Flocks of Similar Themed Apps Taking Over iTunes Store

When I search for new apps for my iPhone or iPad, they seem to come in flocks.  I find it amazing that a group of developers can all come up with a theme for their apps that also matches another developer's app around the same time period.   I've seen a lot of zombie themed apps, monkey-themed apps and a flock of sheep apps. 

So I've decided to describe the flock of sheep themed apps in this blog, so here goes, ...

In Sheepee, white and black sheep run across the screen and jump over a fence. After the last sheep, a sheep asks you how many sheep of a certain color hopped over the fence. Choose the correct choice of the three options to receive points.

With iShear, players put their shearing skills to the test. Equipped with their handy shears, players race against the clock to collect wool from all the black and white sheep wandering around the screen. If you cut the wool quickly and carefully, you can earn bonuses to boost your score. With Facebook and Twitter integration, players can update their status and compete with friends and family for the highest score.  (This one could be a hit with little kids).

In Saving Private Sheep, the wolves are invading, seizing land and eating sheep, and it is up to you to stop them. Fight back by leading the sheep to secure zones. Solve puzzles and prevent the wolves from killing the sheep by using your finger to interact with the in-game physics. Enjoy more than 80 levels, gradually increasing difficulty, and world rankings via OpenFeint. (This is one of my favorites)

Sheep Farmer lets players of all ages enjoy a simple counting game. You count the number of sheep that fly by the screen. Count correctly and you move on to the next level. Farm animals, including chickens, pigs, donkeys, and cows, also fly by and as you progress, the animals fly by faster and faster. Thankfully, you can save your hard work and return later. You can also post your high scores online to compete with players globally.

In Go Sheep Go Lite, players help sheep cross a level to reach a goal sign. You solve challenging puzzles, at times using the sheep themselves, to get the father, mother, and baby sheep to safety.
Extreme Sheepdog Trials Lite Edition offers unique sheepdog fun. Use your sheepdog to herd the sheep into goal areas. Be careful, though: the sheep will panic if you rush and they will wonder if you are too slow. With Facebook integration and worldwide rankings, you can compete with friends and show off your best scores to players around the world.

With Friendsheep HD: The Insanely Popular Party Game, up to 4 players compete to collect the most sheep. Drag the sheep to your field, wake up lazy sheep by tapping them, and fling unwanted sheep off the game board with a flick. Watch out for the dangerous wolf as well. Enjoy 5 modes of play and silly dancing and peeing sheep.

Catch Sheeps&Pigs challenges players' sorting ability. Drag the animals to the correct housing as they walk down the screen. As you level up, the animals move faster and more types of animals appear.
In Woolly the Jumper: A Sheep on the Edge, players control a sheep with a jetpack. Plot the flight of Woolly using your finger to set the power and angle of his launch. Collect treats such as cherries and candy canes to gain points, and help Woolly escape from his farmer.

Sheeple places players in charge of sheep people. Lead the sheeple to safety using your abilities, including dropping bridges, destroying boulders with meteors, and moving crates. 100 levels offer lots of fun and challenging puzzles. Automatic saving means you can continue where you left off. Enjoy achievements via OpenFeint.

With Sheep Launcher Free!, players launch a sheep sky-high. Tap the sheep to make him go higher and higher. The faster you tap, the higher the sheep goes, and the harder the game gets. Collect stars, helium tanks, flying saucers, and other items to boost your score. Compete worldwide in global rankings to see who the best sheep launchers are.

Color Baaathalolomew, is a great brain puzzle where the user must tap on sheep changing their colors from white to black.  Tapping on a sheep changes that sheep and the ones next to him to black, unless he is already black then it changes to white.  Object of the game is to turn all the sheep black.  (This is another one of my favorites.  The graphics are amazingly cute).

Johnny Carson on the late show, used to say that you can't compete with kids or animals in show business ... and I also think this is true for apps.  Animal themed apps seem to be doing okay in the app store. Tweet