Yoto Announces Strategic Content Partnership with the Roald Dahl Literary Estate

LONDON, November 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Yoto - the clever speaker for kids - has agreed a strategic content partnership with the Roald Dahl Literary Estate. Roald Dahl is the world's number one storyteller and the author of globally quintessential children's stories including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG and many more.

Yoto was created to maximise kids' development skills without screen-time, by building and integrating specialist technology and content. Yoto allows children to unlock a carefully curated world of music, stories and learning via interactive cards which connect to a safe, secure world of audio content - with no screen-time worries.

Yoto, which was launched on Kickstarter only two weeks ago, reached its funding target after only 5 days and is still available to pre-order.

Suitable for pre-school children and inspired by Montessori principles, Yoto gives youngsters autonomy over what they listen to or play - from their favourite nursery rhymes to learning the alphabet through phonics. Yoto wants to revolutionise the way children listen and learn.

Yoto is pleased to announce that it will now be working with beloved Roald Dahl stories and characters to create audio story experiences and interactive picture displays that will engage and stretch young imaginations.

Working closely with the Roald Dahl Literary Estate, they're creating bespoke content for children of pre-school age and upwards. Ideas in development range from 'choose-your-own-adventure' stories, to BFG dream-mixing sleep-time aids - as well as snippets of all the titles that you'd expect from Roald Dahl.

Luke Kelly, MD of the Roald Dahl Literary Estate and Roald Dahl's grandson, says "We share Yoto's vision that all children deserve stories - and that technology, used in the right way, can unlock imaginations and help children to grow. Yoto is a visionary platform and we are excited to use Roald Dahl's timeless stories to enrich their offer."

As CEO/Co-Founder Ben Drury says: "We are thrilled to be working with Roald Dahl. Tech is a part of all of our lives, which is why we've created a product especially for kids which uses technology in the right way. But stories make imaginations grow, and to be able to draw on the incredibly rich story-world of Roald Dahl is a (BFG's) dream come true!"

About Yoto:

Yoto is designed entirely by a team of experienced entrepreneurs and parents who started thinking about what kids need to maximise development skills without screentime. Yoto has used technology to enhance the way in which young children can access and interact with content - and not use technology for technology's sake.

Founded by four successful entrepreneurs from the worlds of music, technology, design and marketing, Yoto allows children to unlock a carefully curated world of music, stories and learning via interactive cards which connect to a safe, secure world of audio content with no screen-time worries. 

Suitable for pre-school children and inspired by Montessori principles, Yoto gives youngsters autonomy over what they listen to or play - from their favourite nursery rhymes to learning the alphabet through phonics. There are no camera or microphone privacy concerns, or internet-nasties - just child-friendly wonder and fun with parents who ultimately remain in control. 

About Roald Dahl: 

Born in Cardiff of Norwegian descent, Roald Dahl (1916-1990) joined the RAF at the age of 23 and began writing, initially for adults, after being injured in a plane crash during World War Two. Sitting in a hut at the bottom of his garden, he went on to write some of the

world's best-loved children's stories. His first children's story, James and the Giant Peach, was published in 1961 to immediate success and every subsequent book became a best-seller.

Today, his stories are available in 58 languages and he has sold more than 250 million books. Many of these stories have also been adapted for stage and screen, including the 1971 film classic, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Wes Anderson's acclaimed Fantastic Mr Fox, Steven Spielberg's spectacular adaptation of The BFG, the multi-award winning Matilda The Musical from the RSC with music by Tim Minchin, and the stage musical production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, currently playing to sell-out audiences on Broadway.

Roald Dahl believe in doing good things. That's why ten percent of all Roald Dahl income^[*] goes to their charity partners. They have supported causes including: specialist children's nurses, grants for families in need, and educational outreach programmes.

Media Contact:
Carly Nair
carly@yotoplay.com

^[*]All author payments and royalty income net of third party commissions.