Parents' Guide to

Tootsville

By Susan Yudt, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Safe virtual world charges for premium content.

Website http://www.tootsville.com
Tootsville Poster Image

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

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 4 parent reviews

BRFennPocock
BRFennPocock Parent
July 15, 2016
age 9+

Tootsville is dead, but the concept is alive.

Sorry to say, but Tootsville, as such, has been dead for a while now. DISCLAIMER: I made it go. I was the Chief Engineer of Res Interactive from 2008-2010, and I'm glad that from time to time people are still thinking about Tootsville. While Tootsville.com has permanently closed its doors (the company, Res Interactive, LLC was administratively dissolved by the State of Florida a couple of years ago), some of the technology and concepts (friendly, judgment-free, whole-family non-violent fun) are still around. There's a (quite small) community forming around Tootsville.org to bring back this sort of wholesome MMO experience in a non-profit sort of way.

This title has:

Great messages
Safety police
Safety police Adult
August 4, 2011
age 18+

Tootsville is not a safe place

people can just say swear and say sexual language because my child has experienced it before

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 4 parent reviews

What’s It About?

The latest in a trend of toy-based sites, TOOTSVILLE.COM is a virtual world where kids can wander around in the body of a Toot -- an elephant-like creature that's sold as a plush toy. Kids who want to go on the site for free can play a variety of games, chat with other Toots, and travel to different worlds (including the moon, a comic world, a dinosaur land, and more). A premium membership, which costs $5.95 a month (or less, if you sign up for six months or a year), gives kids access to extra features, such as the chance to buy clothes and furniture with the \"peanuts\" they collect, play special games, and attend events.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (5):

Tootsville's free content should satisfy most kids who are looking for simple problem-solving and arcade games. The "Tootlympics" games score big, with virtual gymnastics, volleyball, archery, and more. The cute, colorful world is pretty easy to navigate, although sometimes it's a bit tough to control the Toots' actions. One handy feature is the "find games" button, which highlights each area in the world that features a game or activity. Parents will appreciate the site's thoughtful approach to safety, but may be annoyed by the merch tie-ins and pushes to upgrade membership. (The site's grammatically incorrect copy may also irk eagle-eyed moms and dads.)

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about online safety and what's appropriate to share on a Web site and setting computer time limits. You can also discuss how to apply the social skills you learned in the virtual world to life offline: How would you approach a new friend? What would you do if someone was bothering you? Families can talk to older kids about how sites market their own merchandise.

Website Details

  • Genre: Virtual Worlds
  • Pricing structure: Free
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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