It’s only a dollar, 100 pennies shiny or dull, yet there exists in my mind a quantum leap between a $.99 app and one worth $1.99.
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Miny Moe Car, an iPad & iPhone app seemingly constructed lovingly out of the finest scrapbook paper, offers your younger children — specifically those still toddlering or just out of Pull Ups — a finger-sliding good time cleaning, repairing, and driving a car.
During the maintenance activities in the garage, a bird will poop, a porcupine will cause damage, and a soccer ball will bounce precariously. And your child will giggle all the while as they take good care of their little car before hitting the open road for some simulating driving. Once out under the brilliant blue sky, they’ll fancy activating the wiper blades, using the turn signals, flicking on the radio (two stations with not terrible music, but boy it would be cool to hear some kindie songs in this app!), braking suddenly without fear of being rear-ended, and much more from the cockpit of their 1st sweet ride.
I struggle with whether Miny Moe Car is worth the extra buck, the $2 as opposed to $1. With the hope of regular updates to in-game play options (and maybe a sweet song or two), I think the investment is a worthwhile one. Even if your child only plays with it 3 times for a total of 45 minutes, it is still a value versus countless other physical toys or books. And this is where the economics of such digital trivialities, and my mindset around them, continue to baffle me. It’s only two stinking dollars! Half the price of your daily Starbucks intake, or equaling the cost of that muffin your kiddo wanted at the grocery store the last time through, and surely lasting longer than either. Yet I flinch when I see a digit to the left of the decimal point.
The verdict? Do it — your car-loving little boys & girls will get a serious kick out of Miny Moe Car.
