- Super Juice - Letter to parents
Dear Parent,
We open on a juice bar in space, where your Sago Mini friends are lining up to experience the transformational effects of some truly ‘out there’ beverages.
Okay, so it may not be your typical preschool app. But after reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with my own kids and watching them crack up at the idea that candy can make you shrink or turn into a blueberry, the idea for Super Juice started to percolate.
Feeding the characters is a common occurrence in our apps (see favourites like Pet Cafe, Friends and Babies). We wanted to combine that familiar play element with the surprise of Juice’s Wonka-esque transformations to create an experience like no other.
Over the years, we’ve used a lot of the same reactions – yummy, yucky, spicy, etc. – when feeding the characters. With Super Juice, we wanted to explore what could happen if we took away the constraint of being literal and realistic and instead went over the top with the funny and fantastical.
Setting Super Juice in another galaxy also allowed us a lot of creative leeway. The menu at the Super Juice cafe is a little different than what Jack, Jinja and Harvey are used to, but when in Rome, right?!
I love that Super Juice lets kids do things they can’t do in real life or with a physical toy – they’ll never run out of ingredients, they won't get in trouble for making a mess, gross ingredients are a-ok, and there are so many reactions that it always feels like there’s something new to discover.
Happy sipping,
Luke Lutman Senior Developer
PS. In case you’re curious, the kawaii-octo-noodle-arm transformation is my personal favourite.
How to Play
Choose a juice from the menu and start creating! Tap on one of the friendly MixBots to change the colour of your drink, fizz it up, add some healthy fruit & veg and much more. Tweak and change your recipe to your heart’s content – the options are limitless. Once your concoction is just to your liking, tap the arrow in the upper corner to deliver your drink to your expectant customers. Give them each a sip and watch their hilarious, unpredictable transformations! Ready for more hilarity? Just tap the checkmark in the upper corner to start all over again.
To talk about
Ask your kids about the silliest transformation they’ve seen so far. Did it make them giggle? Or gasp in surprise? Talk to them about the power of imagination, and how fun trying new things can be. Try co-playing with your child by playing as the customer, and have them mix you up something fancy!
The Team
Luke Lutman - Lead Developer
Manuel Afonso - Developer
Mike Pereira - Lead Artist
Melody Chen - Play Designer
Tracy Mon - Play Designer
Yuliya Boublikova - Animator
Nina Wong - Technical Project Manager
Danny Simmons - Sound Design
Aaron Leighton - Art Director
Danielle Rainey - Release Coordinator
P.Y. Boulerice - Intern Developer
Sean Braithwaite - Intern Developer