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Parents' Guide to

Toca Life Stories

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Mellow slice-of-life shorts are fun but can feel like ads.

Toca Life Stories Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

age 6+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 9+

Be weary of content

I love this app for my daughter. She loves creating stories for the characters she makes. The toca life stories have plots that parents should be weary of. My daughter is 8 and although we have tip toed into puberty discussions we haven’t dove all the way in. Toca life stories does a segment in the girl characters getting their first periods. Although most of the content is completely harmless be careful as some stories could prompt some conversations you didn’t anticipate.
age 4+

Episode 42 is "FIN-OUGH WITH THE DOLPHIN PUNS 🐬"/"Sad Leon" and has an error! 😭 Nari is gone forever! Get Nari back to Toca Life Stories now! I promise you can make more episodes of Toca Life Stories like Episode 43, "WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO? 😱"/"Gone"! Episode 43 is just screen-looking at Rita and Nari only! But the yet-ending scene of Episode 43 is National No Rita And Nari Day, and the ending scene of Episode 43 is National No Leon And Zeke Day! Good luck! 😱

I like Toca Life Stories 😄, and Episode 42 is "FIN-OUGH WITH THE DOLPHIN PUNS 🐬"/"Sad Leon" and has an error! 😭 Nari is gone forever! Get Nari back to Toca Life Stories now! I promise you can make more episodes of Toca Life Stories like Episode 43, "WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO? 😱"/"Gone"! Episode 43 is just screen-looking at Rita and Nari only! But the yet-ending scene of Episode 43 is National No Rita And Nari Day, and the ending scene of Episode 43 is National No Leon And Zeke Day! Good luck! 😱

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (9 ):

This YouTube series does its job well ... if that job is enticing new users to try out the Toca Life apps, that is. By endearing the foursome of characters to viewers, Toca Life Stories brings new visibility to the franchise. These are true slice-of-life clips; there's no backstory to the kids themselves or to their friendship, and new characters are introduced without fanfare. All of this lends itself to a seamless transition for viewers to become users of the apps that put them in control of the characters' actions in community settings like a hospital or an afterschool activity venue.

Toca Life Stories is a prime example of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) entertainment: Kids ward off boredom by exploring their town and getting into mild mischief now and then. There are no lessons to be learned, no messages to be considered, and nothing worth digging below the surface to find. On the upside, though, their experiences do emphasize the value of community members of all different types in keeping a society running for the common good.

TV Details

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