Getting children to brush their teeth every day can be a real challenge. Data shows that while 95.4% of mothers of preschoolers believe that tooth brushing is important for their child, 98% think their children haven’t mastered proper brushing*. “Pokémon Smile” evolved out of the desire to develop a game app that would make children eager to brush their teeth every day – together with Pokémon.

Using the camera function of a smartphone, the brushing process is monitored and each place to brush is displayed on the screen one after another, enabling the child to brush every tooth completely and thoroughly. When the brushing is done properly, it attacks the cavity-causing bacteria, and a Pokémon then appears which the child can catch. Since more than 100 Pokémon can be caught, the child’s interest is sustained for a long time. Using “Pokémon Smile” to support acquisition of good tooth-brushing habits is an example of “gamification,” adding an element of gameplay to other aspects of our lives.

“Pokémon Smile” derived out of an association with LITALICO Inc., a company that supports employment and education needs under a vision of creating “a society without any barriers.” LITALICO was eager to work with Pokémon to explore ways of inducing children to want to brush their teeth, and Pokémon responded and immediately decided to collaborate with LITALICO toward development. LITALICO took charge of programming, while Pokémon handled game planning and staffing of the development team. A supremely talented team was assembled: Kanahei, who enjoys a large fan base for her cute rabbit characters, to create the illustrations; Takashi Maeda of NASU Co., Ltd., who previously was in charge of ad design at Nintendo, to perform UI design; and Reo Uratani, now working freelance but formerly with CAPCOM, where he was in charge of the “Monster Hunter” series, to serve as sound creator. Because game development projects at Pokémon had previously involved mostly working with just one partner, “Pokémon Smile” was a totally new experience for us. By applying gameplay to other aspects of our everyday lives, we hope more and more people will come to enjoy the fun of Pokémon.

The “Pokémon Smile” app is available in nine languages: English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Thai, and Hindi. It’s currently accessible in 158 countries worldwide.

* Based on an independent survey of 500 Japanese mothers of preschoolers