He had been living in a fantasy world of maps and monsters since he was a very little boy. He is Brian Backus – the founder of Kidlandia, an illustrator and entrepreneur. Brian also produced educational multimedia titles for Disney and Voyager.
The concept of Kidlandia came out in 2004 where Brian wanted to give kids a boost of confidence, control, and self-worth. Kidlandia is a web destination where parents and children can create personalized cartoon maps telling a child’s very own fantasy story.
Kidlandia helps in
- Creating personalized maps of imaginary kingdoms for children
- Friendly monsters as companions
- Creating cities, islands, and other features of the kingdoms named after family and friends so that they feel more connected.
- Engaging kids and motivating them to understand maps, and accelerate reading skills.
The Cost
- You could create a map for free.
- Once you have created it online, it can be ordered in prints.
- Range: $39.95 for a small sized scroll to almost $180 for a framed, larger sized, high quality map.
- Maps can be printed on scrolls, which are easier to carry around, or on canvas that is framed and can be hung.
Shortcomings
- No integration with the web to create a virtual world for kids.
- Not very interactive
- Webkinz and Disney’s Club Penguin create virtual worlds for children to immerse themselves in a fantasy land, and have become increasingly popular.
Link: Kidlandia
(Source: Kidlandia | TechCrunch)
