Kerpoof

Kerpoof.com
Type of site
 Education
Available in English
Owner The Walt Disney Company
Created by Disney Online Boulder Studios
Slogan(s) Learning Through Creativity
Website http://games.disney.com/kerpoof
Launched March, 2006
Current status Defunct

Kerpoof was a children’s entertainment and educational website produced by Disney Online Kerpoof Studios, part of Disney Interactive Media Group. Users create cartoon avatars and earn Kerpoof Koins by making, sharing, and voting on virtual artwork. Based in Boulder, CO, Kerpoof was launched in 2007 and has grown to support a large community of users – prior to the Disney purchase, its traffic grew 30% a month on average.[1] Revenue is generated through paid memberships, which allow users to access additional features, such as exclusive characters and avatar accessories. Kerpoof was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in February 2009,[2] and the studio has since launched a suite of interactive entertainment activities on Disney.com, including an original site called Create.[3]

The site was designed for children ages 3 and up, and is used extensively in schools (educators may apply for free teacher accounts, which give them access to additional features ). As such, child safety is emphasized – filtering and moderators restrict what artwork may be published in the community gallery.

Kerpoof has won numerous awards in the Children’s Technology industry, including the Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice Award in 2008[4] and the Parents’ Choice Gold Award in 2008-2011.[5]

History and Development

Kerpoof was founded in March 2006[6] by Krista Marks, Tom Fischaber, Brent Milne and Jonathan Ballagh, and launched its first public product in January 2007.[7] The company has partnered with non-profit organizations such as the National Center for Women and Information Technology and the BizWorld Foundation in order to produce fun and educational content,[8] and its Make a Movie application was supported by two SBIR awards from the National Science Foundation, totaling $150,000.[9] In September 2007, Kerpoof was selected to participate in TechCrunch 40, and launched Make a Movie at that event.[10]

Activities

Child Safety

Kerpoof puts great emphasis on child safety. Safety standards are maintained by:

Users who submit extremely inappropriate material are held to a “three strikes and you’re out” policy.[11]

Educational Uses

Kerpoof is used widely in educational institutions, both in the U.S. and abroad. Educators may apply for free teacher accounts to gain access to a range of administrative tools that allow them to manage their students’ accounts and view assignments online. Kerpoof publishes an e-newsletter for educators,[12] and provides free Kerpoof-based lesson plans on subjects ranging from Art History to Math.[13]

Memberships

Users may apply for paid memberships (at rates of $4.39 for one month, $24.79 for six months and $44.79 for one year). Members receive benefits like safe chat, Buddy Draw, and the ability to unlock new avatar accessories, special effects, music, and characters.[14]

Reception

Kerpoof has been well received by the Children’s Technology Industry and the press, and was awarded the Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice Award[15] in 2007, 2008 and 2010, the Parents’ Choice Gold Award in 2008-2011,[16] and the American Association of School Librarians Best Websites for Teaching and Learning in 2011.[17]

Here, the images are interesting and varied, the themes go well beyond the scope of pirates and fairy gardens… Although bargain and quality don’t always appear in the same sentence, Kerpoof breaks the mold – again. - Parents’ Choice Awards

Kerpoof was also included in a list of “healthy (and fun) options from around the Web for children” in a New York Times article by Lisa Guernsey.[18]

Disney.com

Since its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company, Kerpoof Studios has integrated its tools for making pictures and printable coloring book pages into Disney.com Preschool and other franchise sites on Disney.com, including Cars and Toy Story.[19]

Create

In August, 2009, Disney Online Kerpoof Studios launched Disney.com/Create.[20] The initial launch featured a suite of four activities:

Kerpoof Studios has continued to add content to Disney.com/Create, including photo mashups for Disney franchises such as Phineas and Ferb, Princess and the Frog, and the Nightmare Before Christmas, and new Comic Creators, Animods, Digital Painters, Music Slideshows, and an animated Flip Book.[21]

The Create Portal’s reception has been positive. The site was nominated for a 2010 KAPi Award,[22] and was featured in the New York Times Personal Tech section:[23]

Create, a minisite for Web creativity tools on Disney.com, has Digital Painter at its core, with features that Photoshop users used to dream about … So now, in spirit anyway, even the youngest child can be a Disney artist. Walt Disney would most likely approve. -Warren Buckleitner

References

  1. ↑ Avery, Greg (February 20, 2009). "Disney reveals Kerpoof purchase". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Kincaid, Jason (February 19, 2009). "Disney Acquires Kerpoof's Kid-Friendly Creative Suite". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  3. ↑ Buckleitner, Warren (September 2, 2009). "A Full Palette of Tools for Little Artists at Disney.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Disney Online Kerpoof Studios Exhibiting at National Education Computing Conference". Reuters. June 24, 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  5. ↑ DiFalco, Teresa. "Website". Parents' Choice Awards. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  6. ↑ Hamilton, Lyla (February 2, 2007). "Kids become instant artists at Kerpoof Web site". Boulder County Business Report. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  7. ↑ Kaur, Sonia (May 25, 2008). "Tapping kids' inner Da Vinci". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  8. ↑ Nash, Jennifer (October 8, 2007). "Making learning fun - on the Web". Boulder Daily Camera.
  9. ↑ "Kerpoof: Introducing Kids to Science". NSF Current. May 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  10. ↑ Avery, Greg (October 7, 2007). "Kerpoof wants to make kids' boredom disappear". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  11. ↑ "Kerpoof". For Parents.
  12. ↑ "Kerpoof". Newsletter.
  13. ↑ "Kerpoof". Teacher Accounts.
  14. ↑ "Kerpoof". Membership.
  15. ↑ Hendrickson, Mark (January 23, 2008). "Kerpoof Helping Kids Connect Online, Create Together". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  16. ↑ "Parents' Choice". Disney Online Kerpoof Studios.
  17. ↑ "American Association of School Librarians". Best Websites for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  18. ↑ Guernsey, Lisa (September 14, 2008). "Limiting, and Watching, What Children Watch". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  19. ↑ Bond, Paul (2009-02-20). "Kerpoof! Disney buys creative kids Web site". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  20. ↑ Buckleitner, Warren (September 2, 2009). "A Full Palette of Tools for Little Artists at Disney.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  21. ↑ "Disney.com". Create.
  22. ↑ "Children's Technology Review". KAPi Awards.
  23. ↑ Buckleitner, Warren (September 2, 2009). "A Full Palette of Tools for Little Artists at Disney.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2011.

External links

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