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Special Interest

WantsPals

Two puppet friends talk about a toy. Glossy is trying to make you WANT it. Plain just tells you what it is. Hear them both out loud and tap the friend who is just telling — the first, gentlest step in seeing an ad for what it is. No real brands, no timer, no score. Made to do with a grown-up. On-device; no account. Ages 3–5.

▶ Play it now

Built for sittings of about 10 minutes on the screen. That is our design budget, not a measurement.

WantsPals mascot

Meet your mentor

Every Spark & Anvil app has a friendly mentor character that demonstrates, asks, and patiently scaffolds learning.

Mentored by Pobble

WantsPals mascot
Live Media / advertising literacy (early) — begin to notice the difference between information ("what it is") and persuasion ("want it") in a simple, made-up toy ad Oral language / listening — listen to a short spoken message and decide whether it is telling or selling Hero color: #e08a3c
Engagement: Modes pending

Characters who teach

Meet the cast

WantsPals' two puppet friends (ages 3–5) show the very first difference in any ad: Glossy is trying to make you WANT a toy, and Plain just tells you what it is. Mentor Pobble keeps it gentle — it's okay to like a toy; you just get to know when a friend is telling you and when a friend is selling to you. No real brands, ever.

G

Glossy

Trying to make you WANT it — the selling voice that uses a trick (everybody has one, only-now, shiny words, a free gift) to push a toy

P

Plain

Just telling you what it is — the plain voice that says what the toy really is, with no push

P

Pobble

it's okay to like a toy; you just get to know when a friend is telling you and when a friend is selling to you. No real brands, ever.

What's distributed-narrative methodology? →

What's inside

🎯

Learning goal

Two puppet friends talk about a toy. Glossy is trying to make you WANT it. Plain just tells you what it is. Hear them both out loud and tap the friend who is just telling — the first, gentlest step in seeing an ad for what it is. No real brands, no timer, no score. Made to do with a grown-up. On-device; no account. Ages 3–5.

Mentored by Pobble — no data leaves the device.

How WantsPals handles your kid's data

  • ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
  • ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
  • ✅ Free — no ads, no in-app purchases
  • ✅ No personal information collected from children — in line with COPPA (updated by the 2026 FTC amendments)
  • ✅ No chat with strangers — play-together rooms use a short code and preset emotes, never typed messages

Full parent privacy guide →

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