Academics
CrankPals
A paper music box. Punch holes on a strip to write a tune, crank it and hear it play. Copy eight old tunes like Twinkle, Twinkle, or write your own, then print the strip for a real hand-crank music box. Some of the very first computer programs were punched paper too. Ages 6–8.
▶ Play it nowBuilt for sittings of about 15 minutes on the screen. That is our design budget, not a measurement.
#7a4a12 Distributed-narrative cast
Meet the cast
CrankPals's friends make paper play music. Cranko turns the crank, Punchly punches the holes, Combsy is the little brass comb that sings, and Stripsy keeps the paper strip straight.
Cranko
(Hero and guide, a raccoon) - turns the crank, and the strip moves through one beat at a time
Punchly
A mouse with a hole punch - each hole is one note, and where it sits says which note
Combsy
A lark who looks after the brass comb - short teeth sing high, long teeth sing low
Stripsy
A hedgehog who keeps the strip straight - left to right is time, bottom to top is low to high
What's inside
Learning goal
A paper music box. Punch holes on a strip to write a tune, crank it and hear it play. Copy eight old tunes like Twinkle, Twinkle, or write your own, then print the strip for a real hand-crank music box. Some of the very first computer programs were punched paper too. Ages 6–8.
Question kits
16 curriculum-aligned kits × 25 questions = 400 questions per app, mapped to recognized standards.
On-device AI mentor
FoundationModels-powered hints, feedback, and adaptive difficulty — all running locally.
Mentored by Cranko — on-device AI, no data leaves the device.
How CrankPals handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ No ads, no in-app purchases — you pay once
- ✅ No personal information collected from children — in line with COPPA (updated by the 2026 FTC amendments)
- ✅ Parental controls + session limits + content filters built in
CrankPals runs on ForgeKit — the open-source Swift Package Manager framework that powers every Spark & Anvil app. ForgeKit ensures consistent accessibility, COPPA compliance, and design language across the portfolio, so your kid's progress and preferences feel coherent across every app they touch.
Coming to the App Store
CrankPals is in active development. Email us to hear when it ships — no marketing, no spam, just a one-shot launch announcement.
Email me at launch