I’ve heard that young children quickly pick up on the swipe and touch techniques of iPads and smartphones. A friend of mine frequently updates Facebook with stories of his toddler son’s video game mastery. Baby Genius knows young kids have a knack for technology and is adding a learning experience to kids’ fascination with touch-screen devices.

Baby Genius now has iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad apps available for free from the Apple App Store. These two apps, MyPal Temp and MyPal Frankie, are musical games in the style of “Simon Says,” teaching children memory skills. Frankie and Tempo repeat anything the tot or parent says. The apps also allow users to record videos and share them on Facebook, YouTube, or email.

While teaching any kid the game of “Simon Says” has its own potentially obnoxious consequences, channeling children’s craze for games on the latest devices into intellectually enthralling experiences seems worthwhile.

—Melissa Tinklepaugh

I could be a bit taller. Your house is probably cleaner than mine. Your car is definitely nicer. (I don’t own one.) You probably call your family more often than I do. You could likely beat me in basketball, unless your game is Twister, in which case you could certainly beat me. I’m realistic about my abilities.

I can, however, say this: I will beat you in Fruit Ninja.

That’s not quite right: I’ll humiliate you. I’ll cut virtual fruit like you’ve never seen it cut before, and likely never will again. The Angry Birds only got angry after watching me play. They thought they were so good, especially boomerang bird. They weren’t.

I’m happy to announce, then, that Halfbrick Studios has signed multiple licensing deals for Fruit Ninja. They’ve teamed with Hybrid for apparel, Loungefly and Basic Fun for accessories, Bioworld for accessories and bags, and MJC for men’s and women’s family sleepwear.

That’s the good news. The bad news in that the time it took you to read this I probably just got another high score. Unless it’s during work hours. In which case I definitely didn’t, nope, not at all, no ma’am.

—Bryan Joiner

Barnes & Noble, Inc. has partnered with Nickelodeon, offering the first-ever digital books from the brand. Books featuring Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer are available in a digital format, only for Barnes & Noble customers through NOOK Color Reader’s Tablet and the free NOOK Kids for iPad application.

Barnes & Noble is now offering a dozen interactive NOOK Kids Nickelodeon titles, and will expand to more than 20 next month.

Hidden City Entertainment, the rights holder of Bella Sara, announced that Media Service Zawada signed a licensing agreement to publish books and a fan magazine as well as distribute the ongoing Bella Sara Adventures dvd series in Poland.

Hidden City also signed with MSZ as the company’s marketing partner and official distributor of Bella Sara trading cards in Poland, with plans to launch this fall.

According to a recent report by Gawker, if you want to add a Mark Zuckerberg figurine to your pop culture action figure collection, you might just be out of luck.

M.I.C. (Made in China) Gadget, the company behind the “Zuckerdoll” action figure, has ceased Zuckerdoll sales following a legal letter from Facebook’s legal counsel in China.

According to the letter, by selling the figurines on a website, the company used Zuckerberg’s portraiture “for commercial purpose and infringed his legitimate right.”

Facebook’s trademark “F” was also used on the action figures, which has also infringed Facebook’s trademark right.

M.I.C. issued an apology and said they will comply.

Patch Products’ dice game Word Shout is now an app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Created by Paze Interactive, the Word Shout app uses sound effects, music, high-score features and customization.

How it Works: Ten lettered dice are presented to the player randomly. First, find a word. Then, swipe up to play the word. The player has 30 seconds (or 60 seconds based on their choosing) to spell as many legitimate words as possible—the longer the word, the higher the score. The app can be played solo or one-on-one with friends on Game Center or with the Pass-N-Play feature. The difficulty level, game length and round length are adjustable.

Word Shout is now available through the App Store for $0.99.

Sesame Workshop and Callaway Digital Arts, interactive publisher of children’s and lifestyle apps for the iPad, announced that “The Monster at the End of This Book” for iPad is now available in Apple’s App Store. This is the first Sesame Street app designed specifically for iPad. Based on the 1971 book, the app is narrated by the Sesame Street character Grover and highlights words to help build beginning reading skills. The app also features tips for parents.

Kideo, a creator of personalized and branded video products, has launched its newly redesigned website this week. The new site allows users to create their own customized videos on Kideo.com through online streaming and instant downloading. Kids can star alongside their favorite animated characters including Dora the Explorer, Spider-Man, Barney, Precious Moments, and the Care Bears in an online adventure. Families can also share their customized videos with friends and relatives on social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube through the streaming and downloadable options.

Personalized video streams and downloadables are available for $7.99 and $9.99, while keepsake personalized DVDs retail for $19.99. Additionally, the site offers a new free trial option, which gives parents and children the opportunity to enjoy short clips from each video at no charge.

New licensing deals are in the works for DeLorean Motor Company. Mattel has released DeLorean Hot Wheels in black and gold, and Urban Outfitters will be selling Trademarked DeLorean T-shirts in select stores and on www80stees.com. Nike will be producing a DeLorean sneaker, scheduled to debut this fall.

Additionally, DeLorean has partnered with Facebook to be part of a new game called Car Town. You can learn more about Car Town and view a clip here.

Vertigo Films and Novel Entertainment have announced the production of a 3-D, live-action movie based on Novel’s children’s property Horrid Henry. Vertigo, producers of Europe’s first 3-D feature film, Street Dance 3D, will produce the live-action feature with Paradise FX Europe.  The film will be a co-production between Vertigo Films and Novel Entertainment.

British director and editor Nick Moore has been signed as the film’s director. Casting has already begun, with filming scheduled to take place in October and November. The film, to be shot entirely on location in the UK, is slated for release in 2011.
The live-action adventure will be the first British kid’s movie to be filmed in 3-D. The film stars Horrid Henry, Lord High Majesty of the Purple Hand Gang, as he wages his ever-constant battle against the tyranny of adults. Only this time it seems the adults really are out to get him, forcing him into an unlikely alliance with his irritating little brother Perfect Peter and the infuriating girl next door, Moody Margaret.