Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul

Posted by Amy Solomon on July 5th, 2011
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul is a new universal storybook app that includes games developed in a partnership between Ruckus Media Group and Hasbro, bringing the popular series of Tonka Chunk and Friends toys to life in a children’s application.


Options include listening to narration or reading this book to oneself, as well as making one's own recording, and it is nice that when listening to included narration the words are highlighted when read in order to aid reading skills. Interactive word games are included as well, adding a nice educational touch. There is also a section that nicely introduces the characters found in this story.


Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul is a story about cute vehicles and a day-in-the-life adventures as they make mischief and break something of value owned by Chuck’s mom, as well as making a new friend and having an adventure showcasing their different abilities as vehicles.


Throughout these pages, word games are included where the player uses a finger to wipe clean the device of a mud or water spot, looking for letters that make up the word in question. Sometimes a simple memory-style game is used, as making pairs uncovers the letters used in the hidden word. These word puzzles are fun, and older children will enjoy trying to come up with the word that they are looking for crossword-style, using their reading comprehension skills to come up with a word that fits the context and the number of letters available, as well as the letter hints they get as these mini-games are played out.

At the end of this story, one can fill in the blanks of a synopsis of this tale with the words they have earned through these activities in a rebus story that uses images instead of certain words, here the words earned though these mini-games, or choose to use these earned words in question without images, creating a fill-in-the-words story instead. I appreciate how one can read this story again for different words that still fit into the same context of the story as well as use different words in the rebus story to create something entirely new - a nice touch that adds to the re-readability of this app.


These stories are nice-looking with bright colors and with enthusiastic narration that kids will enjoy. I like how storybook pages flow into animated sections of these stories, especially in the second half which includes a lot of action and some interesting perspectives as Chuck and his friends create and play on a large tower and ramp to show off their skills - my son’s favorite part of this story. These tales include some nice morals about owning up to one’s mistakes and cleaning up messes, as well as appreciating the differences in others and good sportsmanship.


This app will be liked by kids who have fun playing with trucks, especially those who are fond of the Chuck and Friends series of toys, as they will enjoy this story even more. My son asks for this app by name, and I think others will like it too. Hasbro has so many great toys, I am curious to see what the partnership between Hasbro and Ruckus Media Group comes up with next.

iPhone Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 1 Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 2 Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 3 Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 4 Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 6 Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 7 Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 8 Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 9 Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul screenshot 10
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