Sago Sago Toys Inc., doing business as Sago Mini, is a Canadian-based toy company and children's

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owned by

Spin Master Spin Master Corp. (formerly known as Spin Master Toys) is a Canadian multinational toy and entertainment company. Spin Master employs over 1,600 people globally with offices in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ital ...

. The company promotes early childhood development through interactive problem solving and storytelling with their cast of "Sago Mini friends", the most prominent of which are Robin the Bird, Jinja the Cat, Harvey the Dog, and Jack the Rabbit. Following the success of the brand's apps, Sago Mini has since expanded into physical toys, play sets, and books. A television series based on the brand, titled ''Sago Mini Friends'', has been produced for

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History

In 2001, Jason Krogh founded media-company ''zinc Roe'', which created interactive apps and website for children's properties including

The Zimmer Twins ''The Zimmer Twins'' was a Canadian animated series and website. The project was created by producer Jason Krogh and artist Aaron Leighton and is produced through Lost the Plot Productions Inc. A selection of the user-generated episodes is prod ...

Stella and Sam ''Stella and Sam'' is a Canadian animated children's TV series based on the book series of the same name by Marie-Louise Gay. The series was developed for television by Radical Sheep Productions. This series no longer airs on Family Jr. in Canada ...

, and Nat Geo Kids. In 2009, the company released their first set of preschool-targeted ''Tickle Tap'' apps, which introduced many of Sago Mini's animal characters for the first time. Each app focused on a simple theme or concept such as counting, sounds, or shapes while also promoting the development of a child's fine motor skills. On March 6, 2013, Swedish app developer Toca Boca and parent company

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announced that they had acquired zinc Roe and had re-branded the studio to Sago Sago. The acquisition was made specifically for the suite of Tickle Tap games, which would be re-released under the Sago brand with a new focus of developing titles for a slightly older audience between 5-6. On April 25, 2016, both Sago Sago and Toca Boca were acquired by Canadian toy and entertainment company Spin Master for SEK 263 million. In 2023, Spin Master launched ''Piknik'', a monthly app subscription which combines their preschool-focused offerings into one service including Sago Mini, thus moving away from the company's former single-app purchase model. Most former apps have been delisted from App Stores and merged into a singular experience titled ''Sago Mini World''.

Reception

Parents have praised Sago Mini titles for their cute designs, creative focus, and lack of attention-retaining techniques seen in other children's content. Writing for ''

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'', Alison Johnson noted how each game felt "genuine" and stated "these games don't feed on my kids attention for views and downloads; they reward it". However, she was critical of the company's decision to move to a subscription-based model. Reviewing the ''Sago Mini Friends'' app for

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, Kevin Lynch commended the game as a "worry-free experience" and "the perfect first app for toddlers".{{Cite web , author1=Kevin Lynch , date=2023-05-04 , title=Sago Mini Friends and its colourful characters makes the perfect first app for your toddler , url=https://www.imore.com/apps/sago-mini-friends-and-its-colourful-characters-makes-the-perfect-first-app-for-your-toddler , access-date=2025-03-29 , website=iMore , language=en

References

Video game companies of Canada Spin Master 2013 mergers and acquisitions Companies based in Toronto