Last Updated on October 7, 2024 by Fadra Nally
Toca Boca is a company that my son (and I) have fallen in love with but they’ll be quick to tell you they produce toys for tech devices, NOT games.
I’m happy to talk tech to provide a little insight into the latest gems I’ve discovered for my 4 1/2 year old son (and mom and dad too).
I met with reps from Toca Boca when I was at a blogging conference. I was invited to a lunch to talk about children and technology. While the discussion never really got off the ground, I was excited to see all that Toca Boca was previewing for us.
Here’s the groundwork:
– They’re games, I mean, toys, or, well, let’s just call them APPS.
– They’re created specifically for the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone
– They’re designed by a Swedish company with some pretty cool thought behind the APPS.
Toca Boca wanted to design apps for kids that were fun and creative and encouraged new skills. So why aren’t they calling them games? Can you really have a “toy” on an iPad?
This is my favorite part of it all. Toca Boca wanted to take the competitive element out of kids’ gaming. Their “toys” as they call them, are meant strictly for creative play. No winners and no losers. Frankly, I liked that idea. I wasn’t sure if my son would. He’s definitely growing up in the electronic era and really rocks at games on the Wii, iPad, iPhone, and sometimes the computer. But he does get upset when he doesn’t win.
So I sat him down, gave him my iPad, didn’t give him any instructions, and let him play. He fell in love with all four Toca Boca games toys we were given to try: Toca Hair Salon, Paint My Wings, Toca Doctor, Toca Tea Party.
His favorite? The Toca Tea Party. He loves his stuffed animals and loved the idea of inviting them to a tea party. He seriously had the longest attention span for this game. And I sat and played with him too. He loved being the host.
If you want to see it in action, you can see how Evan hosted his very own tea party (with a surprise ending):
Can you tell that these games are gender neutral? He loved the tea party ( it doesn’t hurt that he already has his very own tea set). But he also loved the Toca Hair Salon. Here, he could cut, blow dry, regrow hair, and color to his heart’s desire. His favorite look, though, is the extreme blow dry look. He could totally do rock star hair.
Paint My Wings is another app that could have easily been geared towards girls and instead create a world of color and symmetry exploration that my son loves. I may have also painted a butterfly from time to time myself.
Finally, for the budding doctor in our kids, there is the Toca Doctor app. Someone enters with a few ailments, and as Dr. Toca, you fix them at your leisure. My son always saves the broken leg for last because it’s his favorite. Maybe he’s a budding radiologist. Or orthopedist.
Now for some good news and bad news…
– You want the bad news first? Okay.
These apps are only made for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Are they available for Android? No, they are not. End of story.
(Actually, this isn’t even bad news for me because I use all Apple products but I was trying to think of the few of you out there that don’t.)
Most of the apps can be purchased and used on ANY of the devices. The iPhone apps will scale with proper resolution with the 2x button on the iPad. EXCEPT for the Toca Tea Party. That just makes sense to have on the iPad only.
– Here’s the good news.
Most of these apps will run you 99 cents. YES 99 CENTS! I don’t even think you can get anything out of the bubble gum machine for that much. Some of these apps are also available in HD if you are buying them specifically for the iPad. They’ll run you somewhere between $1.99 and $2.99. Personally, I prefer to pay a bit more for HD apps on my iPad. After all, he’s worth it.
Disclosure: Toca Boca provided free downloads of all of the apps listed above and a free t-shirt (because my son loves that shirt). I was not compensated in any way other than these games, or toys. You know what I mean. All opinions are my own.
I want the tea party! We have the salon and love it
I follow tocaboca
I follow you!!
OH, we LOVE the Toca Doctor one!! My 4yo is totally mesmerized by it. 🙂 I’m sure he’d love to try the Robot Lab one, too!
OMG I want them all, and like yours my sons would be playing tea party too.
We would love the tea party. We have the hair salon and my 3 yr and 2 yr old play it on the IPad all the time. It did cause me a minor heart attack however when my 6 yr old nephew announced from the other room “okay, now we need to get a blow job!”.
I’ve caught myself saying blow job and quickly changing the terminology. That’s NOT a conversation I want to have!
I think my kids would love the hair salon or the paint my wings. My kids love the coloring apps and this one would be just fun!
ang.england at yahoo dot com
Toca Tea party would be my pick as the DGD loves not more than putting on a great tea party with friends – both stuffed and alive. Having a digital version that is accessible anywhere and no parts to be lost or misplaced or broken would be wonderful.
Spencer loves the Toca Boca games…matter of fact we just had a tea part after dinner tonight! The only games we haven’t tried are Paint My Wings and Toca Robot Lab. So I’d like to try one of those.
I follow Toca Boca on Twitter.
I follow you on Twitter.
Robot Lab! Toca Doctor is awesome, my kids love it- as they do all of the Toca Boca games. Have you gotten the Toca Helicopter one? The boys love to fly it around the house.
I haven’t tried the Helicopter game but are you sure it’s the “boys” that love to play it? I seem to recall you having a fondness for it.
The Tea Party is so cute!! I know my daughter would enjoy it on my iPad.
Follow @tocaboca on Twitter @chipdip2010:twitter
Follow @allthingsfadra on Twitter @chipdip2010:twitter
My 4yo girl loves hair salon. I’m sure she and my 2yo would enjoy tea party, as they are always practising with their toys!!
I already follow Toca Boca
Quick question – what software/app did you use to put together that delightful video?
It’s simply iMovie on my MacBook!
I actually think my son would love the Toca Tea Party
Of Course I follow you on twitter
I would love the Robot Lab. My son loves the doctor program.
I follow TocaBoca.
I follow you.
i WANT THE TEA PARTY!!! I LOVE TEA PARTIES!!! <3
Love the Toca Tea Party. Perfect for my kiddo. She is all about tea parties these days!
The shirt is cute too!!
I would like to win Toca Robot because I have a boy who wants it.
Hi! We would love Hair Salon! I follow you and will go follow toca boca now!
Toca Robot Lab sounds awesome! Love it! And I already follow you on Twitter, so I guess it won’t count.
I want the hair salon! How cute!
I follow you on twitter