Hairy Maclary And Friends Back as Mobile Apps

Hairy Maclary And Friends Back as Mobile Apps

Hairy Maclary and his rapscallion gang are back in a series of interactive mobile apps set to delight a new generation of Hairy Maclary fans.

In 2010 Penguin NZ and digital publishers Kiwa Digital launched Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Diary as an interactive mobile app. The move was welcomed as “Hairy Maclary repackaged for the digital generation”. Reviews praised the fact that the rhyme, rollicking rhythm and gently humorous illustrations of the Hairy Maclary stories were retained, while adding new digital features that helped develop reading and literacy skills.

Now a series of 20 Hairy Maclary and Friends™ stories has been brought to life in Kiwa Digital’s unique interactive format: synchronised audio mimics a parent reading, words are spelt out, tunes play, tails wag, cats hiss …. and many educational moments are waiting for children to enjoy.

The 20 apps just released have been updated to be compatible with latest operating systems and are now accessible on iPhones and well as iPads, adding to their relevance and value.

The move comes on the 10th anniversary of the Apple App Store. Since it launched, mobile apps have impacted society at an astounding pace and scale. By the end of October 2017, the App Store had more than 2 million apps available and was growing at an exponential rate, with roughly 50,000 new apps launched a month, and users spending the equivalent of one month out of every year in apps.

“2018 is the perfect time to release this updated series of Hairy Maclary and Friends™ apps for Penguin Random House NZ, ” says Steven Renata CEO of Kiwa Digital.

“Since the first Hairy Maclary app was created the mobile app world has exploded. But with so many choices available, parents are seeking quality content and a quality learning experience. The Hairy Maclary and Friends™ apps have been proven to provide both. We are very pleased to introduce them to a new generation.”

The series is available on the App Store. The title Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Diary also includes options for Australia, New Zealand and USA sign language.

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ABOUT HAIRY MACLARY AND FRIENDSTM
Thirty-five years ago a small black dog stepped out of the imagination of author and illustrator Dame Lynley Dodd and onto the pages of a picture book. That book, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, is now famous the world over and the 21 titles in the Hairy Maclary and Friends™ series have now sold more than ten million copies worldwide and Hairy Maclary stories are currently translated into Korean, Chinese, Russian and Icelandic.

ABOUT KIWA DIGITAL
Kiwa Digital is a New Zealand based technology innovator bringing content to digital life across the media industry , more at www.kiwadigital.com

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