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The best streaming apps for kids
On the surface, it seems like a great idea. YouTube is home to all kinds of quality video content, so a dedicated, age-appropriate version for children sounds great. However, even with a host of parental controls, YouTube Kids is still plagued with issues in regard to content. Whether it's conspiracy videos or obviously disturbing clips, YouTube Kids is flooded with terrible content. But that's not surprising. With 10 hours of video uploaded every second, trying to police YouTube content is like trying to slow the water coming out of a fire hydrant. A spokesperson said last year, "We've taken a series of tough actions to better protect families on YouTube and YouTube Kids, including getting content down faster through technology, hiring more people to help us tackle content that breaks our rules and cutting the revenue streams to content that misleads families." But those actions haven't always been enough. In response to criticism, YouTube has tried to deter users from posting offensive videos. In 2017, it altered its policy on what types of content would be eligible for ad money. Those changes kept clips that show "family entertainment characters engaged in violent, sexual, vile or otherwise inappropriate behavior, even if done for comedic or satirical purposes" from earning money. YouTube also improved its parental controls. Last April, the company added the option of only seeing content that had been approved by "partners and the YouTube Kids team." Then in September, it expanded that feature so that kids using the app would only see what their parents approved. When asked about any improvements since September, YouTube explained that it has added a number of new features, including stronger controls for parents. Things like timers, profiles, an option to disable search and the ability to approve both videos and channels are all on that list. And the company also reiterated that is offers collections that have been curated by trusted partners and YouTube Kids, which include channels like Sesame Street and PBS. Even though these changes have made a difference, YouTube Kids is still YouTube. And like the main version of the site, the quality of content ranges from acceptable to stuff that's just... weird. I don't know about you, but I'd rather my four-year- old play with his own toys than watch YouTube videos of kids playing with theirs. That's not offensive per se, but it's a little strange to me. Thankfully there are alternatives to YouTube Kids -- ones that are less likely to serve your little one up some nightmare fuel.
Cartoon Network app 'rewards' TV viewing with virtual figurines
How do you persuade people to watch your TV shows when their phones serve as a constant distraction? By rewarding them through their phones for watching. Cartoon Network is launching an app, Cartoon Network Arcade, that will provide virtual collectible figurines (over 60 in total) while you tune in. The title listens to show audio Shazam style, and unlocks collectibles when it's clear you're watching one of the broadcaster's programs. If you're a die-hard Powerpuff Girls or Steven Universe fan, you'll have something to prove it.
Cartoon Network will livestream virtual 'Minecraft' convention
It's almost time for Minecon -- an annual convention exclusively for Minecraft -- and like last year, you can watch the whole event from the comfort of your living room. Cartoon Network will broadcast the 90-minute event on its YouTube channel (which is sadly geoblocked) on September 29th, Saturday, starting at at 11:30 AM ET. The livestream will feature pre- and post-show programming, community panels, costume contests, live gameplay, the latest about the game and more. According to Variety, the livestream will also show merchandise you can purchase from home.
‘Steven Universe’ and ‘OK K.O.!’ are coming to Nintendo Switch
Cartoon Network and Outright Games will release a boxed set bundling both Steven Universe: Save the Light and OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for $40 on October 30th. Currently available as digital downloads on the latter two consoles, this will be the first time the games are on the Switch. They'll also launch as standalone titles for Nintendo's eShop on October 30th.
Stream ‘Powerpuff Girls’ on Cartoon Network's Roku app
If you're looking to dig deep into newer animated shows on your Roku, you're in luck. The Emmy-winning Cartoon Network app — already available on Apple TV, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV and via Chromecast — is now available for your Roku system.
'Adventure Time' role-playing battles come to your smartphone
There are more than a few Adventure Time mobile games out there, but deep games? Not as many. However, YesGnome and Cartoon Network want to improve this state of affairs. They've just launched Champions and Challengers, a tactical game for Android and iOS that has you gathering and outfitting a team from over 70 heroes (including Finn, Jake, Fionna, Cake and Princess Bubblegum) and pitting them against rivals in Final Fantasy-style, turn-based role-playing battles. There are over 120 battles in the solo game, where you take on the Dice Lord, but you can also square off against other players online.
‘Steven Universe: Save the Light’ has all of the show’s charm
Cartoon Network's Steven Universe practically begs for the role-playing-game treatment, with its deep lore, unique characters and gorgeous hand-drawn art style. The show got its first video-game treatment a few years ago with the mobile game Steven Universe: Attack the Light. Now that game's sequel, Save the Light, is finally giving the show's fans the full-fledged RPG they've been waiting for. And after playing it for a bit at E3, I think they have plenty of reasons to be excited.
‘OK K.O.’ is a brilliant cartoon with a game to match
With his small, boxy stature and pin-thin legs, K.O. doesn't look like much of a superhero. But that's the whole point of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, an animated series from Cartoon Network. The titular character is a powerhouse-in-training, full of naive wonder and a hunger to pummel bad guys. He works in a convenience store run by Mr. Gar, one of the world's greatest superheroes, alongside fellow rookies Radicles and Enid. Together they battle the mischievous robots sent from a factory called Boxmore across the road, learning about friendship and hard work along the way.
Cartoon Network beams 'Powerpuff Girls' to your TV with Chromecast
Cartoon Network is about to make some people very happy. The TV channel has updated its Android and iOS apps with support for Chromecast streaming, which it says was a highly requested feature by fans. In case you're not familiar with how Google's $35 dongle works, Cartoon Network's apps will now let users push episode streams from their mobile device to a nearby Chromecast-connected TV, all with a simple tap of the "Cast" button.
A new 'Steven Universe' RPG is headed to consoles
Grab your cheeseburger backpack and a wad of Cookie Cat ice cream sandwiches, because Steven Universe is headed to home consoles. Grumpyface Studios, the team behind Attack the Light -- a surprisingly decent mobile RPG -- is back with another game featuring the heroic Crystal Gems. Details are scarce, but we know Save the Light will feature the same addictive blend of real-time and turn-based combat (if you've played Paper Mario, you know what to expect). The team says the new project "was just too big a concept for mobile," with more exploration and puzzle-solving than before, hence the switch to more powerful hardware.
Capy is making a game for Cartoon Network's new show
If the words "multimedia tie-in" bring back memories of bad video game adaptations and lame comic books pushed by marketing groups to promote feature films, then clearly the 80s and 90s have scarred you too. Cartoon Network's upcoming animated series OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes is getting its own game, which would seem gimmicky if not for the the studio they brought on to make the show's companion: Capybara Games, creators of the acclaimed Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery and Super Time Force. The game, an "action brawler with RPG elements," will come out this fall.
'Ghost in the Shell' anime will return to US & UK theaters
Before the live-action version of Ghost in the Shell hits theaters in March, the original animated movie will return for a limited theater run. In the UK, that means a one-night-only appearance January 25th, while in the US Funimation is backing a two-night stand where the movie will play subtitled one night and then with English-dubbed audio the next, on February 7th & 8th. Afterwards, Lionsgate is re-releasing the movie on Blu-ray and Digital HD March 7th in a Deluxe Collector's Edition with Steelbook packaging and Mondo artwork.
Brad Neely's weird Adult Swim cartoon premieres on Vine
Adult Swim is consistently debuting new shows season after season, but usually not on Vine, right? That's why the fact that China, IL creator Brad Neely's Harg Nallin Sclopio Peepio is available on the network is such an interesting change. Neely's upcoming comedy show can be found via one six-second clip that looks like any other Vine at first, but when you click on it a full version of the 10-minute episode is available (all thanks to the service's new rules for "select publishers.")
President pledges $4 billion toward computer science in schools
The White House isn't just relying on legislation to make computer science education a priority in the US. President Obama has launched a Computer Science for All initiative that gives states $4 billion in funding to expand computer science in K-12 schools through a mix of better course materials, partnerships and teacher training. The move also sends another $100 million directly to school districts, unlocks $135 million in funding from government organizations and gets further cooperation from both local governments as well as tech leaders.
Hulu's Turner deal gives it Adventure Time, Venture Bros. and more
Hulu is about to be your go-to destination to catch up on the adventures of the Venture Bros. and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The streaming service announced a deal with Turner Broadcasting that adds Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, TBS and TNT titles to its library on May 1. The animation-heavy agreement brings Adventure Time, Dexter's Laboratory, Robot Chicken, Black Jesus, NTSF:SD:SUV and other shows from Cartoon Network. TNT dramas The Last Ship and Murder in the First will eventually be followed by additional shows from TNT and TBS. Kid-friendly Cartoon Network shows will be available ad-free in the Hulu Kids section. The service recently secured ratings juggernaut CSI and animated series South Park to help it compete against Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
Here's why 'Too Many Cooks' is tailor-made for the internet
By now, there's a good chance that you've seen or heard about Adult Swim's Too Many Cooks -- an epic, warped internet video that sends up the overly tidy world of '80s and '90s sitcoms. But just why did this video manage to click with so many people? If you ask PBS, it's because the 11-minute clip speaks directly to the heart of online culture. The internet is fond of absurdist humor that highlights the apparently meaningless, repetitive nature of life, PBS argues; Too Many Cooks plays on that love of the ludicrous by dismantling a formulaic, "perfect" TV universe where everything has meaning.
Cartoon Network's new app offers bite-sized content for kids
In an effort to beam content to viewers who are more likely to stare at a mobile device than a television, Cartoon Network has a new app that dishes out short clips of content. The Cartoon Network Anything app for iOS and Android packs 10 to 15-second snippets from Adventure Time, Regular Show, Gumball and Teen Titans Go with games, quizzes, puzzles and more sprinkled in. Variety reports that one goal is to lure the channel's core audience back to its TV programming by promoting shows with the mobile software. There's no way to control the flow of clips and other items, so kids won't know what's coming next. The idea is that every time little Joey taps on the app, there will be something he hasn't seen before. Of course, there's the opportunity for ad revenue in the future as well, which could take the form of branded video segments with the network's characters. And in what should come as a shock to no one, McDonald's signed on as the launch sponsor. If your kids (or you, no judgement here) are big fans of the CN, both versions of the app are available now via their respective repositories.
Adult Swim cartoon jumps from cable to Instagram in 15-second chunks
So, let's say you want to watch an episode of Adult Swim's "Rick and Morty" but you don't have cable and the only thing you have on you is your smartphone. Well, luckily for you, you're able to watch the latest episode of the show entirely on Instagram. That's right, in a stunt by Cartoon Network's adult-oriented spin-off, the most recent 22-minute episode of "Rick and Morty" has been cut down into 109 15-second chunks and uploaded to the image-sharing service for all to see. The clips were posted in reverse chronological order, so you had to wait until early Friday morning to watch it in its entirety. It's not clear whether this is a one-time experiment or a preview of the network's plan for 15-second shows, but we're just glad they didn't decide to go with Vine -- that would've resulted in 220 6-second clips. You can watch the first 15-second Instagram clip of the episode after the break.
Polaroid Kids Tablet 2 comes loaded with apps from Cartoon Network, Disney and Marvel
A kid-friendly tablet often isn't enough by itself to keep little tykes happy -- you have to get the content they want, too. Polaroid is counting on this formula to lure parents to its newly available Kids Tablet 2. The 7-inch slate comes preloaded with the full versions of 70-plus apps and e-books from Cartoon Network, Disney and Marvel, giving children plenty to do right from the start. It's also a big step up in performance versus the (frankly pokey) original. Along with a software upgrade to Android 4.2, the new Kids Tablet carries a dual-core 1.6GHz ARM Cortex-A9 chip, 1GB of RAM, a 1,024 x 600 screen and a front camera to complement the existing rear sensor. Polaroid's tablet isn't the cheapest in its class when it's selling for $149 through Toys R Us, but it may save adults the trouble of hunting for software.
Daily iPhone App: Jumping Finn Turbo provides an addictive cycle with the Adventure Time crew
Cartoon Network has been putting out some really impressive iOS apps lately under its Adult Swim brand, including the really great Monsters Ate My Condo. Jumping Finn Turbo is a new game outside of the Adult Swim banner. It's not quite as good as those offerings, but it is pretty addictive anyway. The title is based on the popular Adventure Time cartoon by Pen Ward, though instead of following the show's storyline, it's a "jumping" arcade game, where Jake has to kick Finn as high, far and fast across the show's setting as he possibly can. The best part isn't necessarily the kicking mechanic, which is actually kind of boring. You basically just wait for Finn to try and hit something and hopefully go farther than before. It's the game's deep and surprisingly satisfying upgrade mechanic that's the most intriguing. Kicking Finn earns you stars, which you can use to upgrade Jake's kicking power or put more items and power-ups into the world. That core cycle is actually really satisfying, and it means that Jumping Finn Turbo will probably have you saying, "well, just one more kick," more often than not. You can see the game in action in the video below, or you can buy it for US$1.99. The price is a little high for a simple game like this. It's well worth it if you're an Adventure Time fan, but odds are that there are plenty of cheaper and free games that you haven't checked out yet, so you probably wouldn't regret waiting for a sale on this one. But, if you like the game's idea and would get a kick out of seeing your favorite Adventure Time characters mashed up like this, definitely grab Jumping Finn Turbo.
