Sesame Street Yourself Lets Kiddos Play With Elmo and Friends in Augmented Reality
The mobile app features sing-along videos and other kid-friendly activities.
App creator Weyo and Sesame Workshop partnered to create a fun new mobile app for kids aged 3-5 called Sesame Street Yourself. The app uses augmented reality (AR) technology to allow kids to “dress up” as some of the popular characters from the Sesame Street television show and complete various activities.
The app contains content related to six different characters (Elmo, Abby, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, and Grover), such as sing-along videos and mini-games that are played using the device’s camera and AR technology that places digital masks of these characters on top of the child’s own face as they look at the device’s screen.
For instance, one mini-game places a mask of Elmo’s face on top of the child’s, and asks them to open their mouth to “eat” food that falls down the screen. In terms of the sing-along videos, the app will automatically record the child’s performance, and allow them to re-watch it or even save it to their device to share it or watch it again later on.
Finally, some activities are made to support more than one face, so multiple children (or even adults and children) can play together.
Outside of structured activities, kids can also dress up as the app’s six characters using masks that cover their entire face through AR, or only cover the outside of their face, so they can still see themselves on screen. Once kids choose a mask, they can add accessories to their face, like sunglasses or a mustache.
While the app features content for all six characters, only a limited selection is actually free to access (for instance, only the Elmo and Abby masks are available for free). The rest can be downloaded in five content packs that cost $1.99 each, or can be purchased in a bundle that’s priced at $7.99. The app prevents kids from accidentally purchasing content by asking an adult to answer an on-screen question before showing the purchase screen.
The Sesame Street Yourself app is available to download for free on iOS devices.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek’s Social Pro Daily. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
