Lingokids Is Where Kids Are Now Discovering Their New Favorite Characters

Ask a parent how their kid found their latest character obsession and the answer used to be predictable: a movie, a show, a toy aisle. Increasingly, that first spark is happening somewhere else entirely — inside an interactive world where Spider-Man and Elsa aren’t performing for kids, they’re waiting for them to jump in.

That's the world Lingokids has built. The interactive entertainment platform reaches more than 20 million families every month, with a library of over 4,000 games, songs and activities featuring characters kids are obsessed with including Disney and Marvel favorites, Blippi, Pocoyo and Lingokids' own crew of originals led by Elliot, the platform's warm and endlessly playful panda host. Lingokids Studios creates original, playable games with these characters, all of which are age appropriate and exist inside an ad-free environment with no chat features.

For many kids, these games are becoming the first time they encounter Moana or Thor or Judy Hopps. Lingokids’ 2026 Kids Interactive Entertainment Report found that about one in six have learned about new characters for the first time on Lingokids and that more than half ask to watch the shows and movies of characters they encounter on the platform.

The report, which surveyed families with kids ages 8 and under, revealed that 73% of parents feel interactive screentime is better for their children than passive screentime, and 76% said screentime can be family time.

Founder and CEO Cristóbal Viedma started the company about a decade ago after building an app for his niece. Since then, the Lingokids app has been downloaded 200 million times and the platform's Disney games alone have been played more than 500 million times since launching less than a year ago.

We caught up with Viedma to talk about the future of fandoms and why he believes the next generation of kids' entertainment brands will be interactive-first.

We’re all about fun, interactive play. One of the first things kids see in our app is “Worlds to explore.” Kids can choose from a wide range of characters they recognize, such as Mickey Mouse, Blippi, Pocoyo, and so many more, as well as our characters. It feels like an invitation. Once kids dive in, they’re tracing letters in the sand in our Disney Lilo & Stitch activities, rescuing kittens in Marvel’s Spider-Man-themed activities, or building a path through the snow in activities based on Disney’s Frozen.

Our audience is young kids with a special focus on ages 2-8, and all of our content is created in collaboration with our Lingokids Child Development Council, which includes a range of highly qualified experts. Each activity focuses on a particular topic such as creativity, problem solving or early literacy, and adapts to each child's age so the challenge grows as they do. If grown-ups have set a time limit, the characters go to sleep to end the session gracefully.

A character becomes part of your life. The majority of kids ask to watch movies and shows of characters they encounter on Lingokids. They get to know them and talk to their parents, siblings, and friends about them. This bridge between a child’s social life and their experiences on Lingokids helps make screentime a positive force in the family.

Familiar characters also help kids branch out and challenge themselves on Lingokids. A character can make something new or unfamiliar feel comfortable. This dynamic helps kids build confidence and makes the experience on Lingokids more free-flowing and expansive.

Most digital content for young kids is video. Lingokids is one of the only platforms with interactive activities for kids featuring characters they already know and love. The character doesn’t perform for them. On Lingokids, the character is waiting for the kid to do something. The story doesn't move until they participate. The structure of the activity creates a seamless, genuine back and forth. I think adults underestimate what a big shift that is from a child's point of view. Kids notice the difference immediately, even if they couldn't explain it.

Absolutely! One of the really magical things about Lingokids is the way parents use it to introduce their favorite characters to their kids. If your 3-year-old may not be ready for the best-known movie of your favorite character, they can play an age-appropriate game on Lingokids with that character and hopefully start a lifelong fandom.

We are redefining entertainment for young kids. While we have our own IP and set of beloved characters, we knew that to become a category-defining platform, we needed to include characters from other entertainment brands.

Think of Elliot, Billy, Cowy, Lisa and Baby Bot as the hosts. Characters from other brands are the guests. Something's happening today that wasn't happening yesterday. Our characters create consistency while we’re always introducing new worlds to explore.

Kids' entertainment brands are going to become interactive-first. Kids are already there. Two-thirds of screentime for kids ages 3-8 is interactive. The industry, which is still largely focused on TV, movies, and merchandising the same way it was 30 years ago, needs to catch up. Our platform has exploded in popularity in the past few years, and giants like Netflix are now investing heavily in kids’ interactive.

This shift is good news for families because the majority of parents feel that interactive screentime is better for their kids. It’s great for entertainment brands too because it adds a new dimension to the way kids interact with their favorite characters. Ensuring those relationships build happy, healthy kids and families is at the core of our mission.