Animated Avatar Messaging App Zoobe Monetises With Shop Featuring Smurfs

Avatar messaging applications have had some successes. The Talking Tom apps for kids have been a smash hit for Outfit7 and spawned many off-shoots. Others like Headcast created bespoke apps for celebrities. Xtranormal, sadly, closed this year. But Zoobe, a startup which has come up with the different approach of creating of animated avatars for mobile messaging, continues to evolve. The new version 2.0 of its app has gone live on Android today (iOS is already out) introduces a range of new features, including the Zoobe Shop, where famous 3D characters from The Smurfs and the Street Fighter games can be bought. More are coming, but this is an interesting evolution of the in-app purchases model. Certainly stickers are all the rage in messaging apps, but avatars may be a new wave to watch.