From the fridge
Why We Built FridgeToon: It Started With Nika's Drawings
I'm Jason, and I'm a parent. Like a lot of families, we have drawings on the fridge. Some of them stay up for a week. Some of them stay up much longer, because we can't quite take them down.
One day, my kid Nika had an idea: what if those drawings could become a real game our family plays together?
That idea is why FridgeToon exists. We built it so a parent can snap a few pages off the fridge, tell us the story behind them, and get back a game that uses the kid's own characters. I wanted it to feel like a family project, not like handing a drawing over and hoping it comes back right.
Nika said we could share this story, and the drawings, with you.
The drawings that started it
Nika drew both games currently in the FridgeToon Arcade. One of them is the Gummy Bear Mech demo you can play on our site today.
There are two drawings in that game. One is a giant mech. The other is Bob, the operator who pilots it. In the game, Bob is inside the Gummy Bear Mech. The mech fires flames from one shoulder and bouncy gummy bears from the other, and the player blasts it with rockets.
The other is Chip Runner, also in the Arcade. Chip skates across the train roofs, grabbing coins and dodging barriers, to stay ahead of giant fluffy Tim.
I still like looking from the paper to the screen. The lines are Nika's. The odd, funny details are Nika's too. That, to me, is the whole point. The game should feel like it came off your fridge, not like it replaced the drawing.
The demo was also a test. We needed to see if we could take real kids' drawings and turn them into something a family could actually play on a phone, a tablet, or a computer. You can try that one on fridgetoon.com and decide for yourself.
What we wanted FridgeToon to be
We wanted the steps to stay simple, because families are busy, and because the fun is already in the drawings and the story.
A parent takes photos of up to five drawings: the hero, the villain, and anything else that belongs in the world. Bright light and the whole page in the frame work best. Then, together, you type in the kid's ideas: who the hero is, who the villain is, where it happens, and one special thing. You pick one game type, and you get a link to play.
That link works on a phone, tablet, or computer. There's nothing to download. You can add it to a phone's home screen so it opens like an app. You can also send the link to grandma, or to anyone else in the family, so they can play on their own device.
We also wanted to be honest about the size of these games. They are small and fun. They can have a title screen, sound effects, and a win screen. They cannot be online multiplayer. They have no chat and no in-game purchases. They are not huge open worlds, and they are not realistic 3D or console games. We won't copy existing characters, like Mario or Fortnite, and we don't make graphic or realistic violence. Changes are limited, not unlimited.
In other words, we make the game your kid already imagined, inside clear limits, so nobody is let down later.
A parent is in charge
From the start, we built FridgeToon around a parent or guardian, not around a kid account.
A parent fills out the order form. We ask for the parent's first name and email. A child's first name or nickname is optional, and it stays private. There are no kid accounts, no ads, and no chat in the games. Drawings are used only to make your game or character mockup.
Every family gets their game as a private link, whether or not they share it with anyone else. If a parent wants to put the game in the FridgeToon Arcade, that is their choice. The Arcade is a free public hub of games made from kids' drawings. It uses character names only, never a child's real name, and it has no chat.
Nika's games are in the Arcade with permission. If you share yours, it will be because you chose to.
How families can start
There are three ways to try FridgeToon.
Character is $9.99. We turn a drawing into a mockup image of the character and email it to you. It is not a playable game, and the in-game character will look different if you later get a FridgeToon game. Character is delivered within 24 hours after payment clears and we approve your form. It does not include changes after delivery. If you upgrade from the link in that email, your $9.99 goes toward the game.
Your Own Game is $59. You get one game type with your kid's characters, a title screen, sounds, a win screen, an icon for the home screen, and 1 change within 14 days of delivery. It takes about 2–3 days after payment clears and we approve your form.
Big Game is $159. It has more levels, a boss, and their own story, with 3 changes within 30 days of delivery. It takes about 3–5 days after payment clears and we approve your form.
Those times are estimates, not a guarantee. Work starts after payment clears and we review and approve your form. You pay through Stripe's secure checkout, and we never see your card number. If we can't make what you asked for, we refund you in full. You can also request a refund within 30 days of purchase.
From our fridge to yours
FridgeToon started in a very ordinary place: a fridge door, a kid with a new idea, and a parent who wanted to take that idea seriously.
If you have drawings up in your kitchen right now, you already have the first step. Pick a few pages, tell us the story, and we'll help you turn them into a game your family can play together.
Questions? Email hello@fridgetoon.com.