The Safari — a world guide
The sun hangs low over the Safari, turning the tall grass to gold and stretching every shadow into one long, lazy stripe. Acacia trees spread their flat green tops like parasols, and beneath them the whole crowd has gathered: giraffes browsing the high branches, zebras in their very best stripes, lions lounging around like they own the place. One of them, technically, does.
That would be the Mane Coon, who holds court here with the floofiest mane in the animal kingdom. His mighty roar, we should warn you, comes out as more of a polite "mrrp" — but nobody in the crowd seems to mind. Every so often a streak of color zips past overhead; that's the toucan, always in a hurry to be somewhere else. Somewhere down in all that golden grass is the one special critter you came to find. No rush. The sun here seems perfectly happy to wait.
What to look for in the Safari
Every world keeps a few secrets, and the Safari's are hiding in plain sight — tap them when you spot them. (The usual wanderers, like Cameow Sandiego and Penny the Pug, drift through here too, same as everywhere.)
- Gi-raff — the tallest treasure on the grass, bobbing gently while he reaches for the very best leaves. An easy first find for little hunters.
- Mane Coon — the king himself, floof from ear to ear. He blends right into his own court, so look twice at those lions.
- Tou-can Sammy — a beak bigger than the rest of him and twice as colorful. Here one second, gone the next, so eyes up.
- Safari Sahara — a sandy kitty in a wide-brim hat who found a watering hole and promptly declared it nap-o'clock.
- Bark Safari — an expedition pup who has logged lions, zebras, and one truly excellent stick. Onward!
- Safari Sam-cat — a hat-wearing tracker forever on the trail of the rare spotted nap-spot. (It's a sunbeam.)
- Frida Catlo — a bold painter cat with flowers in her fur and a magnificent whisker unibrow, hard at work on a self-pawtrait.
Tips for grown-ups
- Stripes and spots do the teaching for you here — point at a zebra, then a giraffe, and trade the words back and forth: stripes, spots, tall, taller.
- Start treasure-hunting with Gi-raff. He bobs gently and stands above everyone, so small fingers find him fast.
- Tou-can Sammy only stays about eight seconds before streaking off, so put someone on sky duty before the hunt begins.
- There's no timer and no losing, which makes this a good wind-down world — search slowly, and practice your quietest lion roar. A polite "mrrp" is officially correct.
One more thing…
One for the tall thinkers: a real giraffe's neck has exactly seven bones — the same number as yours. Theirs are just considerably stretchier, which comes in handy when the very best leaves are always at the top of the tree.