A Monster British Success: Moshi Monsters Hits 50 Million Registered Users Worldwide

LONDON, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- From Zero to 50 Million in Three Years

- Over Half of UK Kids own a Moshi Monster

- With Photo

Global children's entertainment phenomenon Moshi Monsters today announces it has reached 50 million registered users worldwide, just three years after it launched.

In a remarkable turn-around story Mind Candy, the UK business behind the brand, has risen from near bankruptcy in 2008 to being one of the fastest growing start-ups to emerge out of Europe. Regularly highlighted amongst the UK businesses to watch in the London Tech scene, Mind Candy is now highly profitable and on course to generate over GBP60million in total gross retail sales of all Moshi Monsters related products in 2011.

Moshi Monsters - a combination of Tamogotchi-style digital creatures that children can nurture and care for, and Facebook-style social networking in a safe environment, has become one of the country's fastest-growing and most successful online phenomena. The brand has experienced rapid growth worldwide with users in over 150 countries and one new sign up every second.

Over half of all UK children aged 6-12 own a Moshi Monster. The figures are much the same in Australia and New Zealand and the US is catching up with 15 million registered users and targeting 1 in 3 children in the US by the end of the year.

Moshi Monsters is a new form of children's entertainment. The website forms the heart of the experience, which combines adoptable pet monsters, safe social networking, games, missions and educational puzzles.

Following its online popularity, the brand has made a successful transition into the offline world with the launch of best-selling toys, books, video games, trading cards and the UK's largest selling kids magazine. Consumer products are currently being rolled out globally. Beyond that, Mind Candy is also currently in talks regarding music projects, live tours, a revolutionary TV platform and a Moshi movie.

"We're thrilled to see Moshi Monsters experience such rapid growth across the globe" said Michael Acton Smith, CEO and founder of Mind Candy. "We've hit 50 million users and have even more ambitious plans ahead. Our vision is to build the largest entertainment brand in the world for this new digital generation of kids."

Notes to editors

About Moshi Monsters(TM)

Designed for kids aged 6-12yrs, Moshi Monsters is a free-to-play, fun-filled world of adoptable pet monsters. Players choose from one of six virtual pet monsters - Furi, Poppet, Diavlo, Zommer, Luvli and Katsuma - that they can create, name and nurture. Once their pet has been customized, players can navigate their way around Monstro City, taking the daily puzzle challenge to earn 'Rox' (virtual currency), playing games, solving Super Moshi Missions, personalizing their room, showing off their artwork, reading stories and communicating with friends in a safe environment.

Over 50 million monsters have been created to date and over two million new players are joining each month making Moshi Monsters one of the world's fastest growing children's sites in the world! To date, more than 380m educational puzzles have been played and over one million virtual items are sold each day! For more information visit http://www.moshimonsters.com

About Mind Candy

Online gaming and entertainment company, Mind Candy was founded by internet entrepreneur Michael Acton Smith (CEO) in 2004. The company created Moshi Monsters, which has 50m players around the world and is now expanding rapidly offline into books, toys, trading cards, TV and film. Mind Candy's first project was the Transmedia game Perplex City that played out across different media including websites, text messages, magazines, live events, skywriting and multiple helicopters. Prior to Mind Candy, Michael co-founded http://Firebox.com/ (online retailer of gadgets, games and gifts), Berwickstock (boutique music festival) and Second Chance Tuesday (events to connect technology investors with entrepreneurs).

A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk

    
    For further information:
    Nicola Duarte, Head of PR - Mind Candy
    E: nicola@mindcandy.com
    T: +44-207-501 1926
    M: +44-7810-354103
    Twitter: @nics_duarte

    Press office team - 77PR
    E: moshi@77pr.co.uk
    T: +44-207-492-0977