Novato couple creates app to capture Santa’s holiday visits
One of the most bewitching things about Santa Claus is the way he seems to be everywhere at once, never hurrying, posing for photo ops in malls all over the world while managing to climb down millions of chimneys in just one night. And now, with a new app developed by Novato couple Kyle Feasey and Christina Osmun, Santa can be found right in your pocket.
JoyAR: Santa Visit Camera allows users to create custom augmented reality videos showing Saint Nick, as jolly as ever even in 3D animated form, appearing in front of your Christmas tree or anywhere else you want to see him.
“You download the app, and then you’re able to scan your space,” Feasey said. “The app will recognize surfaces, so it’ll let you create a path for Santa to travel. Then he’ll show up on the next screen and follow the path you’ve given him.”
Santa isn’t the only character to show up in JoyAR. The Tooth Fairy’s nighttime visits can also be recorded on the app; Santa actually entered the equation later, with the Tooth Fairy being the couple’s original inspiration to develop the project.
“The inspiration for the app came from one of our kids losing a tooth, and she was asking about wanting to see the Tooth Fairy,” Osmun said. “I thought, oh, this could be something that exists.”
Osmun has a decade of experience in the app development world. Feasey, who has a background in the wine industry, has a more creative and marketing role.
“I did the technical plans and the specs and stuff like that for it,” Osmun said. “But Kyle really came in with making sure that time was spent on the characters and really trying to push it to something that we thought would be really delightful for kids.”
Working with Argentina’s Trick Studios, the couple developed six animations for the Tooth Fairy that users can choose from in their videos. Santa has two animations: a wave and a hearty ho, ho, ho. An instrumental version of “Jingle Bells” plays merrily in the background, but you can turn it off if you want what Feasey calls a “more authentic silent night experience” for your Santa video.
“That video can be shown in the morning to show proof of Santa’s visit for the little ones,” Feasey said. “It’s a great app just to play with the family on Christmas. And we all know how much little kids love to see the pictures and videos that we take of them every day.”
The duo is planning to have more animations of Santa ready for next Christmas, and next steps may include adding a whole roster of fantastical characters to the JoyAR expanded universe.
“Maybe a leprechaun,” Feasey said. “The kids love leprechauns these days, for St. Patrick’s Day.”
The app was made “by our family, for families,” according to Feasey.
“One of the big things that’s different about us compared to other apps is that it’s just us,” Osmun said. “We do have a small team of developers that are on contract. But the idea and the vision and everything is really just two parents who thought they could make a Tooth Fairy app, and that’s building to something bigger.”