Dinosaurs Update: New Island

Uncover a new corner of this prehistoric playground and the creatures who inhabit it.

Since launching our Dinosaurs toy in November, 2023, it’s become clear how many dino-lovers we have in the Pok Pok community! Knowing that, our team was so excited to bring even more to this world.

This update unveils a whole new island with rocky peaks overlooking a lively swamp. Among its inhabitants are the new Spinosaurus and Pterosaurs, along with a surprise water-dweller that appears when it senses others near its territory. You may also notice additions to smaller flora and fauna like mushroom patches, centipedes, tiny birds, toads, and more!  

With this new island, kids will continue to work on their knowledge of the cretaceous period and life cycles while they further develop key skills like cause & effect, storytelling, and problem-solving.

There are endless opportunities to test the boundaries of this environment and better learn its patterns. Are some parts of the swamp or water more dangerous than others? How far can the Pterosaurs fly? Who is able to enter the different caves and will you reappear somewhere else after?

Embracing the Chaos

Part of testing boundaries is also engaging in play that might seem a little chaotic to some parents. We have found through user testing (and being parents ourselves) that kids are just like the cretaceous period; chaotic and a little destructive! We wanted to give them a place to expend a bit of that energy.

The Dinosaurs toy does introduce topics such as life, destruction and death which are less common elsewhere in the app. Our intention is for this to be an opportunity to learn about the wildness of prehistoric times and aspects of this have been reflected in the toy for scientific accuracy.

As for death in the game, we feel that it is important in this digital age for kids to gain healthy understandings for end of life-cycles in nature as well as digital/physical boundaries. If your child is particularly interested in this, please know that research shows violence in digital spaces does not reflect the same intention physically.

Observing how your child interacts with the game and sparking conversation on why they enjoy it can lead to a very healthy relationship with digital play in the future. Could it be that they just enjoy the transformation play schema of making dinos disappear? Maybe they enjoy the process of breaking things down? It’s likely that your child is less focused on the aspect of harm and more so using it as an outlet for other curiosities.

As long as there is support from a parent and the understanding of boundaries, we firmly believe these behaviours are healthy and beneficial for development! So whether they spend their time throwing things in the lava, hatching baby dinos, or frolicking around in geysers, this is a space for kids to truly follow their instincts.  

Fun facts to share with kids: 

• Spinosaurus: One of the new dinos, the Spinosaurus, can be spotted in orange with a sail-like spine. It was one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs, even surpassing the mighty T-rex in size and is said to have lived in what’s now known as North Africa. This semi-aquatic predator thrived during the Cretaceous period, hunting both terrestrial and aquatic prey. Its elongated snout, filled with conical teeth, was perfect for catching fish in the rivers and swamps it called home.
  
• Pterosaurs: There’s a new flying dino in town—a Pterosaur called the Quetzalcoatlus! And it’s also the first vertebrates (animals with a spine) to achieve powered flight. With wingspans ranging from a few feet to over thirty feet, these flying reptiles dominated prehistoric skies. Their diverse diets included fish, small animals, and even insects, making them versatile and successful predators of their time.
  
• Cretaceous swamps: The swamps of this period slowed down the decomposition of organic matter, leading to the preservation of fossils. Many well-preserved dinosaur skeletons, insects, and plant fossils have been discovered in ancient swamplands! Since the cretaceous period experienced warm global temperatures and high sea levels, this contributed to the formation of swamps and other wetland environments. This was especially the case in regions like present-day North America and Europe.

Good news for dino-lovers…

For decades, studies have examined young children’s sustained interest in conceptual domains and how it can be a sign of higher intelligence. These conceptual interests (dinosaurs, astronomy, bugs, etc.) can lead to a number of benefits for learning such as increased knowledge, persistence, heightened attention and deeper levels of processing. 

Dinosaurs have been a notable conceptual interest and one that usually comes with a high level of fact-collecting and organization of knowledge. One way children with these interests form deeper understandings is by question-asking which can also support a better grasp on evolution, causal connections and boost confidence when it comes to seeking out knowledge.

Kids can also take extra pleasure in the fact that their conceptual interest is an area they know more about than their parents!

Open Pok Pok now to discover this new chapter of Dinosaurs. We can’t wait to see how your little ones explore the new island!

We’ve been so inspired by the unique approach of each child who plays with our toys and can’t wait to hear what families like yours think of this one. Receiving your feedback, videos and ideas for new updates is so important for the growth of Pok Pok so please say hello at hello@playpokpok.com or on social media @playpokpok.

Join our community to get insights from our educators and take a peek behind the scenes into our toy design process over on our Instagram and TikTok!