GillBox (Childhood Restoration)

Toca Boca ♪ ༘⋆

Toca Boca has to be one of the most recognised mobile app developers of the early 2000s. A staple of many kids' childhood, including mine! From Toca Boca World: Vacation to Toca Boca Kitchen to Toca Boca Hair Salon 3, it's no doubt these couple of chums are one of the most beloved creators of their era. You could even say they still are to this day! When I was a wee child, their games were separated to their own apps on the Google Play Store, all with a fee for installation. Not in a grubby way, they deserved every dollar thrown to them! Every game they had created was not only stylised, but had smooth animation, sandbox elements and fantastic sound design. Their games sparked the imagination of many and pushed children to create. Now as a teenager, I struggle to manage the changes that have been made to the company, but also appreciative of the lovely experiences I was able to walk away with.

Been always told that I was a more financially wise soul, frugal, I never actually paid for any apps. . . I'd forgotten how I'd done it but basically I had downloaded an APK downloader on my old Samsung phone and I would follow this YouTube tutorial word-for-word, which rendered me a proud (somewhat dubious) owner of a Toca Boca game. Off the top of my head, I can't remember what was the first game I had seen or downloaded. However, we can all agree that the Toca Boca World games were iconic. Back in the day, the Toca Boca World series of games were a dollhouse-style collection of worlds revolving around a certain theme, the most personally memorable being Vacation and Stable. Vacation had three main areas, an airport, a hotel and the plaza. The airport is where you start off, with your little character holding luggage and tickets on their way to their desired location. I remember checking in my bags and hanging out in the hotel room a lot; I'd let my characters spend a luxurious day in before setting off to the plaza to explore. The most packed of the areas, the plaza, had an area designated to scuba diving, with very adorably drawn fishes and seals which I would always take home with me, with on understanding of natural habitats. Meanwhile, Stable involved a ton of majestic horses to take care of, and I would spend the most time in the park area, which was incredibly mystical. At the far right of the map, there was a waterfall ravenously splashing into a pond of secrets, with diamonds. I also remember Farm, mostly because of that anthropomorphic water droplet guy, do you remember? Not to go off on a tangent, but he always reminded me of Water Wally. I remember the giant robot in the store which helped to create products from the farm to the supermarket. Those were good times watering the wheat and picking the tomatoes ~ The sequels gradually rolled in after, Toca Boca Pets, Toca Boca Office, etc. and I dreamt of being able to afford them someday.

Another very notable entry into the catalogue was Toca Blocks! One of my beloved games! A sandbox game in the same vein as Toca Builders but completely rehauled at the same time! The most apt comparison I can make for this game is that it resembles Minecraft, being able to build your own structures with blocks. However, that's where similarities end. The most prominent feature is that in order to unlock all of the blocks in your inventory, you had to proceed with your own trial-and-error. A brilliant move on the dev's part, You had to combine certain blocks to make new designs appear, like how red + yellow = brick. It really gives this sense of discovery and it makes the gameplay more invigorating, speaking from experience ~ The objects created were also quite unique to the game! Of course, I can't go without addressing the three protagonists of the game, bear, owl and cat. I don't know if they actually have a name, it's been so long, but these masked, creature superheros were playable characters throughout the whole game. I remember playing around with the doors that I had created, the doors in the game symbolising portals to move from one scene to the next. I remember building houses for each animal for them to live in, including a nice kettle on the dinner table and a light bulb right above for every one. Honestly, it has been one of the most unforgettable gaming experiences I had as a child, and I will always be grateful to have had it.

The last remarkable series I would like to highlight is Toca Boca Lab. Toca Boca Lab was a series of games that allowed you to create these little tiny-eyed creatures by combination and treatment. I must admit, the tiny creatures are a little unsettling with their miniature facial features and sounds they make. However, the game played like a stylised Little Alchemy with the palette of appetising colours of ice pops. That's not disparage on their end! I loved it! My favourite was the Plants version since they had little legs and could run around like actual little creatures. As a teenager, it actually still appeals to me and I would love to give the game a go again.

This does not even scratch the legacy Toca Boca has created, and I have a plethora of other games that I could've mentioned like Toca Boca Dance and Toca Boca Nature. However, I am glad to have been able to talk about this somewhere. Of course, as I've grown up, the developer has grown as well. Nowadays, Toca Boca continues to create for future generations to come. If you're like me, you might be wondering where have their other games gone? Toca Boca World series is compiled into one game: Toca Boca World, with other areas for purchase. The rest of their apps -- Toca Boca Dance, Band, Boo, Nature, Builders, etc. -- are bundled in a subsription with another popular children's moblie game dev Sago for $SGD83.84 per month / $SGD128.98 per year, under one app called Toca Boca Jr. Unofrtunately, I am unable to afford that costly subscription, so I am unable to access and experience my favourite Toca Boca games again. However, I understand. It's clear Toca Boca is a very meticulous company, prioritising stylistic visuals and fun concepts for the kiddos, and in that I respect them. I just hope these apps are preserved for the next gen of kids so they understand the magic of that jingle: ba ba ba dum, Toca Boca!