In June of 2012, Cupcake Digital came into being. Our big idea: to create digital apps that would not only make kids smile, but make parents happy, too.
At our headquarters in New York City, we put together a great team of professionals from the worlds of technology, family entertainment, publishing, education and brand marketing and got to work.
Our first success was Wubbzy’s Pirate Treasure, based on the Emmy Award-winning Nick Jr. ® series, “Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! ®. ” We were off to a great start. It quickly became a top-ranked digital story on iTunes and Amazon. Cupcake Digital has since produced a whole (and growing) series of digital stories and games inspired by Wubbzy and his friends.
Currently, Cupcake Digital is partnering with other major entertainment companies to develop story experiences and game apps based on their brands and properties, such as the Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet.
Because we care about kids and understand the concerns of parents, we’re infusing learning moments in all our apps and getting high marks from the people who’ve purchased them.
Position Paper 8: Cupcake Digital Launches First App Addressing An Important...Cupcake Digital
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Cupcake Digital Positioning Paper
1.
Cupcake
Digital
Infuses
Educational
Elements
into
its
Children's
Apps
November,
27,
2012
Since
Apple
began
taking
pre-‐orders
for
the
first-‐generation
iPad
in
March
of
2010,
the
landscape
of
tablets
has
not
only
transformed
dramatically,
but
also
given
birth
to
a
new
industry:
deluxe
storybook
apps.
Since
Cupcake
Digital’s
inception,
the
company
has
been
at
the
forefront
of
the
industry
in
the
development
of
exciting,
high
quality
apps
that
meet
the
demands
of:
children,
parents,
caregivers
and
educators.
Our
apps
have
been
consistently
top-‐ranked
among
children’s
app
ratings
on
Amazon,
iTunes
and
Common
Sense
Media.
Maintaining
a
lead
in
this
highly
competitive
market
requires
ongoing
innovation
and
a
clear
focus
on
exceeding
the
needs
of
the
market.
To
that
end,
we
are
adding
specific
learning
components
to
every
app
we
introduce
to
further
enhance
the
quality
of
our
product
offering
and,
as
a
result,
increase
our
market
share
and
build
brand
loyalty.
The
following
positioning
paper
outlines
our
rationale
in
the
selection
of
educational
elements
based
on
new,
nationwide
educational
standards
and
describes
how
they
will
be
infused
into
our
current
and
future
products.
Objective:
By
collaborating
with
education
consultants
and
aligning
with
the
Common
Core
State
Standards
(CCSS),
Cupcake
Digital
has
taken
important
steps
to
enhance
the
educational
value
of
its
product
offering.
These
standards
are
a
set of
educational
guidelines
that
are
being
adopted
across
the
nation
to
help
teachers
ensure
their
students
have
the
skills
and
knowledge
they
need
to
be
successful
by
providing
clear
goals
for
student
learning
at
each
grade
level.
Parents,
caregivers
and
teachers
can
feel
confident
that
our
apps
help
prepare
preschool
and
elementary
school
children
for
what
will
be
required
of
them.
The
objective
of
this
position
paper
is
to
demonstrate
the
importance
of
infusing
educational
elements
into
our
current
and
future
children’s
apps
and
to
show
how
those
elements
will
be
integrated.
It
is
the
first
in
a
series
that
will
provide
on-‐going
updates.
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1
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2.
Background
A
quick
look
around
us
–
in
homes,
on
the
street,
in
restaurants
and
on
airplanes
–
demonstrates
the
vast
proliferation
of
tablets
and
smart
phones.
For
many
young
children
today,
interaction
with
mobile
“apps”
will
be
their
first
introduction
to
entertainment
and
learning.
Parents
choose
to
use
apps
in
different
ways
and
for
different
purposes:
to
occupy
a
child
at
the
dinner
table;
to
read
a
bedtime
story
together;
to
play
games
that
expand
their
knowledge
and
advance
their
fine
motor
skills;
to
engage,
entertain
and
just
have
fun.
At
Cupcake
Digital,
we
believe
that
however
apps
are
used,
we
can
harness
this
new
medium
to
deliver
rewarding
experiences
on
a
spectrum
of
levels
for
young
children.
Cupcake
Digital’s
Mission
Cupcake
Digital
stands
at
the
forefront
of
a
new
medium:
mobile
apps
for
kids.
We
take
this
responsibility
seriously
and
will
explain
our
mission
and
our
methodology
as
a
company
in
this
document.
We
are
first
and
foremost
in
the
business
of
kids’
entertainment.
Our
apps
are
designed
to
provide
fun
and
help
bring
children
and
caregivers
together.
As
a
thoughtful
and
caring
company,
we
also
see
an
opportunity
to
deliver
not
only
a
fun
and
entertaining
experience
to
children,
but
also
an
enriching
and
educational
one.
We
think
broadly
about
developing
our
products
with
multiple
opportunities
for
learning
-‐-‐
providing
a
playful
introduction
to
the
worlds
of
reading
and
knowledge,
imagination
and
creativity,
early
critical
thinking
and
building
of
mathematics
skills.
The
power
of
play
is
limitless.
It
is
the
intention
of
Cupcake
Digital
to
use
it
wisely
and
responsibly
for
the
benefit
of
young
children
and
their
development.
While
having
fun
with
an
app,
a
child
can
also
become
better
prepared
for
success
when
he
or
she
reaches
kindergarten,
or
greater
success
if
he
or
she
is
already
in
school.
Our
Approach
We
infuse
learning
moments
into
the
very
fabric
of
our
apps.
From
the
inception
of
our
company,
we
have
engaged
educational
consultants
to
work
with
us
on
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2
http://www.cupcakedigital.com
3.
age-‐appropriate
activities
that
spark
the
imagination
and
foster
development
of
pre-‐school/early
elementary
level
basics.
We
test
our
learning
propositions
and
continue
to
refine
and
improve
them
based
on
the
feedback
we
get.
(And,
in
the
case
of
existing
apps,
to
update
and
enhance
them
on
an
ongoing
basis.)
We
are
a
company
of
parents,
and
caregivers
with
a
commitment
to
delivering
positive
app
experiences
to
our
own
children.
We
care
deeply
about
how
children
interact
with
our
apps
and
how
they
benefit
from
them.
We
make
a
collective
effort
toward
continuous
improvement
of
our
products
and
are
investing
in
Common
Core
principles
to
maximize
that
benefit.
By
partnering
with
professionals
in
the
fields
of
education
and
children’s
entertainment,
as
well
as
developmental
experts
and
specialists
in
CCSS,
we
are
developing
fun
activities
in
each
of
our
apps
that
prompt
educational
engagement
and
help
teach
skills
and
build
knowledge.
Some
examples
of
Common
Core
activities
involve
tracing
letters,
adding
numbers
of
objects,
identifying
colors
and
shapes,
learning
letter
and
word
sounds,
or
other
age-‐appropriate
learning
experiences.
In
the
process
of
transcreating
existing
media
properties
-‐
such
as
the
Emmy
award
winning
Nick
Jr.
“Wow!
Wow!
Wubbzy!”
animated
series
-‐
into
deluxe
story
experiences,
we
will
integrate
activities
that
are
consistent
with
CCSS
into
games
and
additional
sections
outside
of
the
narrative.
In
the
case
of
apps
based
on
Discovery
Network’s
Animal
Planet,
we
will
infuse
each
app
with
Common
Core
Standards
in
a
way
that
promises
to
delight
young
children.
“A
further
benefit
of
these
apps,
“
says
Cristina
Kaviani
Johnson,
M.A.,
Curriculum
Consultant,
“is
that
parents
and
caregivers
will
recognize
the
value
of
these
activities
and
the
various
opportunities
to
tailor
them
to
their
own
children’s
needs
and
interests.”
Every
app
includes
a
“Just
the
Book”
mode
that
allows
caregivers
to
turn
off
the
digital
activities
(games,
sounds,
videos,
etc.)
and
focus
a
child’s
attention
purely
on
the
words
and
story.
This
mode
is
particularly
effective
for
a
child
who
is
learning
to
Page
3
http://www.cupcakedigital.com
4.
read
and
allows
parents
and
caregivers
to
share
the
simple
pleasure
of
just
reading
a
book
together
quietly.
At
the
end
of
each
app,
caregivers
will
also
find
a
section
called
“Grown-‐Up’s
Corner.”
It
provides
questions
and
conversation
starters
related
to
the
story
to
share
with
a
child
to
help
develop
listening
and
comprehension
skills.
A
Common
Core
Corner
will
review
and
reinforce
skills
learned
in
each
app;
provide
additional activity
suggestions
to
engage
in
with
a
child
to
practice
the
learning
ideas
put
forth
in
the
app;
and
lay
out
each
learning
zone
to
help
parents
understand
the
various
Common
Core
standards
the
app
is
addressing.
It
will
also
provide
tips
on
how
to
prepare
a
child
for
his
or
her
first
school
year(s)
and
makes
getting
ready
for
the
new
kindergarten
standards
simple
and
FUN.
A
Vocabulary
Builder
section
accompanies
each
app
to
reinforce
new
words
a
child
has
learned.
“Cupcake
Digital
produces
apps
that
will
be
infused
with
a
variety
of
learning
experiences
from
the
Common
Core
Standards
curricula,
without
ever
losing
sight
of
our
desire
to
enchant
and
inspire
children
along
the
way,”
says
Susan
Miller,
children’s
industry
veteran
and
President
of
Cupcake
Digital.
“Our
apps
give
parents
a
good
feeling
about
how
their
children
are
using
mobile
technology.
They
combine
play
with
learning
to
deliver
an
enriching
and
entertaining
experience
parents
can
tailor
to
a
child’s
needs,”
states
Neil
Friedman,
Cupcake
Digital
Board
Member,
former
Mattel
Brands’
President,
and
former
President
of
US
Operations
for
Toys
‘R’
Us.
It
is
not
our
intention
to
“teach”
children
in
all
elements
of
the
CCSS,
but
to
lay
the
groundwork
for
some
of
the
key
building
blocks
through
familiar,
beloved
entertainment
characters,
brands
and
properties.
As
we
develop
new
apps,
we
will
continue
to
seek
exciting
ways
to
enhance
the
experience
for
children
and
give
them
a
learning
advantage.
Page
4
http://www.cupcakedigital.com
5.
While
we
understand
the
power
of
apps
to
entertain
and
teach,
we
are
also
aware
that
technology
is
a
tool
that
needs
to
be
used
wisely.
Equally
important
to
a
child’s
development
is
face-‐to-‐face
communication.
In
both
the
Grown
Up's
Corner
and
the
Common
Core
Corner,
our
apps
suggest
fun
activities
designed
to
engage
children
"off-‐screen"
in
thoughtful
discussions,
as
well
as
pencil-‐
or
crayon-‐to-‐paper
skill-‐
building
exercises.
Please
visit
www.cupcakedigital.com
for
future
updates.
About
Cupcake
Digital
Inc.
Cupcake
Digital,
Inc.
was
established
in
June
2012
with
the
intent
of
transforming
children’s
entertainment
properties
into
deluxe
story
experiences
infused
with
educational
moments.
Its
first
venture
into
digital
applications
was
based
on
the
Emmy
Award-‐winning
television
series
“Wow!
Wow!
Wubbzy!”
The
app
immediately
rose
to
#
1
and
#
3
among
children's
book
apps
on
Amazon
and
iTunes
respectively.
Since
then,
every
subsequent
children’s
story
app
created
by
Cupcake
Digital
has
achieved
a
top
10
rating
on
Amazon.
Headquartered
in
NYC,
Cupcake
Digital
was
founded
by
proven
professionals
in
the
fields
of
technology,
family
entertainment,
publishing
and
brand
marketing.
In
October
of
2012,
Cupcake
Digital
received
its
first
round
of
private
funding
and
has
since
gone
on
to
partner
with
additional
major
children's
entertainment
properties.
For
more
information
about
Cupcake
Digital
Inc.,
please
contact
Carmen
Hernandez
at
pr@cupcakedigital.com
or
visit
www.cupcakedigital.com.
Page
5
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