Castles, Rockets Trump Screen Time And Video Games For Kids And Creative Play

AUSTIN, Texas, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Some of the world's largest toy companies have got it wrong when it comes to children's play time, according to the founders of PopUp Play. Kids need more experiences that encourage creativity and active play that are different than the latest video games and interactive toys.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150609/221793

Unlike the new Mattel interactive Barbie and Google Cardboard that promote isolated or sedentary play, Austin engineer Amelia Cosgrove and husband Bryan Thomas created PopUp Play to move kids from screen time to play time by using a tablet-based app to build a life-sized playscape that kids can physically interact with.

"Kids are consumed by games on tablets, computers and smartphones," said Amelia Cosgrove, PopUp Play co-founder and engineer. "We created an experience that incorporates their attraction to these device and gives kids a new way to stimulate active play while encouraging creativity and imagination," she said.

PopUp Play previewed at SXSW Interactive and recently made pre-orders available on Kickstarter (http://kck.st/1IzLvvh). More than 300 children have tested PopUp Play playscapes.

With PopUp Play, kids design a personalized fantasy playscape, such as a castle, using an app called the PopUp Play Build Lab. They can design their castle with items like towers, drawbridges and windows and decorate their creation with characters such as dragons, fairies and unicorns. When the design is done, an adult places the order, and PopUp Play manufactures the playscape exactly as the child imagined and created it. Within days, the toy structure is delivered to their door as a flat-packed kit.

The fiberboard castle assembles quickly. Standing 4.5 feet tall, it is a giant coloring book for kids to use paints or markers to decorate the castle as a setting for imaginative adventures. When play is done, the structure folds flat for storage.

PopUp Play is designed for kids ages 3-9. The first playscapes offered are a castle and rockets. Additional designs, such as a cottage, will be introduced in the future. The first playscapes will be delivered in October 2015. The app is iOS only with an Android app scheduled for release by the end of the year.

For more information please visit: http://kck.st/1IzLvvh.

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SOURCE PopUp Play

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