SANDBOX PARTNERS WITH THE SMURFS™ ON NEW LEARNING APP FOR KIDS

‘THE SMURFS - EDUCATIONAL GAMES’ TO BE DEVELOPED BY EDUJOY, PART OF SANDBOX’S GAMING VERTICAL

London, 11 July 2023 – Sandbox Group, the London-based group operating a network of learning businesses, announced that it is partnering with IMPS the official licensors - together with LAFIG Belgium - of the beloved little blue characters ‘The Smurfs’. The partnership will see the development of a new educational app featuring The Smurfs aimed at children ages 3-7. The deal was brokered by bRAND-WARD, the licensing agency and consultancy.

‘The Smurfs - Educational Games’ will be developed by Edujoy part of Sandbox’s Gaming vertical, who is specialized in developing educational mobile games for kids of all ages. The Spain-based company has under its belt over 100 educational games in collaboration with some of the biggest children’s brands like Masha and the Bear and Hello Kitty. Its apps have been downloaded over 600 million times around the world and have rated over 4.3 stars in the App Store.

The new Smurfs children’s app will consist of 10 minigames covering a range of different learning areas that aim to develop creativity, number recognition, hand-eye coordination, memory, attention skills and more. It will include activities such as painting, music, puzzles, numbers and counting, mazes, and classic games like dominoes and word search. The game will be available for iOS and Android devices and will be published in Q4 of 2023, coinciding with the 65th Anniversary of The Smurfs.

At launch, the app will be available in 5 different languages: Spanish, English, French, Italian and Portuguese. It will be free to download from the App Store, Google Play and Huawei App Gallery and will be safe and COPPA certified for parents’ peace of mind.

Véronique Culliford, daughter of Peyo and President of IMPS/LAFIG says: “We are very proud about this collaboration with Sandbox. This is a great opportunity to connect with parents and kids in an educational and fun way. There is no doubt kids will love playing and learning with the Smurfs!”

President of Sandbox Gaming, Abhi Arya, says: “We are chuffed about the opportunity to create an exciting new app to mark the 65th Anniversary of The Smurfs and to bring to kids around the world the charm of the little blue characters through a range of fun games .”



For logo & images click HERE

For more information please contact:
Agnes Lesti:   Communications and Partnerships Manager   a.lesti@sandboxkids.io



About Sandbox Group:
https://sbxgroup.com/
Sandbox Group is the leader in edutainment, operating a global network of brands at the intersection of digital, learning and media industries. It is committed to providing unparalleled experiences through brands like PlayKids and Hopster, award-winning preschool video and gaming platforms, Code Kingdoms, online coding courses for kids within Roblox and Minecraft, or non-digital experiences like Leiturinha, Brazil's No1. kids book subscription service. Sandbox' capabilities also include full games development including the best collection of adult brain games through its studios Edujoy and Tellmewow. Sandbox currently reaches over 65 million children, their parents, and teachers worldwide.

About Peyo, LAFIG Belgium/IMPS (International Merchandising Promotions & Services):
http://www.smurfbusiness.com/
IMPS, together with LAFIG Belgium, are the official licensors of the beloved little blue characters ‘The Smurfs.’ Over the years, IMPS has worked in close collaboration with its agents worldwide to develop successful licensed merchandising, retail and co-branded promotions, publishing activities, digital and video games, broadcasting deals, theme parks, live shows, and family entertainment experiences, that have secured the everlasting success of the Smurfs. IMPS is run by Véronique Culliford, the daughter of Pierre Culliford, the creator of the Smurfs, who is better known under his pseudonym Peyo. Véronique has run IMPS since 1984 and controls with LAFIG Belgium the rights to the Smurfs characters and the Smurfs licensing worldwide.

About THE SMURFS™:
http://www.smurf.com/
Blue and cute, standing only three apples high, the Smurfs value team spirit, loyalty, optimism, fun and respect for nature. They might be hard to tell apart at first, however, each Smurf has his or her own particularity. They live in a village full of mushroom-shaped houses, hidden in the heart of a magic forest where few people venture to go. Born in a comic book in 1958, Peyo’s little blue characters have been spreading happiness and entertaining kids and families for generations. The Smurfs animated series (2021) is airing worldwide on Nickelodeon and is available on Netflix. A new Smurfs movie in partnership with Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Animation and starring Rihanns as Smurfette has been announced with a February 2025 theatrical release.