Scholastic Media has announced that it is bringing its children’s apps from the iPhone and iPod touch to the iPad for the first time. The apps, based on Scholastic brands Clifford The Big Red Dog and I SPY, launched yesterday.
CLIFFORD’S BE BIG With Words is a word game for kids who love Clifford and love to learn. Based on the books and TV series from Scholastic that airs on PBS KIDS, the app encourages early readers to build their skills in spelling, phonics, and vocabulary as they spell words and are rewarded with pictures to show the words’ meanings.
I SPY Spooky Mansion takes players on a hidden object adventure through a scary and mysterious mansion where the only escape is to collect keys by solving I SPY riddles and searching through photorealistic I SPY scenes on the iPad.
Since their launch on the iPhone in fall 2009, both apps have consistently topped App Store lists, with I SPY Spooky Mansion ranking among the Top 10 Paid Kids Games and the Top 20 Paid Puzzle Games categories. CLIFFORD’S BE BIG With Words has been ranked among the Top 10 Paid Educational Games as well as the Top 25 Paid Kids Games since its release.
On the eve of Licensing Show, Scholastic Media (SM) has announced new deals for Clifford the Big Red Dog that will bring the property into everything from apparel and framed prints to musical instruments and even chocolate throughout the rest of this year.
Leading with apparel, Scholastic Media has aligned with Trevco Inc. for a line of Clifford the Big Red Dog T-shirts in infant, toddler, youth, and juvenile sizes. For the home, Starry Story will offer framed and unframed Clifford prints and lithographs. SM then turns its focus on children’s music through its deal with Kidz Toyz, which will release an electronic keyboard with other musical instruments to follow. And finally, Healthy Chocolate, a sugar-free chocolate, will introduce various branded, mostly organic chocolate products.
These agreements augment an active period for the Clifford the Big Red Dog brand, which is currently in the midst of the second year of the Clifford BE BIG campaign. The Clifford BE BIG campaign is a fully integrated cause marketing program that invites everyone to take action and raise awareness for how Clifford’s BIG ideas (Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be Truthful, Be Kind, Believe in Yourself, Be a Good Friend, and Help Others) can make the world a better place.
Scholastic Media and volunteer organization HandsOn Network are working together in celebration of National Volunteer Week to inspire youth engagement in service through the BE BIG campaign. Children and families can visit the Scholastic or HandsOn websites to find opportunities to get involved with on the local level by volunteering at one of the many HandsOn Network projects across the country. In addition to the Greater DC Cares’ “Servathon” in Washington DC, large-scale service opportunities will take place in Minneapolis, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Toledo.
Kids, parents, teachers, and community leaders are also invited to take action during National Volunteer Week and enter their BIG ideas in the second annual Be Big In Your Community contest. It invites people to submit a BIG idea that demonstrates Clifford’s BIG Ideas (Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be A Good Friend, Help Others, Be Truthful, Be Kind, and Believe In Yourself) for a chance to win $75,000 in community grants.
Clifford’s Big Ideas came out of the curriculum developed for the animated television series, which celebrates its 10th anniversary on PBS KIDS this year. Newly repackaged Clifford classic stories by Clifford creator Norman Bridwell will be released in May from Scholastic.
Scholastic Media has announced that its I SPY Spooky Mansion iPhone app cracked into the Top 5 in the “Paid Kids Games” category on the App Store. With 3,000 apps in this category, I SPY Spooky Mansion jumped up nine spots in one week, experiencing the highest number of downloads yet in a single day, besting its previous record set on Christmas day. I SPY Spooky Mansion is also ranked in the Top 10 among “Paid Puzzle Games.” In the “Paid Educational Games” category, Scholastic Media’s Clifford’s BE BIG With Words App is currently among the Top 10.
I SPY Spooky Mansion and Clifford’s BE BIG With Words lead Scholastic Media’s suite of apps based on its children’s book properties including Clifford the Big Red Dog, I SPY, The 39 Clues, and WordGirl. An additional I SPY app called I SPY Riddle Race is currently among the Top 50 among “Paid Kids Games” and “Paid Puzzle Games.”
For more information on the apps, go here. If you would like more information about Scholastic, visit the media room.
What are your favorite iPhone Apps? What do you think about young kids using the iPhone for gaming, educational or otherwise? Leave us some comments and let us know what you think!
