sago-sago-new-relIn March of this year, Toca Boca announced that they had acquired zinc Roe game’s Tickle Tap app series including the development team.

A great fit for the Toca Boca brand, zinc Roe’s Tickle Tap apps are cute, simple and fun games for young children (age 2-4). They are perfect for kids who are just starting to play with an iOS device and these were among my daughters’ very first apps. They teach basic motor skills, color and pattern recognition, music and more in an easy and interactive way.

Over the next two week’s the team will be rolling out its first couple of titles under Toca Boca’s newly formed Sago Sago studio.
The first title Sago Mini Sound Box (based on Tickle Tap’s Sound Shaker) is scheduled for next Thursday May 16th and Sago Mini Forest Flyer (based on Tickle Tap’s Field Flier) will follow on May 23.

sago-mini-forest-flyer-01While these first few titles will be similar to previous Tickle Tap titles, I’ve been told that they are not just simple re-releases, but actually rebuilt from the ground up based on customer feedback.

For instance, Sago Mini Sound Box will optimizations for modern iOS devices as well as new character animations (all four characters make appearances), and the notes are now arranged in a line across the screen allowing children to play little tunes. Sago Mini Forest Flyer has dozens of new animation sequences, new controls which make it easier for younger children to play, and a forest world that is 5 times larger than in the original version!

Plus, did I mention that Sago Mini Sound Box will be FREE!? So there are plenty of reasons for even existing owners of the Tickle Tap versions to check these out as well. Both of my daughters (now aged 3.5 and 6) loved the previous incarnations of these apps, so I have no doubt that they, and your little ones will love the Sago Minis too.

Here are descriptions of the apps from the developers:

Sago Mini Sound Box engages children through visuals and sound allowing them to explore at their own pace. The app features layered functionality – kids tap to create a sound, tap in different areas to get different notes, fling them around, tilt the device and see them move, tap with multiple fingers for specially colored balls and tap and hold for a fun surprise. Some children find themselves repeatedly tapping and holding for the fun animations while older kids will figure out how to play a little tune like a piano.

Sago Mini Forest Flyer sends children on an adventure of guiding a bird to different areas on the screen to uncover fun animation sequences. The open-play environment allows kids to take the engagement in any direction or path – they are in control. Some may gravitate to certain actions and watch them over and over, while others will treat it as a race to uncover as many animations as they can. In nearly all cases, children will begin to narrate their activity.

With a wealth of other Tickle Tap Apps to draw on, I’m sure we can expect more re-built Tickle Tap releases over the coming months and hopefully some completely brand new offerings from the Sago Sago studio as well.

A sneak peek at the Sago Sago brand: