Krool Toys is an American indie game studio founded by Tia Chinai and Stefan Cohen.[1][2] Some of their clients include McDonald's,[3][4] Warner Music Group,[5][6] and SubwayCreatures.[7]
History edit
Krool Toys was founded in 2020 by Stefan Cohen and Tia Chinai. Originally concentrating on music marketing campaigns by creating custom video games, toys and other collectables for musicians, they have expanded to working with multinational fast food retailers, fashion brands, as well as releasing their own collection of branded merchandise.[8][9][2]
Grimace's Birthday edit
Following collaborations with Cactus Plant Flea Market,[10] Travis Scott,[11] BTS,[12] and others, on June 12, 2023, McDonald's announced its latest campaign, the Grimace Shake, in celebration of Grimace's Birthday.[4] McDonald's worked with Krool Toys to develop Grimace's Birthday, a platformer inspired by early 2000s-style browser games.[13]
Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's,[14] stated that "Grimace is the perfect lovable icon to have McDonald's meet our fans at the intersection of nostalgia and culture."[4]
In Grimace's Birthday, the player controls Grimace as they skate through playplace tunnels, grind on handrails, balance on telephone wires, and float over the New York City skyline to find his pals Hamburglar, Birdie the Early Bird, and the McNugget Buddies.
Its popularity led to people figuring out a way to put the game on physical hardware, making their own label and box art, sharing it with their friends and online communities, starting new Discord communities just surrounding the game, and porting the game to other consoles like the Nintendo DS, Steam Deck and PSP.[15][16][17][18]
References edit
- ^ Einhorn, Joseph (2022-09-22). "Krool Intentions". orbit. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ a b McLaughlin, Mike (2022-03-17). "Krool Toys Makes Timeless Music Collectibles". one37pm.com. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ "McDonald's Just Released A Game That Runs On Game Boy Color". Kotaku. 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ a b c "YOU'RE INVITED: McDonald's Celebrates Grimace's Birthday with Special Meal & Shake". McDonald's. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Price, Joe. "Playable 'Pluto x Baby Pluto' Game Boy Color Project Created in Collaboration With Lil Uzi Vert's Team". Complex. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ DeStefano, Mike. "Krool Toys Is Making Nostalgic Video Games Inspired By Your Favorite Albums". Complex. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Ben (2022-08-11). "Gameboy Game Made Just for NYC @Subwaycreatures @Krooltoys". Adafruit Industries. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ "Krool Toys Drops Its First Line of Wearable Merch". Hypebeast. 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ "Introducing Krool Toys, The Toy Manufacturer Producing Hip-Hop Inspired Goods". ELEVATOR. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ "McDonald's is selling a Happy Meal for adults. How to get Cactus Plant Flea Market box". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ "McDonald's and Iconic Global Artist Travis Scott Embark on an Unprecedented Collaborative Partnership Across Food, Fashion and Community Efforts, Launching with his Signature Order on Menus Across the U.S." McDonald's. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ "BTS". McDonald's. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Alexander, Cristina (2023-06-13). "McDonald's Released a Brand-New Game Boy Color Game for Grimace's Birthday". IGN. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Howard, Billee. "A Conversation With McDonald's Tariq Hassan On 'Brand Performance' Marketing + The Future Of Consumer Empowerment". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Cunningham, Andrew (2023-06-13). "For reasons no one can fathom, McDonald's has released a new Game Boy Color game". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Wallace, Anthony (2023-06-13). "McDonald's Just Dropped A Brand New Game Boy Game In 2023". Retro Dodo. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ WTH? McDonald's Just Made a Game Boy Game...in 2023?!, retrieved 2023-06-30 – via YouTube
- ^ "McDonald's Made A Grimace Game For Some Reason". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-06-30.