Kidrobot, the designer toys store, is attempting to get QR codes to work in the US through it's new 'Dunny Hunt' scavenger hunt game, to promote a new series of Dunny toys.
QR codes are 2D barcodes, readable by camera phones, and are hugely popular in Japan, where over 60% of mobile phone owners claim to have used them.
They have never really taken off in the West - for example The Pet Shop Boys used one in October 2007, and The Sun in December 2007, but they seem to have failed to capture the public's imagination. One company told us that they were going to start appearing on estate agents boards in the UK, but so far nothing. The biggest problem is that most phones don't have a QR reader, and more advanced phones like the iPhone and those using Android can now identify pictures rather than just bar codes, which has far more potential.
Kidrobot could be the sort of brand to make it work though, and their scavenger hunt instructions contain links to an iPhone reader (BeeTagg) and readers for other devices.
The map shows locations of current codes; their twitter feed gives updates.
View Dunny Hunt '09 NYC in a larger map
Two days into the competition they've got nearly 400 players, according to their leaderboard - let's see how this one develops.
Original story via WirelessWatchJapan
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