Does it bother you that a lot of the toys we get for our kids aren't very environmentally friendly based upon issues with the plastics they are made of and the amount of them that end up in landfills? With that in mind and today being EARTH DAY, I wanted to give a shout out to a fantastic new line of eco-friendly, sustainable toys for preschoolers and kindergartners from Playper that won this year's NAPPA [National Parenting Product Awards] Sustainability Award. Playper toys encourage children to explore a Curious Kingdom and engage in imaginative play both hands-on and through augmented reality.
Playper Curious Kingdom Castle is a buildable DIY castle playset with moving parts that sparks imagination and creativity. It includes a multi-level castle with locking drawbridge and secret trap door, 6 colorful characters (featuring a royal family, knight in shining armor, galloping horse, and a goofy dragon) props & accessories and reusable “magic stickers." Aimed for children three to six years, Playper Curious Kingdom Castle is plastic free made from a durable, high quality recycled material decorated in vibrant colors with soy-based ink.
I appreciate this toy has both a traditional physical play aspect as well as a tech angle to it too. Watch as characters like King Ketchup and Snuffles the Dragon come to life when scanned using AR-enhanced features via Playper's free app. This fun, whimsical playset is currently available on Amazon for $34.99.
Eco-Friendly Materials: Playper toys are made from recycled gray board and chipboard, ensuring that no new trees are cut down for production. Each toy holds an FSC certification, guaranteeing responsible forest management.
Biodegradable and Recyclable: After providing hours of creative play, these toys can be responsibly disposed of, reducing landfill waste and teaching children about environmental responsibility.
Non-Toxic Ink: The vibrant colors of PlayperBoard® playsets come from soy and vegetable-based inks, which are safe for children and the environment. These sustainable inks are a great alternative to petroleum-based inks.
Durable and Spill-proof: All pieces are coated with a water-based, spill-resistant finish, making the toys durable enough for rough play and multiple assemblies. Plus, it makes recycling easier!
Tool-Free Building: Each Playset comes with picture-based instructions that require no reading, making them easy for young kids. The assembly is fun, colorful, and doesn't require scissors, glue, or tape.
For more information about Curious Kingdom toys, please visit playper.com
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Many of us are spending more time at home than usual and it brings both challenges and benefits for parents. Being at home affords more time with the kids but it can be difficult to keep children and teens entertained preventing them from moaning about boredom and having nothing to do. Here are some dad tips on how to use tech to have fun with your kids that will have them geeked about spending time around the house with mom and dad.
Augmented Reality
From allowing dinosaurs to jump out of the pages of books to providing instantaneous tutorials on solving a Rubik's Cube that is in the palm of your hand there are a lot of fun and interesting uses of Augmented Reality available through today's technology. Augmented Reality (AR) provides interactive opportunities that merge real world environments with digital effects to enhance or alter perceptions of reality. From playing with Baby Yoda in our family's living room to taking a virtual tour of the Alamo seeing the site as it existed during the famous battle for Texas independence, my kids have had numerous entertaining and educational AR experiences. Whether you want to get a close up 3D look at farm animals without visiting the countryside or interact with your favorite Star Wars characters there are numerous ways to have fun with your kids utilizing augmented reality.
Robotics
Interacting with robots used to be just a fantastic idea from sci fi stories. Now utilizing robots around the house is a reality. There are robotic toys that teach kids to code and other STEM skills. Drones that you can race through obstacle courses or use for taking photography. There are even robots that can help with household chores like cleaning your swimming pool or mowing the lawn.
Movies and Music Streaming
It’s great to be able to go out and catch a movie or book tickets to a gig, but you don’t have to fork out a fortune or drive for hours to have a good time. Movie and music fans can benefit from streaming services and TV and music subscriptions that provide access to endless programs, playlists and new releases. You can stream music from Amazon’s music services and enjoy your own at-home concert, watch movies with popcorn on a Saturday night and make sure you’re up to date with the TV shows that everyone is talking about.
Speaking of home concerts, you could also consider investing in additional musical equipment for your setup so that you and your children can create your own live performances. Should you both enjoy playing guitar but want to add a drummer, then you can do so without seeking extra help. You can purchase a BeatBuddy (drummer pedal) from Singular Sound, which will help you enhance your music and no longer need to fuss about controlling a drumbeat during a live performance in your home own. You can simply tap your foot and create professional feels and transitions with minimal extra effort while having fun.
Listening to music can lift your mood and movie nights are a fantastic way to bring the family together and save money on frequent trips to the movie theater. You can even star in your very own television show on YouTube.
Gaming
Gaming has become increasingly popular in the last 12 months as people look for fun ways to spend time at home and remotely socialize with friends. There are myriad options when it comes to playing games. You can play alone or as part of a team, you can challenge opponents, you can play online and you can use consoles or a PC. Technology now allows you to chat instantaneously with other players anywhere around the globe as part of game playing experiences. There are titles to suit adults and kids and you can team up to take on competitors or organize competitions between family members. Gaming provides a release and an escape from the real world and it’s an excellent way to engage with other people when you might not be able to see them face-to-face.
Exercise
You might assume that exercise and home technology don’t go hand-in-hand but tech can actually play an integral role in helping people to be more active. You can use wearable technology to count steps and set targets for yourself and your children, you can work out at home using gym equipment or you can get involved with virtual workouts and sessions that are suitable for adults or the whole family. My kids participated in a virtual running challenge during the pandemic.
Being active has advantages for all ages. As well as helping to boost heart health, lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity and build strength and stamina, exercise also has incredible benefits for mental wellbeing. Moving your body makes you feel good due to increased levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain and the release of endorphins, known as happy hormones.
Dads like myself from all over the world are spending more time at home than ever before. If you’re a dad on a mission to have as much fun as possible with your kids, taking advantage of tech is a great way to accomplish that goal. You can connect with friends and family, have dance parties, have epic video game competitions and get fit with the modern conveniences that today's technological advances provide us.
As I was getting ready to call it a night on Christmas Eve, a commotion by our home's fireplace caught my attention. Could it be Santa coming down the chimney?! Nope ... it was Baby Yoda!
With the kids in bed for the night, Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian television show on Disney+ stopped by to be Santa's helper for the night in putting holiday gifts under our Christmas tree. Baby Yoda visited our house courtesy of augmented reality through the Google app. Download this free app for Apple and Android devices to have Baby Yoda stop by your place too!
Open this search engine app and look up "Baby Yoda", "Grogu", "The Child," or "The Mandalorian." Then select the "View in 3D" option that appears to see this pop culture sensation on your screen standing in your surroundings via your smart phone's camera. You can then take selfies with Grogu, videos of the lil creature exploring the landscape around you, or stage pictures of Baby Yoda doing fun things like checking out the presents under your Christmas tree.
I was geeked to play around with Baby Yoda via the Google app. While the interactions are limited to The Child moving its head around and vocalizing some of the sounds Grogu expresses on The Mandalorian it was still fun to see a life-like version of the character that we could take pictures and video with around our house.
My son and I headed over to the neighborhood park to have some fun playing with dinosaurs using the JURASSIC WORLD ALIVE app. Taking a cue from the popular Pokémon GO game for mobile devices, this app lets you search your surroundings by tying into Google Maps' digital platform and GPS technology to discover and collect virtual dinosaurs. There are more than 100 types of dinosaurs in all you can discover ranging from relatively easy to come across common ones to elusive hard to find rare breeds.
Hunt dinosaurs looking for them on a map that represents your real-time surroundings. The maps are fairly accurate regarding providing an outline of buildings and streets but don't provide a realistic photographic view of the areas you are searching. Still they get the job done and are detailed enough to make searching around for dinosaurs entertaining. You may occasionally find a dinosaur walking down the street or in someone's backyard but the best places to hunt them are in parks and other public spaces where JURASSIC WORLD ALIVE tends to have them congregate. You also want to look for supply boxes that allow you to stay stocked with darts for hunting dinosaurs and credits for upgrading the creatures you've found.
JURASSIC WORLD ALIVE is FREE to play with in-app purchases available to enhance game play. We've found the game enjoyable to play without spending any money. Our trick is to keep an eye out for supply boxes whenever taking the dog out for a walk in the neighborhood and tend to regularly find enough of them to give us plenty of resources to progress utilizing the app's features unhindered. Note you need to be within a few yards of the geo-tagged supply boxes to open them so hoping to just sit around your house to play the game isn't very practical or as enjoyable as being out and about immersing yourself in this Jurassic World themed experience.
There is a bit more leeway when it comes to hunting dinos. You can get within the distance of the equivalent of few blocks to be able to go after a target. Launch a drone in a video game style segment which has you shoot darts at a dinosaur as it attempts to elude you. Some have thick armor and have to be hit in spots with pinpoint accuracy while others are really fast runners and the drone needs to be guided into just the right spot to get a good shot. Score enough points and a dinosaur is added to your collection.
Once you've hunted down four dinosaurs, the battle arena opens. Challenge other JURASSIC WORLD ALIVE users from around the world in gladiatorial matches pitting your dinosaurs against their collection. A nice aspect of these bouts is that you don't have to go to a specific location to activate this feature. The Battle Arena game is accessible wherever you have an Internet connection. So it is as easy to fight a match from a nature trail while you are searching for dinos as it is from the comfort of your living room couch...that is if you have a strong cell signal for your mobile device.
By gaining resources from supply boxes and winning Battle Arena matches, dinosaurs abilities and attributes can be increased to make them more competitive in bouts. Also as you gain more dinosaurs, their dna can be mixed and matched to create hybrid beasts that can be battled versus online opponents. Rare dinosaurs also have better Battle Arena fighting skills then the common variety so that provides some incentive to go out looking for them.
Another great feature of JURASSIC WORLD ALIVE is its augmented reality capability. Once you've added a dinosaur to your collection it can be included in pictures and videos. The app connects with your camera so you can see dinosaurs in the world around you through it. We've been having a lot of fun using the augmented reality to take a close up look at dinosaur around us. You can circle a dinosaur you've brought to life to see it from different perspectives. Touch it on the screen and the dinosaur will interact with you with special sound and visual effects.
My son has really gotten into this game! It is nice that he's been wanting to go on father-son walks together to hunt dinosaurs. I've appreciated him wanting to spend some time with his good ole dad enjoying an activity together and getting some exercise as we walk around looking for dinosaurs. It is also nice that the app's developers steer you towards parks and open areas versus businesses and residential areas to search for dinos. You have to admit Pokémon GO players crowding in front of a house or storefront can be annoying and this isn't as much of a factor when it comes to JURASSIC WORLD ALIVE.
This app also provides educational information about the dinosaurs you collect. My son gets so excited when we discover a brand new dinosaur and enjoys scrolling through the ones we've collected reading facts and trivia about them. So it is nice to see him learning while being entertained at the same time with this app.
Add in the Battle Arena game aspect of this app and you can see we've had a whole lot of fun playing with it. As I mentioned earlier, we've been able to enjoy the app for FREE without feeling the need to make in-app purchases which is another plus. Based upon my family's experience, JURASSIC WORLD ALIVE has earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval.
The wonder of Harry Potter discovering Diagon Alley and other magical locations hidden amid the Muggle world can soon be shared by everyone through an interactive augmented reality (AR) game for mobile devices inspired by J.K. Rowling's wizarding world. Following the approach of the popular Pokémon Go game, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's Portkey Games, a new gaming label dedicated to creating video games and mobile experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling's works, has partnered with Niantic, Inc. to create Harry Potter: Wizards Unite which will provide an immersive experience for aspiring wizards and witches.
Niantic, Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced the development of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, an augmented reality (AR) mobile game inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. Published by Niantic and co-developed by Niantic and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, under the Portkey Games label, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will use state-of-the-art augmented reality mobile technology to put magic in the hands of aspiring wizards and witches worldwide. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will reveal that magic is all around us, and allow players to be a part of Harry Potter's rich world, through Niantic’s AR + real-world mobile game platform. By exploring real-world neighborhoods and cities across the globe, players will go on adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artifacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters. Additional details for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be announced in 2018.
“At Niantic, our goal is to leverage technology to create real world experiences that help people to discover the wonderful, and often magical parts of the world around them,” announced John Hanke, founder and CEO of Niantic, Inc. “The beloved Harry Potter stories have captured imaginations worldwide for more than 20 years and soon we’ll turn the fantasy into augmented reality, allowing fans and their friends to become wizards and witches.”
“With this game, we are allowing the passionate, worldwide fan base to experience J.K. Rowling’s deeply powerful and imaginative universe in a new, truly immersive way,” commented David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “It is wonderful to have Niantic’s remarkable augmented reality expertise as we develop this incredibly rich wizarding world for players to explore in their everyday lives.”
To get further updates about the release date and other details about Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, visit: www.harrypotterwizardsunite.com and sign-up to receive email alerts. You can also follow the game on Facebook and Twitter.
** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**
My son went on a Jurassic era adventure by enjoying a National Geographic Dinosaurs View-Master Experience. View-Master has updated its viewing experience for today's generation of tech savvy kids. Now instead of just flipping through colorful slides, View-Master provides its users with incredible 3-D augmented reality and virtual reality experiences. With the new View-Master Virtual Reality Viewer and the National Geographic Dinosaurs Experience Pack (each sold separately) you can literally walk among the dinosaurs.
Load an app on your smart phone and insert your device within the View-Master Virtual Reality Viewer. Place what looks like an old-fashioned View-Master reel on a table or other flat surface in front of you. Then look at it through your VR Viewer. Suddenly miniature dinosaurs will appear standing on top of the reel right there in front of you through the app's augmented reality feature. Move around the reel to check out the dinosaurs from different angles. While this is really impressive it is just the beginning of your adventure.
Use the lever on VR Viewer to click on a digital icon option that when selected immerses you in a 360-degree gallery that resembles a museum exhibit. As you look up, down and around at the displays within the gallery simply click on the VR Viewer's lever to open up features associated with each image ranging from games and trivia to photo albums and videos.
One of the best options to choose from lets you walk through various environments filled with different types of dinosaurs. No matter which way you look there is something to see. It is almost like you can just put out your hand and touch a dinosaur. How cool is that?!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stare a T Rex in the face? You can do that with the National Geographic Dinosaurs View-Master Experience!
After you've taken a hike through the Jurassic era, head back to the museum gallery area and explore the fossil skeletons on display from every angle. Play a game that lets you test your survival skills as you take on the role of a dinosaur hunting for food while trying to avoid becoming a meal yourself. The museum gallery also allows users to access informative facts, photos and videos from National Geographic's vast archive providing an educational aspect that parents can appreciate while its fun interactive features ensure that kids will be delighted utilizing the National Geographic Dinosaur Experience Pack.
My son really has enjoyed learning about dinosaurs with the National Geographic Dinosaurs View-Master Experience. It really is a fun educational tool recommend for ages 7+ that will get kids enthusiastic about learning. Are you ready to go back in time for a trek with dinosaurs?!
A Geek Daddy is a member of the National Geographic Kids Insider blogger
program. Insiders get a behind-the-scenes look at National
Geographic’s resources, activities, content and projects for kids and
families. They also review copies of books, magazines and toys, and are
offered interviews with authors, explorers and editors. A Geek Daddy does not receive
any financial compensation for my participation as a National
Geographic Kids Insider.
** This post was made possible by Universal Pictures #TeamJurassic.
I was provided the featured products for free but all opinions
expressed are honest and my own **
My kids and I have been having fun reading Carlton Books' #JurassicWorld: Where Dinosaurs Come To Life book andplaying with the augmented reality app that allows the dinosaurs featured in the book to pop off the pages and come alive right before your eyes. Augmented Reality is when digital data is incorporated into the camera image of a tablet or smart phone device to provide an enhanced interactive experience. I always enjoy the experiences and photo ops this technology provides and have lots of fun with these types of apps with my kids.
Jurassic World: Where Dinosaurs Come To Life is the official augmented reality book to accompany the record breaking summer blockbuster movie. The book provides a tour of the Jurassic World theme park's layout and an overview of the amazing creatures it has on exhibit. Once you've read through the book a free app can be downloaded for Apple and Android mobile devices that allow you to get a first hand view of the dinosaurs of Jurassic World. Just open the app, point it at the designated activation pages and voila!
In single user mode the app generates a miniature dinosaur that can be moved around your field of view with an onscreen joystick. Watch the dinosaur move around your environment, make it roar and take pictures of it exploring your living room, backyard or neighborhood park. The app also has a duel user function where you can have two dinosaurs pop up on the screens of two devices with each person able to control one of the creatures.
After you've enjoyed checking out the dinosaurs from a miniature perspective use the Life-Size function to blow up the creature to the size it would have been in real life. Walk around the dinosaur viewing it from multiple 3D perspectives to get an accurate feel and image of how huge these beasts would be if you could walk right up to one of them. Then take a fun photo of you posing next to your pet dinosaur - wow that really puts their size into perspective!
At a suggested retail price of $12.95 this book/app combo can provide hours of entertaining and educational moments plus some goofy photos for your family to enjoy. We honestly had a ton of fun reading through the book and playing with the app. For more information on Jurassic World: Where Dinosaurs Come To Life, visit Amazon.com.
As I mentioned earlier, this book/app combo is tied to Jurassic World, this summer's blockbuster sequel to Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park fell apart before it could ever be opened to the public,
but John Hammond's dream didn't die. Twenty-two years after the events
that transpired in the original movie, the park is now open for
business! The theme park known as JURASSIC WORLD is owned
by a huge business conglomerate called Masrani Corporation which bought
Isla Nublar and the technology to create the dinosaurs when John
Hammond's business went defunct after the events in Jurassic Park. The
initial public hype for Jurassic World is beginning to wane and Masrani
Corporation is looking for a way to renew the popularity and
profitability of the theme park. When the park's operations manager
takes some risks to increase its profitability by creating a hybrid
dinosaur called Indominus Rex you just know that is going to lead to
trouble!
Rated PG-13, JURASSIC WORLD roared into US theaters on June 12, 2015. If you haven't seen it yet don't worry about annoying lines or the show you want to go to being sold out, look for and buy your tickets online: unvrs.al/JWtix
** This post was made possible by Universal Pictures #TeamJurassic. I was provided the featured products for free but all opinions expressed are honest and my own **
One of my all time favorite movie scenes is when a glass of water begins to ripple to foreshadow the arrival of a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur in 1993's Jurassic Park. That was such a great way to merge visual and sound effects with the suspense of the scene to immerse people so they really felt part of the movie. Add to that the groundbreaking special effects plus the velociraptors as villains that kept you on the edge of your seat and you know Jurassic Park is on my list of summer blockbusters I deem great. I also appreciate how Jurassic Park portrayed Michael Crichton's novel on the big screen showing that a science fiction movie doesn't always have to be about aliens and space ships to have a great plot and be a success at the box office.
While the theme park never got off the ground in the original movie on June 12, 2015 #JurassicWorld will be open to the public. Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, John Hammond's vision of a dinosaur theme park has become a reality on Isla Nublar, an island located near Costa Rica off Central America's Pacific Coast. This new park isn't owned by Hammond though but rather a huge business conglomerate called Masrani Corporation. When the theme park isn't making its budget projections, the park's operations manager takes some risks to increase its profitability. Of course you know that is going to lead to trouble!
The Velociraptors will be back on June 12 in JURASSIC WORLD! Will they be the dangerous adversaries we remember them to be in this movie ... or could they be the good guys who save the day this time?! As part of A Geek Daddy blog being a member of #TeamJurassic helping Universal Pictures promote the film, I received a super detailed Hasbro Jurassic World Velociraptor toy for my kids to play with. They also sent along with it an interesting augmented reality enhanced hardcover book Jurassic World: Where Dinosaurs Come To Life and an informative paperback book titled Jurassic World Dinosaur Field Guide. Of course we don't want to leave our blog readers out of the fun, so I also have a second of box of these great Jurassic World items to giveaway!
For a chance to win the Hasbro Velociraptor toy, the Carlton Books' Jurassic World: Where Dinosaurs Come To Life augmented reality book, and the Random HouseJurassic World Dinosaur Field Guidepaperback you must be a US or Canadian resident
over 18 years old and submit one or both of the following entry methods
to earn up to 2 entries prior to 11:59 pm EST on Friday June 12, 2015:
Congrats to Alina from Valparaiso Indiana who won the book & toy giveaway!
FACEBOOK (1 Entry) Visit our Facebook page and on the contest post submit a comment sharing which dinosaur you would most like to see on a visit to Jurassic World.
EMAIL (1 Entry) E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address. Email subject line should be DINORIFFIC.
All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order they are
received and one number will be selected to determine the winner using
random.org. E-mails will only be used to
contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.
Jurassic World Velociraptor Figures
Clever
as ever, the Jurassic World raptors are masterful hunters on the
lookout for prey. The assortment features three of the most popular
raptors from the Jurassic World movie, Charlie, Delta, and Echo.
The figures each span approximately 12 inches long with articulated
arms, legs, and tails. Each sold separately. Available at most major
toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.
Jurassic World: Where Dinosaurs Come to Life (Hardcover)
The
official Augmented Reality book to accompany the highly anticipated
Jurassic World includes five breathtaking Augmented Reality sequences
featuring life-size dinosaurs and a brand-new dual user mode. This book
is the perfect purchase for every Jurassic World and dinosaur fan.
Plus, a free interactive app brings the action alive . . . right at
home!
Jurassic World Dinosaur Field Guide (Paperback)
Written by two noted paleontologists and illustrated in big bold colors, the Jurassic World Dinosaur Field Guide
is a kid-friendly nonfiction guide that uses simple text to describe
over 100 dinosaurs. Kids will learn tons of awesome facts about the most
well-known dinosaurs and some of the newest discoveries.
Rated PG-13, JURASSIC WORLD will roar into theaters on June 12, 2015. In addition to standard theaters, it will also be available Real D 3D and IMAX 3D. Don't worry about annoying lines or the show you want to go to being sold out, buy your tickets online in advance today: unvrs.al/JWtix
Disclaimer & Rules:
A Geek Daddy
Blog will select a random winner on Monday, June 15, 2015 ( 1
winner will be selected from a random draw of all eligible entries -
each submitted entry will be assigned a number and a random number will
be drawn to select a winner based upon total entries ). By
participating in this contest you waive any liability
towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your
involvement with this promotion. Only one entrant per mailing address
per giveaway. If you
have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win
again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. A Geek Daddy
Blog is hosting this giveaway as a benefit to
our readers. Information for this post was provided by Universal Pictures. A
Geek Daddy Blog did receive items of value in exchange for
writing this blog post. While some of the promotional information was provided by Universal Pictures the views and opinions expressed are my own. Universal Pictures
is responsible for the delivery of the prizes in this promotion. The Hasbro toy may differentiate from the one shown but will be of similar quality and value.
Avengers Assemble! Join A GEEK DADDY BLOG on Friday, May 1, 2015 @ 1pm EST as we co-host with SoFab Chats a Twitter Party celebrating the theatrical release of MARVEL's The Avengers: Age of Ultron. We'll be giving out $500+ in gift cards while talking about the new movie, discussing who our favorite Avengers are, and exploring Walmart's new Super Heroes Assembleaugmented reality app.
To participate RSVP with SoFab Chats and use the hashtag #AvengersUniteSweeps on Twitter between 1 and 2 pm EST. Please follow @Geekdad248, @KellysLuckyYou, @blm03, @MudpiesandTiara during the party on Twitter. To be eligible for prizes you must RSVP and participate in the party replying to questions from the hosts using the hashtag #AvengersUnitedSweeps. Join in on the fun, it should be a smashing good time!
I have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser to serve as a co-host and promote the #AvengersUnitedSweeps Twitter Party.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
#AvengersUnite #CollectiveBias
Unleash the power of MARVEL'sThe Avengers through your smart phone with Walmart's Super Heroes Assemble app available on Google Play and through the App Store. This augmented reality app lets you engage in photo ops with characters from MARVEL'sThe Avengers: Age of Ultronmovie, explore their world from a 360 degree perspective, and even suit up to transform yourself into one of your favorite heroes like Hulk, Iron Man or Thor. The powers of the Super Heroes Assemble app are unlocked when you use it to scan special images located on posters and products at your local Walmart store. After downloading the app for my iPhone, my daughter and I headed to Walmart for a scavenger hunt to test out the augmented reality capabilities of Super Heroes Assemble.
Our first find was a poster in the toy department. Each of the locked powers for the app has an Avengers character associated with it that when you click on their face it shows you an image of the poster or product that needs to be scanned to make the feature accessible. The app automatically opens your smart phone's camera so all you have to do is point your device so that the virtual image displayed on its screen overlaps with the real world one. When we scanned this poster a giant Hulk Buster Iron Man appeared to take a photo with my lil Thor.
Searching through the aisles at Walmart we found specially marked Doritos, Dr. Pepper, Kellog's Fruit Snacks, and Cheez-It baked snack crackers products and displays with special images for us to scan. Scanning these images as we found them around the store unlocked access to 360 degree interactive experiences, for example you can run the Mark 44 Iron Man armor through its paces and see what it is capable of through the Hulk Buster Testing Facility, opened access to various character abilities that let you suit up as a favorite Avenger in photographs you take, and others created in-store Avengers photo ops like our picture with Hulk Buster Iron Man.
While the Photo Op feature only works specifically when you are scanning the special images, the Suit Up functions will work anytime after you have scanned the images that unlocks one of the eight featured characters which are Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Hulk Buster Iron Man, and Ultron. We had a lot of fun playing around with the Suit Up features around the house and at the playground after we had unlocked all the characters during our Walmart scavenger hunt.
Here's a HINT, if you can't find all the special images while at Walmart they also have them displayed online and you can scan them off the screen from the store's special MARVEL's The Avengers: Age of Ultron web site section by looking for the "unlock more epic content" banner.
The Walmart website also features some coloring pages you can print out for the kids to have some fun with in the MARVEL's The Avengers: Age of Ultron section including the one below.
Make your next visit to Walmart a MARVEL-ous adventure with the Super Heroes Assemble App. Have some fun with your own scavenger hunt while you pick up all the fan essential toys, clothes and food items to get yourself ready to see MARVEL's The Avengers: Age of Ulton which arrives at movie theaters on May 1, 2015. We had some smashing good daddy-daughter time playing with this app (hey remember Avengers isn't just popular with the guys, girls are big fans too!) and I'd encourage you to check it out to avoid becoming green with envy that you missed out on the chance to suit up as one of your favorite Avengers.
So which member of the Avengers is your favorite? Black Widow, Bruce Banner, Captain America, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Quick Silver, Scarlet Witch, Thor, or Vision? Iron Man has my vote while my daughter loves to role play as Thor while her twin brother pretends to be Captain America in their adventures at the park and in the backyard.
