If you have kids in elementary school (like I do!), you’ve probably come across the cute Bobbie Goods coloring books filled with teddy bears that became a phenomenon among children and adults alike — topping bestseller lists since early 2025. According to Wildlife, the Brazilian studio specializing in mobile games, this craze has also boosted demand for coloring apps and games with a similar concept.

Wildlife has three of them on Android and iOS — Colorfy (2015), Color by Number (2017), and Paint by Number (2018). All launched years ago, but together still attract nearly one million monthly users today. For the company, this proves that the classic coloring book pastime has seamlessly adapted to the smartphone and tablet era.

“There was a time when dozens of new coloring games were released every month, because people were actively searching for them,” says Marco Aurélio Baboin, Game Director at Wildlife Studios, in an interview with The Gaming Era. “That volume dropped significantly, and today the most popular titles are the ones that have been around for a while. Our coloring games have evolved since launch and are far better now than they were at the start.”

According to Wildlife, its three coloring titles consistently rank among the top 10 most downloaded iPad apps in the U.S. App Store — the leading market for this category. In June, the games reached an average of 950,000 monthly active users worldwide, including 25,000 in Brazil.

Monetization is primarily ad-based, and most players access the games on smartphones.

When asked whether it still makes sense to invest in coloring apps — given Wildlife’s reputation for more complex titles like Tennis Clash, AFK Football, or the MOBA War Machines — Baboin stresses that Wildlife focuses less on genres and more on “good ideas.”

“We build a prototype and see if it’s fun,” he explains. While acknowledging a “growing interest” in apps that blend creativity and relaxation, Baboin says the company has no plans for a new coloring title at the moment. Instead, Wildlife aims to expand and update its three existing games.

“Right now we have nothing planned, but tomorrow we might come up with a new idea,” he concludes.