Disney’s Club Penguin virtual world remains very popular among pre-teens, with 175m registered members. Now it’s got its very own iPad app.

The app is called My Penguin, and it launched today as a free download for Apple’s tablet. It’s designed for playing some of the main website’s mini-games, with kids able to earn virtual coins to transfer back and spend on their penguin characters.

The games are Pufflescape, Puffle Rescue, Puffle Roundup and Ice Fishing (trust us: if your children use Club Penguin, they’ll recognise these names) along with a brand new game called Sushi Drop.

Existing members can sign in to the app, but newcomers can also create a penguin using it. The app also features the Club Penguin blog and video channels for staying in touch with the virtual world’s news, and a shop for kids to spend (virtual!) coins on items for their character.

So, it’s not the full Club Penguin experience, but the app is closely linked, with Disney planning more features in the months to come.

The news also means Disney has stolen a march on Moshi Monsters, which has spawned several spin-off apps for children, but is still working on the full iPad version of its virtual world that was announced a year ago.

My Penguin is a free download on the App Store for iPad only, with no news (for now) on an iPhone and/or Android version of the app.