Building Creativity from the Bottom Up
Today, we are thrilled to announce that our first iPad app, Butt Art – Kids Learn to Draw Zoo Animals Step-by-Step, is live in the Apple App Store. The interactive iPad app teaches step-by-step drawing with a unique twist - drawings start with a butt shape (like a rounded, lowercase w).
The app’s release expands our existing product line which includes two printed books found on the shelves of Barnes & Noble and other retailers nationwide. Everything Butt Art at the Zoo was published May 1, 2011, followed by Everything Butt Art on the Farm, released September 1, 2011. Two more books are scheduled for May.
In creating Everything Butt Art, we set out to combine creativity, education, technology, and, most importantly, silliness, in a way that would be compelling for kids and their parents. With the creativity, education, and silliness pieces securely in place and finding their way into kids’ hands across the country, we’re excited to finally add the technology piece to the mix.
While there are lots of drawing apps, we can say with full confidence that Everything Butt Art is one-of-a-kind, not only from a brand/concept perspective but also from a features perspective.
The Basics (in most kids’ drawing apps)
- Paintbrush, pencil, and eraser
- Lots of colors
- Stamps
Beyond Basics (in some kids’ drawing apps)
- Zoom and move feature (ours has smart-centering when returning to 100%)
- Color picker
- Size adjustment for paintbrush, pencil, eraser, and stamps
- Three layers: stamp - top, pencil - middle, paintbrush - bottom
- Undo feature
Narrowing the Field (in just a few kids’ drawing apps)
- 15 animals available
- Step-by-step instruction with tracing lines that can be turned on and off depending on an artist’s ability
- In-app gallery of saved art
Standing Alone
- Animation of animal drawing steps: watch before trying
- Full e-book available: full-page color spreads, audio, and virtual page turning
- Hidden shape game, Butt Hunt (naturally): Butt shapes are hidden throughout full-page illustrations. Try to find all of them. One page for each animal. A scoreboard keeps track of found versus hidden while jungle music plays in the background.
Account Creation and the Web
All of the above puts Everything Butt Art in a category of one but it’s our backend :) that really sets us apart. Creating an account using email or Facebook opens up a set of enhanced features:
- Badges can be earned for drawing related accomplishments, like the Zookeeper badge for saving at least one drawing of each animal.
- Creation of multiple profiles (big sister’s art is separated from little brother’s)
- Drawings automatically save to an online gallery and can be set to public or private
- Art is emailed as an embedded image in real-time
- Drawings post to an online activity feed, tagged with the profile, date, and displaying swatches for the colors used
- Parents can share art via Facebook and Twitter or directly email (without having to upload an attachment)
- Featured Art is curated daily and posted on the homepage
- Gallery visitors can “smile” at drawings that make them happy
- Popular drawings rise in the gallery based on a combination of Facebook likes, Tweets, comments, views, and smiles
Pricing
For a limited time, Butt Art is free to download. It includes three animals for free with the remaining twelve available as in-app purchases for $0.99 per pack of six. Account creation and enhanced features are free.
What’s Next
We have a ton of awesome content ready to add to the next version of the app. Drop a line if you’re interested in joining our team: info@everythingbuttart.com
If you have questions, feedback, or requests, please direct them to info@everythingbuttart.com or use the Feedback tab on everythingbuttart.com.
Investors can find us on AngelList.
