Taking Gameplay Beyond Entertainment

1. Pokémon Help Build Healthy Brushing Habits

As parents know, the daily toothbrushing routine can be a real challenge for children. Data* shows that while 95.4% of mothers with preschoolers believe that tooth brushing is important, 98% think their children lack the proper technique.

To make daily toothbrushing fun for children by allowing them to brush their teeth with Pokémon, we made the app Pokémon Smile.

The app uses the smartphone camera to track brushing. It guides the child to brush specific areas one by one, helping them get a thorough cleaning. By brushing properly, users defeat cavity-causing bacteria and can catch the Pokémon that appear on-screen.

“Pokémon Smile” support the development of good tooth-brushing habits through “gamification,” the application of gameplay elements to non-gaming contexts.

2. Developing Pokémon Smile with LITALICO

The company we collaborated with to make “Pokémon Smile”  is LITALICO Inc. Guided by a vision to create “an obstacle-free society,” LITALICO supports employment and education needs.

LITALICO and Pokémon were both eager to explore ways to make brushing exciting for children. Their philosophy struck a chord with us, and we immediately decided to collaborate on the development.

In this partnership, LITALICO manages the programming, while The Pokémon Company handles game planning and development team staffing.

Kanahei, an illustrator renowned for her cute rabbit characters, created the  artwork. For UI design, we commissioned Takashi Maeda of NASU Co., Ltd., a former Nintendo advertising designer.

Also, we tapped Reo Uratani, a freelancer who formerly worked with CAPCOM  on the “Monster Hunter” series, to serve as sound designer.

3. Beyond Gaming: Making Games a Part of Daily Life

Because our previous game development projects typically involved working with just one partner, Pokémon Smile was a totally new experience for us. It’s a game that goes beyond gaming and brings gameplay to daily life. We hope more and more people will come to enjoy the fun of Pokémon, even within their daily routines.

The Pokémon Smile app is available in twelve languages: English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Thai, and Hindi. It’s currently accessible in over 150 countries worldwide.