Aardman Animations, the UK studio of Wallace and Gromit fame, has launched a new world for kids called WebbliWorld. It's got games, films and social networking elements-- users create their own Webbli avatar from colorful, pleasingly odd geometric peacemeal and earn virtual coins-- "Webbles"-- by voting in polls, visiting partner sites and playing games.

The movies on the site feature new Aardman characters, plus various ad client tie-ins; the initial sponsors are Puffin Books and the World Wildlife Federation, and according to an article in ToyNews, further planned clients will sponsor different areas of the site as it expands to include more online community elements and a search engine.

"Whilst there are already some fantastic online sites for children to visit we want to make the name WebbliWorld synonymous with quality both in terms of design and content," says a statement on WebbliWorld's developer blog, which it says is in place to encourage a two-way dialogue about child safety. "We know that we have a long way to ago to achieve our ultimate goals for WebbliWorld and now that the initial site has been launched we are already working to design and deliver phase two."

A spokesperson for Aardman's TV commercials division said part of the goal in creating WebbliWorld was to demonstrate that the studio's animation design skills are just as relevant in web design as they are on screen.

The site's still a little thin now in terms of content, but it's only launched this month, and judging by these statements further developments are solidly in the works. The site's colorful, quirky character design is refreshing-- let's see where they go with this!

[Via ToyNews]