovery Bay Games have announced a new game and accessory for iPad: Thomas & Friends Steam Team Station. This Thomas & Friends-branded Duo accessory is compatible with the new Thomas & Friends Steam Team Station Duo App, available now on the App Store.
Thomas & Friends Steam Team Station gets kids jumping, skipping, and racing with all of their engine friends. The app comes with three games: Steam Engine Relay, Sodor Spot-It, and Seek & Find Adventure. Six engine cards, including Thomas, Percy, and James, along with other engine favorites, interact with Steam Team Station.
Designed for children ages 3 and up, the Thomas & Friends Steam Team Station accessory is now available at Apple Stores and Apple.com, Amazon, Target, and Toys”R”Us. The Thomas & Friends Steam Team Station Duo App is available for free from the App Store.
Ganz Introduces Webkinz Friends App For iPad
November 6, 2012 By
Ganz introduces Webkinz Friends, a free app for iPad. The app allows both parents and children to build Kinzville, an interactive town. Players can adopt Webkinz pets and design their own homes with items from KinzMart. Players can supply businesses by harvesting plants and earning berries to send to active accounts on Webkinz.com. Webkinz Friends allows players to follow the stories of different characters and customize the town map with roads, trees, buildings, and decorations. Players can transfer their pets from Webkinz Pet to Webkinz Friends for more fun. For more information, visit Webkinz Friends online.
Little Tikes Pioneers Technology-Enhanced Educational Toys
August 15, 2012 By
This month, Little Tikes launches the iTikes line of pre-school toys. Designed to be enjoyed on their own, iTikes also have extended capability through free iTikes Apps. iTikes products are suitable for kids three years old and up. The following iTikes products will debut this month:
- The iTikes Canvas comes with a classic magnetic doodle board. With the App, kids can draw with the conductive pen, play interactive learning games, and press the shapes on the sides to magically stamp images. Compatible with iPad, iPad 2, and the New iPad.
- The iTikes Piano teaches kids how to actually play and read music, with four songs built in that can be played in four modes: Freeplay, Stepper, Solo, and Playback. With the App, kids can learn pitch training, sight-reading, and music theory. Compatible with all Apple mobile digital devices.
- The iTikes Map includes a smart-pen that recognizes images on the map. Through the device camera and Augmented Reality, the map virtually turns into a lifelike playground. Compatible with all iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, 4s and iPod touch 3 and 4.
- The iTikes Microscope lets the child use a real lens-based microscope to examine and interact with 36 actual specimens. With the App, the specimens come to life with interactive 3D images and animated facts. Compatible with all Apple mobile digital devices.
All iTikes Apps can be downloaded for free on iTunes.
This post was originally written by Ali Mierzejewski and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.
Playsquare’s First Interactive Episode Brings Touchable Television to the iPad
July 18, 2012 By
PlaySquare, LLC, the creator of Touchable Television for the iPad, has announced its first release. The new app is an adaptation of the episode Happy Birthday Dog, from PBS Kids’ Emmy award-winning WordWorld. It is currently available for free on iTunes for a limited promotional period.
Touchable Television combines existing television episodes with interactive content to allow children to step into and participate in the story-world of a television property. PlaySquare transforms television from a passive viewing experience into an active adventure where children have the opportunity to watch, think, and do. Children can be immersed in their television shows, play with their favorite characters in their worlds, and help to move each story along.
The Happy Birthday Dog app includes rich, colorful, animation; lovable, funny characters; an engaging, immersive story world in which children can explore, discover, collect, and create different parts of the story as they play; letter recognition; letter sounds; word building; and word recognition. The app also reinforces eye-hand coordination and motor skills.
This post was originally written by Sierra McCleary-Harris and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.
Oscura App Now Available on Android Phones, Tablets
June 25, 2012 By
Viacom International Media Network (VIMN) launched its spooky gaming app, Oscura, for Android phones and tablets. The game comes in nine different languages including, English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, German, Dutch, and Brazilian Portuguese.
In the game, players attempt to restore light to a darkened land that has not seen light since the power crystals in the lighthouse exploded. Players travel through different environments, finally entering a dark and disastrous world, to save the land.
This post was originally written by Gigi Rubin and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group
The Magic School Bus Celebrates 25 Years
September 30, 2011 By
The Magic School Bus is celebrating its 25th anniversary with new products, a live tour, and promotions. The Scholastic brand will kick off the celebration next month with the release of The Magic School Bus: Oceans game for Nintendo DS and The Magic School Bus: Dinosaurs app for Apple’s iPad. Both releases are based on the Scholastic books written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen.
Joining the celebration, Identity Games will release its new GameChanger (an electronic board that works with the iPad) featuring The Magic School Bus game skins. The Young Scientists Club will launch “The Magic School Bus Science Club,” and release five new Magic School Bus activity kits this year. Scholastic Audio has three new Magic School Bus audio books scheduled for release next year.
Additionally, Maximum Entertainment Productions and The Brad Simon Organization will tour the new “The Magic School Bus – Live! The Climate Challenge” live show throughout the U.S., hitting 60 cities. An anniversary field trip event and a book signing in New York City, as well as an online game, are also planned.
New Product: Appmates Toys for the iPad
September 30, 2011 By
- Cars 2 Appmates for the iPad
Disney and Spin Master have introduced its Appmates Mobile Application Toys, a new toy line that comes to life digitally when used with an Apple iPad, turning the tablet’s screen into a virtual play mat.
Developed in collaboration between Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and Disney Mobile, and featuring patent-pending technology, the Appmates toy line features miniature Disney·Pixar Cars 2 vehicles with sensors on the base of each toy. Users download the free Cars 2 Appmates app from the iTunes app store (available in mid-October), place the Appmates toy character on the screen, and play. By guiding the Appmates vehicle on the screen, kids can experience the world of Radiator Springs via the iPad, and also race against World Grand Prix opponents.
Each toy unlocks different features and content within the app, specific to the character. Fans can download and test the app using their fingers, but the play experience is optimized with the Appmates toy vehicles.
The Disney Appmates toys, by Spin Master, will launch October 1 at retailers nationwide. Available will be Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, Finn McMissile, and Holley Shiftwell, with Francesco Bernoulli and Shu Todoroki launching in November (exclusively through Apple stores).
Turn Your iPad Into a Retro Arcade
July 21, 2011 By
The DiscoveryStore.com unveiled the iCade, which can turn an iPad into a retro, arcade-style cabinet complete with a full-sized joystick and eight buttons. The cradle is specially designed so that the iPad securely fits and apps can be easily manipulated by the cabinet’s controls.
With the compatible iCade app, users can access Atari’s extensive gaming library as well as other apps. The iCade app comes with a free game, Missile Defense, and the Atari gaming library includes an additional 100 games available for purchase. The games are sold in a set of four for $1 or in a 99-games set for $14.99. The iCade retails for $99.95.
