Moshi Monsters facts for kids
Moshi Monsters logo
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| Developer | Mind Candy |
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| Launch date | 16 April 2008 |
| Discontinued | 13 December 2019 |
| Platform(s) | Web browser (Adobe Flash) |
Moshi Monsters was a super popular online game for kids. It was a web browser game where you could create and take care of your very own virtual pet monster! Imagine having a pet that lives on your computer screen.
Over 80 million people from 150 countries played this game. You could pick one of six cool monsters: Katsuma, Poppet, Diavlo, Luvli, Furi, or Zommer. After making your monster unique, you could explore Monstro City. Players solved daily puzzles to earn 'Rox', which was the game's special money. You could also play other games, decorate your monster's room, and chat with friends in a safe online space.
Sadly, the game's servers closed on December 13, 2019. This happened because the game needed Adobe Flash Player to run, and Flash Player stopped being supported at the end of 2020.
Even though the game is gone, the "Moshi" world lives on! Mind Candy, the creators, now have a mobile app called Moshi. This app offers bedtime stories, games, and calming meditations for younger kids.
Contents
The Story of Moshi Monsters
The idea for Moshi Monsters came from Michael Acton Smith in late 2007. The game was then developed by his company, Mind Candy, and officially launched in April 2008.
The game quickly became a huge hit! By December 2009, there were at least 10 million players. In March 2010, that number grew to 15 million. By September 2010, it was over 25 million players. In June 2011, an amazing 50 million people were playing!
But all good things must end. On November 13, 2019, it was announced that Moshi Monsters would close. The reason was the end of support for Adobe Flash Player. The game officially shut down on December 13, 2019.
How to Play: Fun in Monstro City
Meet the Moshlings
In the game, your main monster pet could also have its own smaller pets called "Moshlings." These cute creatures came in many different groups, like Ponies, Beasties, Kitties, and Spookies.
If you weren't a paying member, you could keep two Moshlings in your room. But if you were a paying member, you could have up to six Moshlings! You could also visit other Moshlings in the game's zoo.
A Secret Song: The Easter Egg
There was a fun secret in the game, also known as an Easter egg. Your Moshlings and monster pets could sing a song called "Poesje Mauw" together! They would even hold tulips, wear wooden shoes, and dress in traditional Dutch outfits.
To make them sing, you just had to tap the screen three times. Almost every player knew about this secret, and many thought it was the best part of the game. Younger players especially loved it and wanted to hear the song over and over.
Lyrics of Poesje Mauw: Poesje mauw, kom eens gauw Ik heb lekk're melk voor jou En voor mij, rijstebrij O, wat heerlijk smullen wij.
Beyond the Game: Moshi Monsters Everywhere!
Cool Merchandise
Because Moshi Monsters was so popular online, it also became popular in the real world! You could find lots of physical products. These included:
- Games
- Toys
- The Moshi Monsters Magazine (which was the number one children's magazine in the UK in 2011!)
- Best-selling DS video games
- Two music albums
- Books
- Membership cards
- Bath soap
- Chocolate advent calendars
- Trading cards
- Figures of many Moshlings
- Mobile games
- And even a Moshi Monsters movie!
In December 2013, eight Moshi Monsters toys were even included in McDonald's Happy Meals in the United States and Canada.
Nintendo DS Adventures
In November 2011, a game called Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo was released for the Nintendo DS. This game was all about collecting and taking care of Moshlings. It even came with a special code to unlock a secret Moshling in the online game!
Then, in October 2012, Moshi Monsters: Moshling Theme Park came out. In this game, the monsters visit a theme park that's in bad shape. Your job was to help them fix it up and make it awesome again. This game also had a secret Moshling unlock code.
Mobile Fun
Mind Candy also released several mobile games:
- In July 2013, Moshi Monsters Village came out on Google Play. It was a 3D game where you could build your own city.
- In December 2013, the Talking Poppet app was released.
- In February 2014, Moshi Karts was released for iOS devices.
- In June 2014, Moshling Rescue was released for iOS and Android. This was a "match-three" puzzle game, like Candy Crush.
- In November 2016, the Moshi Monsters Egg Hunt app was released with a storybook.
- In December 2017, Moshi Twilight was released. This app featured audio bedtime stories. It was later renamed Moshi and now includes guided meditations for young children. You can even hear the "Poesje Mauw" song in this app by tapping the screen four times!
Moshi Music Magic
In March 2012, Mind Candy teamed up with Sony Music to release Moshi Monsters music. They even started their own music label called Moshi Monsters Music.
The first album was called Moshi Monsters, Music Rox!. The music featured songs from artists like Sonic Boom Six and Beatie Wolfe. Some popular songs included "Moptop Tweenybop (My Hairs Too Long)" and "Moshi Twistmas." Of course, the famous "Poesje Mauw" song was also on the albums.
You could buy two Moshi Monsters albums on iTunes and Google Play, or as a CD. One album had songs from the movie, and the other had some of the first Moshi Monsters songs.
The Moshi Monsters Movie
In 2013, Mind Candy announced that a Moshi Monsters movie was coming! A short preview of the movie trailer was shown on TV in October 2013. The full trailer was then released online.
The movie, Moshi Monsters: The Movie, came out on December 20, 2013, in the UK. It was released in Australia on February 20, 2014. The DVD and Blu-ray versions were released a few months later.
Why Moshi Monsters Closed Down
Around 2013, the popularity of Moshi Monsters started to go down. Mind Candy, the company that made the game, saw a drop in sales.
In 2015, Mind Candy thought about bringing Moshi Monsters back for younger kids, maybe with new cartoons, apps, and toys. However, the main Moshi Monsters website didn't change much, except for removing the forums and eventually the game itself.
The decline continued over the years. The game was most popular in 2012. By 2018, the money earned from Moshi Monsters was much less than before.
Finally, on November 13, 2019, Mind Candy announced that Moshi Monsters would close on December 13, 2019. This was because the game relied on Adobe Flash Player, which was ending its support. On December 13, 2019, the game's servers officially shut down. The website has not worked since then.
However, you can still watch the Moshlings and in-game pets singing "Poesje Mauw" on YouTube here!
