Metro Trains Melbourne has launched a new app of the early years safety brand ‘Dumb Ways JR’ and the first play-based learning app, ‘Loopy’s Trains Set’ to help young kids learn about the world while having fun.
Aimed at 3-7 year olds, four key ideas guided the development of the Dumb Ways JR app. It provides child centred entertainment, has multisensory and multimodal elements, is challenging, appeals to children’s sense of humour and maintains a theme of being safe while understanding common activities.
Apart from providing problem-solving challenges and fun, this app includes safety messaging related to level crossings and signal lights at stations. It also clearly delineates the train tracks as an out-of-bound zone for the Dumb Ways characters.
Chloe Alsop, Metro Trains Melbourne’s marketing manager and head of dumb ideas, explains that the team worked with experts in educational apps to develop Dumb Ways JR.
“We tested this game with young kids and it’s been very well received, with feedback incorporated to produce the final game.
“We really wanted to share this with the early learning segment so we created this ancillary brand, Dumb Ways JR. We’ve doubled the cuteness, kept a bit of dumb and removed the death – so it’s entirely age appropriate for our youngest audience.
“We’re really proud of this app – it’s another important opportunity to build our safety brand while educating little ones about the importance of rail safety.
“Dumb Ways to Die, the original safety Public Safety Announcement, continues to be loved by a huge global audience,” Alsop said.
Dumb Ways JR ‘Loopy’s Train Set’ app can be played without Wi-Fi or internet.
Further Dumb Ways JR apps will be launched across the year sharing the safety message and extending early learning beyond the trains.
