Virtual World News reports that Jay-Z's Rocawear clothing brand is now available in WeeWorld, a virtual world targeted at teens. The virtual articles of clothing sell for $1 to $4 each. A company named Virtual Greats facilitated the deal. Virtual Greats CEO Dan Jansen told Virtual World News that they have big plans for virtual fashion.
"Fashion is an area where we're making a big strategic push, and WeeWorld made particular sense because much of the activity there is associated with avatar customization, particularly through fashion," said Jansen. "We'll soon be targeting active teen and young adult sites with a focus on fashion, and reaching into other demographics in this market."
eMarketer is forecasting that the number of children using virtual worlds like Club Penquin, Pixie Hollow and Webkinz will reach 15 million by 2013. That would be 54% of all kids.
Altogether in 2008, an estimated 8 million US children and teens visited virtual worlds on a regular basis, and eMarketer projects that number will grow to over 15 million by 2013.
Virtual world usage among children in the US is already quite strong and getting stronger. eMarketer estimates that 37% of online children ages 3 to 11 use virtual worlds at least once a month. By 2013, 54% will.
It sounds like an accurate prediction. There seems to be a new online world for kids launching every week. EMarketer says that Virtual Worlds Management says there were 112 virtual worlds for kids under 18 as of January, 2009 with another 81 worlds in development.
Virtual Worlds News reports that Oceanside Interactive has launched MyDinos, an interactive world for kids themed around dinosaurs. The world will include 437 extinct species. It is currently free to sign-up but you need to request an invite code here.
"With the release of MyDinos we've recreated over five-hundred million years of life on Earth, from long-extinct trilobytes to the critically endangered Ganges Dolphin," said Michael Betti, co-founder of Oceanside. "Our mission is to deliver a highly relevant experience that fosters appreciation of our planet and the living things that depend on it while inspiring a respect for humanity's role in shaping the natural world."
"Play Games. Do Good." is the mantra of Elf Island, a tween virtual world trying to translate online gaming into tangible real world results. The virtual world weaves real world nonprofit projects into an interactive virtual environment. Kids in Elf Island will complete missions called GoodQuests that mirror a real world project. Here's a couple examples of GoodQuests.
Building virtual houses on Elf Island helps Habitat for Humanity build real houses. Elf Island has teamed with Habitat for Humanity to build houses for disadvantaged families in Honduras. The GoodQuest game involves building virtual houses that are true to the Honduran culture and structure with all kinds of fun colors and decoration. At the end of the GoodQuest, Habitat for Humanity will build real houses in Honduras, which will positively impact families' quality of life.
Planting virtual trees on Elf Island helps Plant-It 2020 and the Eden Foundation grow real trees around the world. Elf Island has teamed with Plant-It-2020 and the Eden Foundation to plant trees in the Tahout region Niger in Africa, where there is currently a dire need for vegetation and growth. The GoodQuest game involves planting and caring for lush, beautiful virtual trees. At the end of the GoodQuestTM, Plant-It-2020 and the Eden Foundation will plant real trees in the Tahout region of Niger, which will contribute to reducing starvation in addition to fueling the local economy by adding life to what is essentially a sandy desert region.
A 1-year membership to Elf Island is $27.95 - 50% off the regaulr price - until April 15th.
A British medical school is having students learn by treating virtual patients in the online world Second Life. The university has an online hospital in Second Life where med students can practice on virtual patients. Take a look:
TechCrunch reports that a Tokyo company named Genkii is launching an iPhone app called Sparkles that lets iPhone users connect to a virtual world. Thousands of iPhone users can exist in the virtual world at the same time. TechCrunch says Sparkle will have its own economy, avatars, customizable personal spaces, virtual goods, games and more. The first version of Sparkle called Sparkle IM went on sale yesterday on iTunes. It costs $4.99.
Here's a video that shows Sparkle in action. Note: There is no sound with this video clip.
Nickoledeon and Mattel have released this silhouette of new tween Dora doll (note: a new image has since been released). The companies also released a press release titled Dora Grows Up which talks about a new Dora doll targeted at tweens that will be out this Fall and retail for $59.99. There will also be a new virtual online world that the tween Dora doll can literally plug into.
The cornerstone of the entire line is the Dora Links fashion doll. By plugging the doll into the computer, girls can access Dora's brand-new interactive online world. This exciting innovation in computer-connected play offers girls a unique interactive experience: as girls are playing online they can customize their doll and watch as she magically transforms right before their eyes. For example, by changing Dora’s hair length, jewelry, and eye color on screen, the Dora doll magically changes as well.
The online world will include descriptions and biographies of Dora's Explorer Girls and an immersive online world that will be tied into the complete collection of toys. Online, girls can explore Dora’s world, talk to the characters, earn currency, and help Dora solve mysteries which will be uploaded on a regular basis. As girls explore and solve mysteries online, the doll's speech will change to correspond with their play. In addition, Dora Links features a magical alert system that lets the doll know when new mysteries are being uploaded to the Dora site. Even when the child is away from the computer playing with the doll, she will let girls know what new things are happening in the online world.
Dora's a huge hit with preschoolers and some parents are concerned Nickelodeon and Mattel are going to make Dora too sexy for young kids. CNN's Carol Costello says the concern is that Dora will be "Bratzed Out." Mattel told CNN that tween Dora is not like Barbie but more like an anti-Barbie. Take a look:
Update 3-16-09: You can see an image of the new Dora the Explorer doll here.
Lego has decided to postpone its virtual world called Lego Universe. The online world was expected this year but now won't be launched until after 2009. The company did not say the economy was to blame for the delay. A spokesperson for Lego says the reason for the delay is they don't want the launch of the online world to conflict with other product launches.
Today, Lego announced that its upcoming Lego MMO "LEGO Universe," developed by NetDevil, will not be released this year as planned. In a phone interview conducted moments ago with the LEGO Group's director of business development and project lead Mark Hansen, he said the decision was not because of development but because of other products.
"We've made a strategic decision within Lego to delay the launch of 'LEGO Universe,'" Hansen said. "It's more strategic in relation to product launches that we have within Lego and not the game. [We have] new product lines that are coming out.... We don't want to make a big splash [with 'LEGO Universe'] in the market where its success could take focus away from [the other products]. It's about finding the timing, and when it is correct that we should actually launch ['LEGO Universe'] to get the most effect out of it."
The Lego video games like Lego Star Wars have been very popular so an online Lego multiplayer game will probably attract a large following once it finally launches. You can read more about Lego Universe here. (via Virual World News, Ypulse)
Brandweek reports that Brides.com and Bloomingdale's have teamed up for a new virtual feature that will let people set a virtual table. The virtual tool lets consumers see how different china colors and patterns work together.
The new 'Set Your Table' tool enables users to set a virtual table step by step, from selecting a "charger" (decorative plates) to drinkware and flatware, mixing and matching various colors and patterns. The tool features images and specs on 300 different products sold online by Bloomingdale's from 19 different brands, including Baccarat, Kate Spade, Lenox and Vera Wang. More products and brands will be added.
Once setting combinations are completed, couples can add their choices to wedding registries on Bloomingdales.com, where guests and loved ones can purchase the items as gifts.
Set Your Table appears on Brides.com but is clearly presented as a co-branded product and labeled "from Bloomingdale's and Brides.com." Links to Bloomingdale's Wedding Channel are given prominent placement throughout the table-setting process.
You can find the tool here on Brides.com. The virtual tool also lets users quickly add items they have selected to their registry on Bloomingdale's.
The virtual Wee World universe has added clothing designed by Justin Timberlake. Virtual Worlds News says the virtual clothing is based on Timberlake's William Rast fashion line.
Justin Timberlake is launching a line of licensed virtual goods on WeeWorld today through its partnership with distributor Virtual Greats. The products will include items from Timberlake's William Rast fashion line, including a waistcoat, tartan tie, and trilby hat, as well as a non-playable WeeMee avatar to decorate users rooms with.
"It is similar to what was done with Barack Obama in WeeWorld, and users will be able to decorate their rooms with this feature. In terms of appeal, it would be tantamount to having a world-class celebrity in one's home," said Dan Jansen, CEO, Virtual Greats.
You can see Timberlake's real Wiliam Rast clothes here on williamrast.com.
The Wee World men's clothing designed by Justin Timberlake includes styled waistcoat, shirt and tartan tie; signature trilby hat; leather jacket and blue scarf; and a grey golf top & tie. Justin Timberlake also designed some Wee World clothes for the ladies including William Rast wrap-around jacket, William Rast fan tee and Ladies JT tote bag.
Stardoll is an online world where teens and tweens can dress up virtual paper dolls. The website has a staggering 23 million registered users worldwide. Some of the dolls are likenesses of celebrities. The website launched in 2004 and was originally called Paperdoll Heaven. Elle recently started selling virtual clothes in the StarDoll store called Starplaza. Elle's StarDoll clothes cost between 5 Stardollars and 11 Stardollars - that converts to 50 cents to $1.10 U.S. says Heard on the Runway. You can get a closer look at virtual Elle outfits here.
StarDoll already has an online magazine that is run in partnership with Elle called StarDoll Magazine. It launched in October. Elle editor Malina Joseph writes the StarDoll Magazine's blog. StarDoll has also partnered with real designers including Vivienne Tam (see here) and Heidi Klum set up a celebrity page in StarDoll last year. As in other virtual worlds users of StarDoll have an avatar and they can dress their avatar by buying clothes with StarDollars. Prepaid StarDoll cards can be found at Best Buy, Target, Wal-Marts, Toys R Us and other retailers. There's some videos here on the StarDoll YouTube channel that explains how the website works.
Users of Hello Kitty Online (HKO) - a virtual world based on Hello Kitty - raised $12,000 for Unicef and the Asian Youth Orchestra. Sanrio Digital, the company behind the Hello Kitty brand, made the charitable donations based on the number of virtual food items players created. Sanrio explains more here.
For those of you who missed it, the basic idea was to craft and a number of food items and hand them in to a GM. Sanrio Digital then made a donation to charity, the amount of which was determined by the total number of crafted food items submitted by players. As you can see this means that the event generated real world charity that was directly proportional to the efforts of the player base.
The Hello Kitty players created 344,965 in-game food items. Allakhazam writes about how the HKO players had to produce the raw materials on their farms before they could make the virtual food items which included lemon pies and strawberry cakes.
From Nov. 1-6, players produced raw materials on their farms and crafted them into food items. Each item carried a different value based on how difficult it was to create that item. Foods included chocolate milk, lemon pies, strawberry cakes, roasted vegetables, oat biscuits and more. This really was a wonderful event. Every MMO should follow Sanrio Digital's lead when it comes to charitable events.
It's a novel way to raise money in a virtual world. Congratulations to the hard working HKO players.
Disney has launched a new virtual world or MMOG called Pixie Hollow that let's children create their own fairy. Children choose the eye color, fashion and hair style for their fairy and then pick a name using the name selector. Pixie Hollow has parental controls that lets parents control chat levels and permissions. Parents can also set what kind of content children can upload and control what they can post to Pixie Hollow's message boards.
Disney has released several products - including jewelry - that work with Pixie Hollow. The International Herald Tribune has an article about Disney's line of jewelry called Clickables that let kids interact with Pixie Hollow.
Each Clickable toy connects to a PC and allows a child to unlock parts of the Pixie Hollow site. In addition, certain parts of the site can be downloaded to the toys and played with offline. The charms are sold in sets of three for $6, but they require the additional purchase of a special USB dock in the form of a watch-size bracelet ($20) or a jewelry box ($30). For it all to work, the child (or parent) will have to be adept at creating passwords, managing an online account, downloading and installing software on a Microsoft-based computer and managing a USB connection. Hey, perhaps this is educational after all.
You can see some of Disney's Clickables here on Amazon.com. Some of the Clickables contain Tink Points which can be transferred to Pixie Hollow. Other Clickables unlock virtual gifts in the Pixie Hollow world.
Another product that works with Pixie Hollow is Disney's NintendoDS game called Disney Faires: Tinker Bell. This game includes codes that unlock items inside Pixie Hollow. The release of the Pixie Hollow universe and the games and jewelry are also tied-in with the debut of the Tinker Bell movie starring Mae Whitman, Kristen Chenoweth, America Ferrera, and Raven. Rest assured that if Pixie Hollow is a success these won't be the last products that tie-in with Disney's new fairy universe.
Club Penguin, a virtual world for Children owned by Disney, has announced its new line of toys. They Club Penguin toys are available at Toys 'R' Us stores nas well as the Club Penguin shop online, Disneyshopping.com, Disney Stores nationwide and Disney Theme Parks. The offerings include a line of 6.5" plush penguin toys. You can find the toys online here at Club Penguin.
Here's a list of the new Club Penguin toys from the press release.
The Club Penguin 6.5" Plush assortment brings Club Penguin characters to life with high quality, detailed costumes. Each Club Penguin 6.5" Plush includes a coin with a code to unlock items on clubpenguin.com. Suggested retail price: $9.99.
In the Club Penguin world, Puffles are the penguins' loveable pets. Now kids can have their very own with the Club Penguin Puffle Plush. Available in multiple colors, each Club Penguin Puffle Plush includes a coin with a code to unlock items online. Suggested retail price: $5.99.
Kids can collect all their favorite penguin characters with the Club Penguin 2" Mix 'n Match Figures. Each set includes two 2" Mix 'n Match figures and a mini accessory. Mix 'n match the penguin parts to interchange the costumes and create unique figure variations. Each Club Penguin 2" Mix 'n Match Figure includes a coin with a code to unlock items on clubpenguin.com. Suggested retail price: $5.99.
The Club Penguin Igloo Playset provides a home for the 2" Mix 'n Match Club Penguin Figures! This playset features a moving dance floor and music just like on clubpenguin.com, as well as a shooting cannon with a basketball hoop to aim at! The Club Penguin Igloo Playset stores up to 15 figures and includes a coin with a code to unlock items online. Suggested retail price: $29.99.
Club Penguin also game called Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force coming out for Nintendo DS this holiday season.
Club Penguin is planning to launch a line of toys that will go along with its popular virtual community. Last week they mentioned (hat tip Virtual World News) the toys will contain a special coin.
The arrival of the new toys is getting closer (just a little over a week away!) and I wanted to give you an update on something you'll find with your toy when you get one--actually it has been a suggestion from a lot of you in the past.
When you get a toy, you'll find a coin attached to it. The coin is special for a couple reasons: The first reason is because every coin is different so you will definitely want to collect them! The second reason is because there's a code on one side that will unlock special items on your penguin account!
October 25th will be the official launch date for the Club Penguin toys. Update 10-25-08: Details about the new toys here.
It's a logical move for Disney's Club Penguin which will now compete several other plush/virtual toy products. Webkinz have been extremely popular and include both a plush toy and a virtual character. Ty also went virtual with Beanie Babies earlier this year. And Skoodlez is another brand of plus/virtual toys that recently began selling at Macy's - see here. Having both a physical and virtual product seems to be the trend in plush toys.
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