Sandmännchens new digital gaming world
rbb Media - February 2021
Since November 19, 2020, the Sandmännchen has a new free app for children aged 4 and up. In addition to a creative world of games that provides variety and fun, „Unser Sandmännchen“ offers an extensive range of videos and audios. The app was commissioned by Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb) and implemented by the Cologne-based company Ahoiii.
Sandmännchens new digital gaming world
In the new game world, users can go on a voyage of discovery with the Sandmännchen and his friends, visit different landscapes and change vehicles at will.
Sometimes they fly over the sea by helicopter, travel through the forest by train or float over the Arctic in a space capsule. Other locations include a workshop, a kindergarten and an igloo.
Numerous figures and objects are available for creative role play. For example, the Sandmännchen can water plants, take care of the animals on the farm, bake cakes or cut wood and make a fire. Hats and glasses invite to dress up.
There is no obligation to wear a mask in the play world, but anyone who wants to, can put a mask on the Sandmännchen and his friends. Switching between day and night mode offers further variation options when playing. At the touch of a button, it is also possible to record one's own screen and record a text at the same time. This turns the digital role play into an individual film, which the children can save and send as a video.
Other features include the classic games „Memory“ and „Puzzle“ with pictures of the Sandmännchen and his friends.
Comprehensive video and audio offering
The new app offers the current "Sandmann" episode every day from 6 p.m. for seven days. Via the settings, it is possible to watch it with sign language and subtitles. The current seven „Baumhaus“-episodes from KiKA and a large selection of popular Friends stories such as „Pittiplatsch“, „Jan & Henry“ or „Die Schmusedecke“ are also available in the children's app. All episodes can also be watched offline. The app also offers audio stories about the Sandman and his friends, which are published weekly. They are available in a separate audio section.
The new app is now available for iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones and tablets in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. It is also streamable from mobile to TV via Apple TV and Google Chrome Cast. It replaces the first Sandmann app, which was released in 2012. This was not only the first free children's app from ARD, but it is also one of ARD's most successful children's apps, with 1.2 million downloads.
The popular Sandmann homepage and the smart TV offerings for the children's show are getting a new design in parallel with the release of the app. The Sandmännchen has been delighting different generations for almost 61 years. Every evening, 1.2 million young and old people watch the Traumsandbringer on KiKA, rbb television and MDR television. In addition, around three million Sandmann videos are accessed online every month.