The other 16 names belong to current or future MCU characters or characters who, currently, exist only in Marvel comics, animated series, or other forms of entertainment. Expect some of the apps featured in this list that are Apple-only to make the jump to Android in the coming months.The locker that serves as a tribute to Grisol Ramirez. Meanwhile, strong sales of Android smartphones mean there is a sizable number of parents looking for kid-apps on those devices too. This may change, thanks to impressive Android tablets such as Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire, which is tipped to be released in the UK later this year. Most of these apps are for iPad and/or iPhone, which is a reflection of the wider market: 90% of high-quality children's apps are still released for Apple devices alone, mainly because that's where their developers think they can make money. Some are purely about fun others focus on bringing an interactive twist to storytelling and others are more weighted towards the building blocks of maths and language-learning. This list is intended to help parents find new apps for their children, not just from famous brands but from the best independent developers too. On the plus side, this means that children's apps tend to be spread by word of mouth among parents – genuine recommendations rather than big-budget marketing. Instead, children's apps are scattered between categories such as entertainment, games, education and books. That said, the choice itself can be a problem, as the big app stores from Apple and Google do not have dedicated kids' categories. And with new companies such as Toca Boca and Nosy Crow establishing their reputations, parents are spoiled for choice, with more apps appearing every month.

Pretty much every big brand in the world of children's entertainment is now involved in apps, including Disney, Nickelodeon, Penguin, Mattel and Moshi Monsters, as well as individual characters and TV shows such as Bob the Builder, Peppa Pig, In the Night Garden and Dr Seuss. This isn't just about absorbing information, though: there are apps for children to make music, draw and share digital pictures and record their own voices reading favourite stories.

There are hundreds of developers making apps for kids, from games and story books to maths and phonics apps.

In July, Disney commissioned a survey of 2,000 British parents who owned an app-capable device and found that 75% share them with their children 56% said they had downloaded an app at the request of their kids and 37% considered apps to be an 'integral' part of their family life. Two years later, tablets – and smartphones – are now well established as pass-on devices, with an increasing number of apps available for children of all ages. When Apple unveiled its iPad in January 2010, the idea of handing over a touchscreen gadget costing at least £429 to a sticky-fingered child seemed ridiculous.

Aim lab spider shot