R.L. Stine’s iconic series makes its way to augmented reality for the first time.
If you’re familiar with R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series, then you no doubt know of the evil that awaits you after uttering the phrase, “Karru Marri Odonna Loma Molanu Karrano”. Combined, these six words have the power to bring to life Slappy, an odd-looking ventriloquist dummy with an unsettling grin on his face. And once he’s freed, he will show you his true malevolent side as he wreaks havoc on your life.
R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series has been scaring the bejesus out of kids ever since they published their very first book, ‘Welcome to Dead House,’ back in in 1992. Since then, Stine has weaved over 200 ghoulish tales aimed at keeping young ones awake at night as they peek out from under their blankets. In 2015, the historic franchise received its first official feature length film, Goosebumps, starring Jack Black.
I total the series has managed to sell over 400 million books worldwide in thirty-two languages, making Goosebumps the second most successful book series in the world (the number one position belongs to some kid named Harry Potter).
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, the sequel to the 2015 hit movie, will be creeping its way into theaters this weekend, and Sony Entertainment is turning to AR as a way for fans to interact with the creepy characters from the books, as well as connect with friends; whether they’re down the street or across the globe. Sony, who has used AR in the past to market such films as Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania 3, has partnered with Krikey – an AR mobile gaming app – to bring Stine’s most iconic Goosebumps character, Slappy the ventriloquist dummy, out from the pages and into reality.
Just remember, Slappy isn’t nice. In fact, he’s actually the opposite of nice.
Krikey’s AR Goosebumps takeover will include three ghoulish games in total. The first game is called “Trap Slappy Challenge” and will have you stacking Goosebumps books on a shelf as quickly as you can in a Tetris-style experience, in order to trap Slappy and vanquish him back into his book before the clock runs out. Meanwhile, Slappy will be doing is best to distract you with a series of rude remarks that are totally uncalled for.
The other two Goosebumps-themed Krikey games, will launch at a date closer to the films official release. As of right now there is no word on if Slappy will return in those additional games, or if any other of R.L. Stine’s other characters will be join the fray.
With AR expecting to have 1 billion users by 2020, the technology is quickly becoming a go-to tool for marketing merchandise to entertainment. It brings an additional layer of interaction that traditional marketing could never hope achieve. It’s obvious Sony has faith in AR marketing, and with the addition of the Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween AR experience, they continue to explore how they can use the engaging technology to connect fans to their films.
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is produced by Sony Entertainment and will be in theaters October 12. The film was directed by Ari Sandel and stars Wendy McLenon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Celeel Harris, Christ Parnell, and Ken Jeong, with Jack Black reprising his role as R.L. Stine.
Image Credit: Krikey AR / Scholastic Publishing
