THE FOLLOWING IS THE UNEDITED TEXT OF A PRESS RELEASE:
Producers Behind Sesame Street and Hide&Seek Create a Game for Any Situation with New App, Sesame Street Family Play
(New York, NY, September 18, 2013) From the producers behind Sesame Street and game developer Hide&Seek comes Sesame Street Family Play, a brand new app (free until Sept. 22nd!) and clever family resource that gives you and your children a game to play in any situation. Just tell the app where you are and how many people are playing. With over 150 games, tagged by character, curriculum, location, and mood, Sesame Street Family Play will serve up the perfect game for your situation and location.
Step through the easy-to-follow rules, and you’ll be playing games together wherever you are! Like “Sock Skee Ball,” where you throw rolled up socks into circles made of belts, and “Bathesketball,” a game for the tub involving washcloths and a bowl. Another game, “SuperLetterMarket,” suggests that you shop alphabetically. In “Sleepy Handshakes,” players put on airplane sleep masks and then try to shake hands. Sesame Street Family Play customizes games at home, away from home and while traveling. It also gives parents access to Sesame Street celebrity content, recipes, parenting tips, show information and more.
“Sesame Street Family Play is a great way to explore intergenerational play, using ever-present mobile devices as a touch point for interacting in real life, and building togetherness around games,” said Scott Chambers, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Media Distribution, Sesame Workshop. “The app is designed to encourage everyday playful moments, wherever you are. The games encompass all aspects of child development, such as self-regulation and executive function skills, problem solving and critical thinking, and imagination and creativity.”
“Hide&Seek first launched its Tiny Game project as hundreds of individual, location-specific games physically installed across the city of London,” said Alex Fleetwood, Founder and Director, Hide&Seek. “When we saw the joy that playing brought to passers-by, we became convinced that a digital version should be the next step. Thanks to the generosity of our Kickstarter backers, and with the support of Sesame Workshop, this app lets families tap into the power of play wherever they are and whatever they’re up to.”
Sesame Street Family Play is available at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sesame-street-family-play/id690979001?ls=1&mt=8
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the landmark television program that reaches millions of children every day in more than 150 countries. The Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere reach their highest potential. Delivered through a variety of platforms, Sesame Workshop develops research-based content – including television programs, books, games, mobile apps and community engagement initiatives – that supports early childhood learning, helps prepare children for school, and addresses developmental needs. The Workshop’s programs are tailored to the needs of specific regions and focus on topics that help young children and families develop critical skills for lifelong learning. For more information, visit us at www.sesameworkshop.org.
Hide&Seek is a game design studio based in London and New York. Through a compelling combination of design, technology and cultural partnership, their work re-imagines public space as a place to play. Their work spans multiple platforms: console, smartphone, browser, TV screen, street.
The studio is founded on the belief that play is essential to our health, minds and relationships, and will play an increasing role in the civic culture of the 21st century. They create new games and experiences, curate and support the work of artists and designers through the Sandpit series, design and consult with global brands, and speak at conferences and events around the world.
Hide&Seek are Artists in Residence at the Southbank Centre. Recent partners and collaborators include: Channel 4, BBC, Wieden+Kennedy, Tate Modern, Warner Brothers, Royal Opera House, Hogmanay Festival, Gaîté Lyrique (Paris), last.fm, British Council (Japan), SXSW, Co:collective, Tribeca and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Their work has been recognised by D&AD, Creative Review, BAFTA, The One Show, Living Labs Global Awards and Guardian MEGAs. Founder & Director Alex Fleetwood won British Council Performing Arts Entrepreneur of the Year, and Margaret Robertson (President, Hide&Seek New York) was recently named one of the UK’s top games designers by Develop Magazine.
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Contact: Beatrice Chow, (212) 875-6586, beatrice.chow@sesame.org