The App Fairy Interviews Originator

The “Endless” apps by Originator (Endless Alphabet, Endless Numbers, etc.) all follow a reliable and effective formula: genuinely funny antics + solid educational content = learning that sticks.  Most of their apps feature a lovable and irreverent cast of cute monsters who help to illustrate the definition of words, the meanings of sentences and the value of numbers through silly animations.  I was pleased to be able to interview Originator founder Rex Ishibashi in this most recent episode of the App Fairy to talk a little bit about their process.

Listen to our conversation to find out where much of Rex’s inspiration came from, be amazed by the small number of employees the company has (considering their large library of content), and hear stories of kids who learned to spell from using their apps.  Be sure to check out our episode extras for a free printable version of the alphabet letters.  You could print them onto sheets of magnets, cut them out and have a set of Endless Refrigerator Magnets that scatter as imaginary monsters run through them, just like in the app!

 

Carissa Christner works as a Youth Services Librarian in Madison, Wisconsin which she likes much better than her first job in high school, working at a theme park. She and her two young children love to test out new apps together, read books and go for walks in the woods. She blogs about her library adventures at librarymakers.blogspot.com. Check out the App Fairy website and follow along on Twitter at @appfairy.