Disney recently announced a new line of toys called Disney Appmates. These new toys and the iPad work in tandem to create a very new age play experience. Featuring the likenesses of characters from Cars 2, the Appmates are miniature figures with special sensors mounted on the bottom. The sensors work with the Cars 2 Appmates app to identify each figure when put against the iPad screen.
The Apple and Disney Stores will start selling Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, Finn McMissile, and Holley Shiftwell in October. Francesco Bernoulli and Shu Todoroki will be launched in November and will be made available exclusively through the Apple Store.
What is actually new here
The interesting shift is not “toys plus an app.” It is the iPad becoming part of the physical play space. The figure is not only a character. It becomes an input. Place it on the screen, and the app recognizes it and reacts. That is a different play loop than tapping icons, or watching a video, or playing a standalone game. Here, play loop means the repeated sequence of placing a figure, getting a reaction, and continuing the experience through the object itself. That works because turning the toy into the input collapses the gap between physical play and digital response, which makes the interaction feel immediate and intuitive.
In kids’ entertainment and licensed merchandise, the scalable opportunity is not a one-off app but a repeatable toy-to-screen system that sells both characters and ongoing play.
Why this lands beyond novelty
This is an early but strategically important shift from screen play to object-based interaction. The real question is whether the screen stays the destination, or becomes the stage for a physical product system that can expand one character at a time.
Extractable takeaway: When the physical object becomes the interface, each new character can work as both merchandise and feature unlock, which makes the product line easier to extend without rebuilding the core experience.
Why the Cars 2 character lineup matters
The character list makes the product strategy visible. Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, Finn McMissile, and Holley Shiftwell anchor the launch. Francesco Bernoulli and Shu Todoroki extend the line later. The Apple Store exclusive adds a distribution edge for a toy that is, by definition, tied to an iPad experience. It is a simple way to turn character collecting into repeat purchases inside the same iPad-led system.
What to steal for toy-to-screen experiences
- Make the physical object the input device. The figure becomes the controller, not an accessory.
- Keep identification effortless. Recognition on contact avoids pairing and keeps play fast.
- Use characters as modular content units. Each figure is a new capability that expands the same base app.
- Distribute where the audience already buys the ecosystem. Selling via Apple and Disney channels reinforces the iPad-first play pattern.
A few fast answers before you act
What are Disney Appmates?
A line of toys designed to work with an iPad to create a combined physical and digital play experience.
How do the toys interact with the iPad?
The miniature figures have sensors mounted on the bottom, which the app uses to identify each figure when placed on the iPad screen.
Which characters are part of the initial release?
Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, Finn McMissile, and Holley Shiftwell.
What comes next?
Francesco Bernoulli and Shu Todoroki extend the lineup and are described here as Apple Store exclusives.
What is the transferable pattern?
Use physical objects as modular inputs, so collecting characters expands the experience without changing the core platform.