We are very excited about Makego, a new iPhone app that bridges the worlds of digital and physical play. It’s been launched by British artist and designer Chris O’Shea, and is one of the most creative kid-apps we’ve seen this year.

Here’s how it works. You choose one of three vehicles in the app: a racing car, an ice-cream truck or a riverboat. The screen then shows a top-down view of that vehicle, complete with an animated driver and relevant items / decoration.

But the idea is that you then place your iPhone or iPod touch onto a physical toy - a Lego base with wheels most likely - so your child can roll it around the floor while interacting with the digital character: serving ice creams or feeding ducks, for example.

We love the idea. The app costs £1.49 on the App Store, and there’s already a good website where people are being encouraged to upload photos of the vehicles that their children build, to serve as inspiration for others.

Here’s a video of the app in action: