This is probably more successful than an iPhone version of Tickle Me Elmo

Elmo’s Monster Maker is an app I absolutely love. Maybe it’s because I absolutely love Elmo and Sesame Street in general, maybe because it’s… well yeah it’s because I love Sesame Street and Elmo. Grover and Bert and Ernie are my favorite, but Elmo is probably the most lovable, though some would argue Big Bird. But I digress, let’s talk about Elmo’s Monster Maker.

Elton John, anyone?

Upon launching this app you’re greeted by Elmo. He instructs you to select a monster to decorate by touching it with your finger. Once you make your selection you’re greeted to a close-up of your monster waiting for you to give it it’s features. You can add eyes, a nose and a hat (although the hat option isn’t highlighted for some reason). Once you select your features there’s a little play button that takes you to a screen with more options. You can take a snapshot of it, have Elmo interact with it, or have it dance for you. There are five monsters to choose from and four possible dancing locations. That’s pretty much the extent of the app. It’s about 115 mb which is pretty large for something so sparse, and it’s $3,99 for something so… sparse.

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Everyone loves Elmo

I’m not going to get down on Elmo’s Monster Maker – it is a very entertaining and engaging in the same way that Sesame Street the show is. The app uses sound effects, music and space to interact with you and reacts to your options. Not in the way a game does, but in a way that’s more intuitive and natural. It doesn’t trivialize anything, it is honest, real and it does what Sesame Street’s been doing since it’s inception in 1969. However, I can not ignore the fact that for $3.99 the app is lacking. When you get above $2 or $3 you get closer to the price of “real” toys and the justification for a cute iPhone app can diminish. I wouldn’t be surprised if many parents passed up this app after seeing the price tag. If you do happen to have the extra $3.99 hanging around in your bank account, I wholeheartedly suggest this app – I mean, who doesn’t want to decorate a monster and have it dance around in the disco for you?

Disco fever