News
Gimlet Media and The Tooth Fairy Partner for Kid’s Tooth Brushing Show Chompers
March 1, 2018
Gimlet Media is joining forces with the Tooth Fairy for Gimlet’s first skill for Amazon Alexa, Chompers: a twice-daily toothbrushing show for kids (ages 3-7) that makes building healthy brushing habits fun. Beginning Thursday, March 1, parents can say "Alexa, start Chompers" to open up a world of fun facts, riddles, jokes, songs and more. Chompers is a grown-up's secret weapon for winning the brushing battle, every day, twice a day. Drawing on the Tooth Fairy’s dental hygiene experience and Gimlet’s storytelling expertise, Chompers will have kids begging to brush. The first season of Chompers is sponsored by Oral B and Crest Kids.
"This is something I've wanted to work on for CENTURIES, but until recently, we just haven’t had the technology," said The Tooth Fairy, executive producer of Chompers. "In my line of work, I see the full impact of bad brushing habits. So it was incredibly important to me to find a solution that helps parents deal with the constant struggle of imparting good brushing habits. But it was also just as important that the Alexa skill be fun enough for kids that they wouldn't even notice they were developing great dental hygiene."
For four consecutive weeks in March, Chompers will publish two new episodes a day— in the morning and at bedtime. Each episode will guide kids as they brush for the full dentist-recommended two minutes. Morning episodes of Chompers will pose a question, riddle or quiz that will resolve in the evening episode. This storytelling approach encourages kids to come back and hear the answer or end of the story while brushing in the evening.
What sets Chompers apart from standard tooth brushing timers is its streak functionality. Kids who return for consecutive brushing sessions will be recognized for their consistency by the Alexa skill, as they rack up higher and higher brushing streaks. Gamifying brushing will have kids reminding parents that it's time to brush, not the other way around. The technology that powers Chompers was developed as a collaboration between Gimlet’s in-house team and Volley, the startup behind one of the most popular skills in the Amazon Alexa store, Song Quiz. And for those without an Amazon Echo device, Chompers will also be available as a free twice-daily podcast on Apple Podcasts and all other listening platforms.