StoryToys’ Goodnight Mo goes to No 1 in US App Store book charts

11 Oct 2013

Dublin-based interactive games and book publisher StoryToys’ latest app Goodnight Mo has gone to No 1 in the Books category of the US App Store charts.

Goodnight Mo is the company’s first app based on a completely new and original character and story, and was conceived and developed in-house by the StoryToys team, led by newly appointed chief product officer Emmet O’Neill, formerly of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The storytelling app was launched on 3 October and shot to the top of its category by 5 October and has remained in the top spot since then.

Goodnight Mo has also hit No 1 in more than 40 countries and was in the top 5 in more than 150 markets, making it the company’s most successful product launch to date.

The success of the app follows on the success of the Chuggington animated series.

Goodnight Mo is a bedtime book designed to help parents settle children between the ages of 15 months and three years into a regular and calming nightly bedtime routine.  

Children follow Mo’s bedtime routine, helping Mo with nightly tasks such as bath time, brushing of teeth, and settling down to sleep.

StoryToys, originally known as Ideal Binary, was founded by brothers Aidan and Kevin Doolan and in 2011 games industry veteran Barry O’Neill came on board as CEO.

Now employing 25 people, company has raised investment from a number of investors, including Leaf Investments, Enterprise Ireland and AIB Seed Fund, co-managed by Enterprise Equity Venture Capital.

“We are delighted and proud that Goodnight Mo has proven such a hit with parents and children around the world,” O’Neill said.  

“Its success demonstrates that the StoryToys team can produce original content to compete with the biggest names in children’s entertainment.”

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com