Hallmark To Exclusively Distribute Freaky Pets
Abandon Interactive, the publisher behind toy-based MMO Freaky Creatures, announced a partnership with Hallmark Gold Crown stores to exclusively distribute Freaky Pets, its new interactive product, in 2010.
Targeting children aged four years old and up, the Freaky Pets line consists of reversible plush toys that retail for $14.99. The initial set will include ten different Pets, each featuring "cute" and "cranky" sides, which Abandon describes as "a funny and safe outlet [for children] to explore their emotions."
The toys include a one-year subscription to a Freaky Pets browser-based 3D virtual world, where kids can unlock a version of their plush pet in-game. Players can train and bond with their Pets by feeding them, petting them, and teaching them different tricks. Kids can then take them to a virtual Pet Town to challenge friends with trick contests, minigames, and more.
While in Pet Town, they can also buy pet food, send messages/gifts to friends, and earn rewards and in-game currency by taking quests and entering their Pets into different 3D minigames (e.g. hover racing, memory, trick performances). With Creature Credits, players can purchase accessories to customize their Pets and Pet lairs.
Abandon's Freaky Creatures, which recently saw a major content update with Freaky Adventures, has a similar premise, except that MMO has older kids collecting action figures and battling virtual version of them against each other and computer-controlled monsters. It's unclear yet whether Freaky Pets will offer a free version and premium monthly subscriptions like Freaky Creatures.
"We’re eager to provide the younger demographic an animated reversible plush combined with an engaging virtual world game that is unlike anything on the market today," says Abandon Interactive' president and COO Jamie Ottilie. "Partnering with Hallmark to bring this unique product to our audience reinforces our dedication to providing quality, interactive games in a safe environment."
