I certainly do. 

I know it’s what mine want, they’re always saving towards a new computer, clothes, or whatever. And encouraging saving is good, but...

It feels so empty and meaningless.

I miss the days of surprising them with something they weren’t expecting.

I miss the delight of watching them unwrap it to discover what’s inside.

So I wondered if we could reignite that magic somehow?

That's why we've built Thumble.

Tim Cooper - Company Founder

A Thumble game is a bit like an e-card, but a little more customisable and a lot more fun.

It's a fun way to send a message or gift to a family member or a friend via a personalised game experience.

You simply create your game, set (or choose) a score to beat, add your secret message or gift, then decide when and how to send it to them.

Once they've received it, they need to beat your score to unlock their message. Fun for all involved!

The service launched in August 2024.

Our first game (The Birthday Challenge) was intended to help parents or grandparents gift intangible presents (like money & vouchers) to teenage children, however all sorts of people have been using it to send a fun message to a loved one.

We plan to launch some new features, new games and further options for wider audiences in the near future.

Thumble has been designed and built by Peek & Poke, a Sheffield-based game studio, founded in 2006 by Tim Cooper.

The idea for this service came from Tim's own frustrations of gifting birthday/Christmas money to his own teenage children.

Building and launching it was made possible thanks to grant funding received from Innovate UK as part of their Creative Catalyst programme.