Sesame Street Yourself

Kids will get lots of laughs becoming their favorite characters from that oh-so-famous street, though parents should be aware of lots of opportunities for in-app purchases. Kids can see and take pictures of their faces on Elmo, Abby, Cookie Monster, and more and accessorize with hats, bows, and so on. Song videos allow kids to get even more involved in the action as they record and watch videos of themselves singing along with their pals from Sesame Street. Some special AR functions are an interesting addition and allow for unique ways for kids to interact with the app. For instance, when kids are wearing an Elmo mask and open their mouth, Elmo's mouth opens too. And in one game, kids have to eat a target shaped food by opening their mouth at the right time to catch the right foods. One strange part is that kids are invited to sing along or make videos of themselves with their masks on, but there doesn't seem to be any sound recording while they're doing it. There's lots of locked content to entice kids, so parents should be prepared to discuss whether or not their willing to make any in-app purchases. And though Sesame Street Yourself carries a well-known educational brand, and is labeled educational in the app store, there's no real learning content to speak of. Rather, Sesame Street Yourself is an opportunity for silly fun and giggles -- all of which is even better when shared with a parent.