The Evolution of SimplyFun's Digger!

The Evolution of SimplyFun's Digger!

Ruff! Meet Digger, one of Tibbar's closest friends and the first buddy to appear in a SimplyFun Game! In his early career as a SimplyFun Buddy, he graced the cover of our Walk the Dogs box. Although his name was undecided then, his excitement and spontaneous character showed through.

Digger loves to match things and join them together, so his signature Digger's Garden Match is a perfect fit for his skills. His latest adventure explores early coding skills with Team Digger, but you can find him in various early childhood education games. Let's journey through the evolution of our favorite doggo, Digger buddy!

SimplyFun Blog - The Evolution of SimplyFun's Digger

"My name is Digger and I am so excited to meet you that my tail won’t stop wagging. Will you join me in the garden? We can dig three holes, run in five circles and count all the sticks we find. Oh, did I tell you I love math? I’m always counting, it’s easy for me and it will be for you, too. I’d like to count with you. Come on…let’s see how high we can count together." -Digger

Digger's Early Years 2004-2009

Evolution of Digger  by SimplyFun

2004 Walk the Dogs is Born

Digger was born during the production of Walk the Dogs, before our famous Tibbar bunny or the concept of our Buddies. At that time, Digger was nameless and was simply the main dog featured on the cover of all the cards.

2006 SimplyFun Digger Dog Puppet

In 2006 this nameless pup became Digger and grew into a plush character featured in our line of SimplyFun Buddies puppets.

2008 Digger Featured alongside Tibbar Bunny

Digger's first appearance in a product alongside the other buddies was in Tibbar's Everyday Felt Adventures and Tibbar's Big Box of Words. The two products shared art assets.

2009 Best-Selling Game, Digger's Garden Match, Is Created

In 2009, Digger became a player avatar for the first time in Tibbar's Apple Race alongside Tibbar, Pickles, and Rupert.

In the same year, he starred in a self-titled game, Digger's Garden Match, which received a Mom's Choice Award and was honored with the Top Fun, Tillywig Toy Award

Digger 2011-2014

SimplyFun Blog - The Evolution of SimplyFun's Digger

2011 Pickles' Veggie Pick

In 2011, Digger appeared as a non-player element in Pickles' Veggie Pick.

2012 Digger Makes a Few Guest Appearances

In 2012, Digger took on his second role as a player avatar in Math Room, which happens to use the same character art from his first avatar appearance in Apple Race.

2014 Best Supporting Doggo in Popular Kindergarten Games

2014 is a busy year for Digger as he plays avatar in Save the Pie, trying to keep away from Beary Bear alongside Tibbar, Pickles, Bubbles, and Puddles. He is also featured in Buddy Hop and Unravel.

2015 Digger Gets His Driver's Licence in Take Us Home

Digger takes on another starring role in Take Us Home. This time Digger has managed to get his driving license and is featured on the player pawns. He's very helpful.

Digger 2016-Present

The making of Digger - board game design behind the scenes

2016 Digger Joins His Buddies in Buddy Match

In 2016, Digger appeared alongside the other buddies in Buddy Match. The characters featured in this card game were probably the first instance of any sort of biography for any of the buddies. It was in Buddy Match that Digger discovered his love for counting and math!

2021 Digger Gets Camera Ready for Spaghetti

Digger, an Italian food fan, is featured on the Crazy Ates card game on the Spaghetti and Dairy cards. Crazy Ates is a delicious introduction to food groups, color, number recognition, and matching.

2023 Early Coding with Team Digger

Digger's newest starring role as the leader of Team Digger, teaching early coding skills while digging up tasty bones.

Ready for more play-based learning?

Go Behind the Scenes with Team Digger!

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