APP STORE AWARDS 2021

iPhone App of the Year

This year, Toca Life World gave kids everywhere endless ways to play.

Toca Life World: Build a Story

Design & play your characters

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Toca Life World: Build a Story

Design & play your characters

Toca Life World is our 2021 iPhone App of the Year because... this enormous virtual playground allows children to have fun in whatever way they enjoy, and to see themselves in the characters they play.

‣ Number of characters kids created in 2021: 2.3 billion
‣ Number of available customisations: 2,200
‣ Most popular playset: Modern Mansion

Since its 2018 launch, Toca Life World has been helping kids build their own worlds, tell their own stories and express themselves as they please.

There are no boss-level battles or clocks to race here. Instead kids can explore at their own pace and dive into an array of environments – including a thriving aquarium, a fruit-themed gym and the egg-celleently named Omelette Islands.

Redecorate the house, raid the fridge, get a haircut or just hang out with friends – what can’t you do in Toca Life World?

They might wander through a cave of stalactites or ride a Ferris wheel. They might come across charming details such as a marshmallow held over a fire browning to perfection, or riders on a roller coaster throwing their arms in the air. It’s a wide-open space ready to be filled with imagination.

It’s important that every kid feels invited and welcome. That’s why we spend so much time making sure you’re able to create yourself.

– Mathilda Engman, Toca Boca general manager

This year, Toca Life World grew in ways that reflected children’s real-life experiences more than ever. The app’s new character expressions feature is not only fun to play with (who doesn’t like making faces?) but offers a nuanced way to communicate the complexity of kids’ feelings – not just happy but hyper-excited, not just sad but broken-hearted, not just surprised but wide-eyed with wonder. In fact, many of its expressions were inspired by suggestions from kids themselves.

When we say kids, we mean every single one. To ensure its characters are fully representative, Toca Life World offers more than 2,000 customisations – from hip hairstyles and silly glasses to prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs and hearing aids. Such inclusive attributes were suggested by users and a team of external advisers that looked at details such as skin tone and mobility-related traits.

“We put a lot into making everything look cool, something you’d feel proud of having,” says Toca Boca general manager Mathilda Engman. “If it’s a wheelchair, it should be fun in the same way as an outfit.”

This year, more than ever, Toca Boca made sure we all felt welcome.