Toca Boca was founded eight years ago, when iPhones and iPads were only just beginning to be a part of family life.
Feeding lemons to an unimpressed cat, for example.įor today’s parents, finding apps for kids that are safe, imaginative and free from exploitative mechanics is more important and more difficult than ever. Play researcher and playtesting lead Chris Lindgren tells me with a smile that she sees a lot of kids go out of their way to make something disgusting to provoke a funny reaction. At Toca Boca’s Stockholm studio, which is festooned with real retro and modern toys from all corners of the world, I sit in on a playtest where a small girl creates a mad tower of rice and vegetables. You can play around with ingredients to create perfect little nigiri and serve them to appreciative characters, or stack plates with wild creations, or serve up an entire raw fish just to see the reaction. The latest in the range, Toca Kitchen Sushi, arrives in the App Store and on Google Play today, and is aimed at 6-to 9-year-olds. But put a Toca Boca game in front of a young child and they just start experimenting and finding their own fun. To an adult, these digital toys seem weird: we’re so conditioned to goal-oriented activities, in games as in real life, that the absence of direction is confusing.
Toca Train lets children drive a colourful train around a track, picking up passengers and cargo Toca Store has them setting up a little shop and handing out change Toca Hair Salon involves giving characters wacky haircuts.
Costing a few quid each, they are relaxed, well-designed and visually appealing, have no goals, scores or adverts, and present an imaginative little virtual sandbox for kids to play in. As a parent of a toddler, they are my go-to digital toys. Jeffery told CNBC Thursday, that it's unlikely, but never completely off the table.Toca Boca games aren’t like that. "I'd rather make products that kids can choose from themselves" Jeffery added.Īlready having its apps downloaded in 215 countries will Toca Boca follow in the footsteps of EA and Zynga, and go public? Doubtful. It's very blue for boys and very pink for girls." "The tech industry has been very skewed to one way, and I think the toy industry has been very skewed in male directions as well. In addition to steering clear of gaming conventions, Toca Boca encourages gender neutrality, with 27 apps that range from cookery and hair dressing, to chemistry and robot construction, allowing kids to choose what they prefer. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lowerĭescribing itself as a company that focuses on motivating children's imaginations, Jeffery told CNBC that Toca Boca is all about making "digital toys as opposed to games," focusing on the open-endedness of play, rather than teaching kids to compete or win. Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
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