Moshi Monsters

Moshi Monsters is a social networking online game and virtual pet site targeted at children aged 7 to 12. The player adopts and cares for a pet monster, solving puzzles which lead to rewards called rox; these can be used as currency to buy items for the adopted monster, such as clothing, food, and home decor. Unwanted objects can be sold to get Rox.[1][2] The game was developed in 2007 by the British media company Mind Candy and launched in April 2008.[3] As of December 2009, there were 10 million players registered.[4] In March 2010, Mind Candy announced that there were 15 million users and by September 2010 that number had surpassed 25 million.[5] In June 2011 it was announced that there were 50 million users.[6] The game that is supposedly played by one in three British children, makes revenue through the sale of paid membership options as well as licensed merchandise. [7] The site has sometimes been referred to as "Facebook for kids";[8][9] however, the game presents a number of differences to Facebook. As of July 2009, revenues were "many thousands of pounds per month", according to Mind Candy CEO Michael Acton Smith.[9] Investors have included Index Ventures, which backed Last.fm, and Accel Partners, which has invested in Facebook.[10] As of June 2011, the British company behind Moshi Monsters (Mind Candy) has been estimated to be worth U.S $200 million.[11] In 2011, Moshi Monsters launched a range of physical products including books, toys, trading cards and a magazine.[12] In February 2011, Moshi Magazine launched and now has the largest circulation of any UK children's magazine.[13] A series of music videos were uploaded to YouTube featuring various moshlings, which served to promote the website. In 2012 a new Moshi Monsters music album, called "Music Rox", will be released. Some of the songs include: I Heart Moshlings, Go Do The Hoodoo, Moshi Twistmas, Strangeglove, and The Moshi Dance.