LONDON, June 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Mind Candy, developer of the popular children's online game, Moshi Monsters, today announced its first major licensing deal with Penguin Group to publish a series of books based on the Moshi Monsters property. The online game allows children around the world to adopt their own free pet monster, play games, customize their homes, explore the virtual world and solve educational puzzles. More than 20 million players have registered to-date at http://www.moshimonsters.com, making it one of the world fastest growing children's games.

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The first book to be published during the deal will explore one of the most popular elements of the game - Moshlings. These cute, colourful and collectible little creatures are pets of the Moshi Monsters and the book will delve into their back-story, habitats, quirks and provide other valuable information for dedicated Moshling hunters. The book will also contain a unique code to unlock a secret Moshling at the Moshi Monsters website. Two books are planned for release in 2010 globally and a further five to follow in 2011.

Moshi Monsters grew tenfold in 2009 and we feel now is the right time to begin expanding the property offline, said Michael Acton Smith, CEO of Mind Candy. Books will be one of the key categories for the brand and we felt Penguin would be the perfect partner to help us expand the property.

The licensing landscape has changed in the last year or so with some of the most compelling story content for kids coming from virtual worlds, and the Penguin Group is honoured to add Moshi Monsters to its programme of successful virtual world tie-ins, said Eric Huang, Category Publisher, Brands and Licensing, Penguin Group. All the books will contain links to exclusive content and act in tandem with the site to expand the digital world with a physical component to make Moshi Monsters even more fun.

In Moshi Monsters, players navigate the immersive online world by solving puzzles that test a variety of skills including basic math, spatial awareness, logic and vocabulary. As players solve puzzles, they earn Rox, the in-game currency that can be used to purchase food, furniture and seeds to attract Moshlings for their monsters.

Moshi Monsters is free-to-play and provides wholesome fun for parents and children of all ages. With 20 million registered players and over six million monthly unique visitors, Moshi Monsters is one of the world's fastest growing social online games for children. To create your free Moshi Monster and enter a world of fun and puzzles, visit http://www.moshimonsters.com.

For artwork and press materials relating to this press release visit: http://tiny.cc/moshipress.

About Mind Candy

Mind Candy is one of the world's fastest growing social online gaming companies and the global developer, operator and publisher of Moshi Monsters. The company was founded in 2004 by Michael Smith, a UK-based entrepreneur who previously founded Firebox.com.

About Moshi Monsters

Moshi Monsters is the world of adoptable monsters, combining adorable virtual pets with social online gameplay and educational puzzles for children. The puzzles test a variety of skills including basic maths, spatial awareness, logic, counting, anagrams and vocabulary. 20 million monsters have been created to date and over two million new players joining each month making Moshi Monsters one of the world's fastest growing children's sites. To date, more than 120 million educational puzzles have been played and over one million virtual items are sold each day! For more information on Moshi Monsters visit http://www.moshimonsters.com

About Penguin

Penguin was established in 1935 and is one of the world's leading consumer publishing businesses. Penguin publishing comprises the following imprints: Allen Lane, Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Michael Joseph, Penguin, Penguin Classics, Puffin, Viking, Ladybird, Sunbird, Frederick Warne and BBC Children's Books. Penguin has offices in 15 countries and is part of the international media company Pearson.

Mind Candy / Moshi Monsters Global PR: Edward Relf, Chief Marketing Officer, Mind Candy, ed@mindcandy.com UK PR: Jade Wilkinson, Lewis PR, moshi@lewispr.com, +44(0)207-802-2626 Australia PR: Gemma Maughan, Lewis PR, gemmam@lewispr.com, +61-2-9409-3100 US PR: Megan Kellett, Bender / Helper Impact, mindcandy@bhimpact.com, +1-310-694-3102

SOURCE: Mind Candy

CONTACT: Mind Candy / Moshi Monsters Global PR: Edward Relf, ChiefMarketing Officer, Mind Candy, ed@mindcandy.com; UK PR: Jade Wilkinson;Lewis PR: moshi@lewispr.com, +44(0)207-802-2626; Australia PR: GemmaMaughan, Lewis PR: gemmam@lewispr.com, +61-2-9409-3100; US PR: MeganKellett, Bender / Helper Impact, mindcandy@bhimpact.com, +1-310-694-3102