Holiday Showcase: StoryBots

You may recognize hilarious political videos of brothers Evan and Gregg Spiridellis as the creative faces behind JibJab. As the years have gone by, they have established new roles – daddy!  At the recent Time to Play Toy Showcase, I was able to talk to this duo where they introduced me to their new venture, StoryBots™, a multi-platform entertainment property for kids and parents.

“We see how technology is radically changing the way kids engage with content in our own homes,” said the Spiridellis brothers. “Our kids don’t watch TV. They watch Netflix on the iPad. We’re fired up to use technology not only to distribute children’s entertainment, but to reinvent the storytelling formats themselves.” The StoryBots are brightly colored, infinitely curious little creatures who live in the world beneath our screens (iPhones, iPads, computers, televisions). Their mission is to make learning fun for kids – and life easier for parents – by offering personalized eBooks, videos and more.

One of the ways the Spiridellis brothers are reinventing storytelling is with personalization. With a few clicks, taps or swipes, parents can upload a photo of their child and insert him or her into the center of the action, alongside the StoryBots, using the company’s Starring You® technology.

StoryBots Starring You StoryBooks is a FREE iPad app that enables parents to create personalized, animated eBooks that include their child’s name and face in the stories. The app comes with one free book, and parents can sign up to receive a new book every month for $3.99. They can buy additional titles for just $1.99 each. Today, there are 18 books available with themes ranging from giant pizza and circus escapades to trucks and princesses.

The StoryBots Beep & Boop iPhone app turns learning good behavior into a game kids love, bringing old-school reward chart systems into the 21st century. Parents give kids BEEPs for good behavior and BOOPs as reprimands. Parents can use the app to create goals and prizes to motivate and celebrate their children’s achievements.

One lucky Real Posh Mom readers will win The StoryBots ABC Jamboree, a collection of 26 one-minute, foot-tapping music videos designed to help kids recognize the sounds and shapes of the letters of the alphabet. To enter, answer the following question: “What’s your favorite letter and why?” Giveaway ends Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 5PM.