Big brands might be dominating the preschool mobile space at the moment, but take a look at the top educational apps for iPad and you’ll see that many are produced by independent and developers.

In the latest stats from apps analytics database App Annie, indies and local developers are responsible for the top paid educational iPads apps in the US, Canada and a number of other countries.

Drilling down into US stats, while Toca Boca is on top with Toca Kitchen 2, it’s closely followed by smaller studios Tinybop with The Robot Factory (pictured) and Sago Sago with Sago Mini Toolbox. In fact, Robot Factory and Mini Toolbox make an appearance in the upper ranks for a number of territories, joined by indie stalwart Dr. Panda’s Ice Cream Truck.

It’s interesting to note that in the countries listed below, Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Wildlife Countalong was the only mobile offering from a big studio to crack the top five, sitting in fifth spot for the US.

The educational value of an app or device continues to be an important factor for parents. A recent study from PlayScience found that when it came to device preference, parents leaned towards tablets (and especially those designed specifically for kids) over smartphones. For the two to four demo, in particular, 73% of parents preferred a children’s tablet, 41% a regular tablet, and only 12% a smartphone.

In addition, parents were more likely to describe tablets as “educational,” “good” and “useful” than smartphones.

The top 5 paid educational iPad apps

The US
1. Toca Kitchen 2 – Toca Boca AB
2. The Robot Factory – Tinybop
3. Sago Mini Toolbox – Sago Sago
4. Stack the States – Freecloud Design, Inc.
5. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Wildlife Countalong – Disney

Canada
1. Sago Mini Toolbox – Sago Sago
2. Endless Alphabet – Originator
3. Sago Mini Doodlecast – Sago Sago
4. The Robot Factory – Tinybop
5. Moose Math – Duck Duck Moose

The UK
1. DVSA Theory Test for Car Drivers – Focus Multimedia
2. Explain Everything – MorrisCooke
3. Puppet Pals HD Director’s Pass – Polished Play, LLC
4. My Story – School Edition – HiDef Web Solutions
5. The Ultimate Theory Test Kit – Focus Multimedia

France
1. Toca Kitchen 2 – Toca Boca AB
2. The Robot Factory – Tinybop
3. Dr. Panda’s Ice Cream Truck – Dr. Panda
4. Louie teach me to draw and write – Millimages
5. Funny Veggies! – Anastasia Averina

Spain
1. The Robot Factory – Tinybop
2. Toca Kitchen 2 – Toca Boca AB
3. Dr. Panda’s Ice Cream Truck – Dr. Panda
4. iDoceo – Bert Sanchis
5. TOEFL Vocabulary Trainer – MosaCrea Ltd

Germany
1. Tiny Farm – Animals, Tractors and Adventures! – wonderkind GmbH
2. Nighty Night Circus – Fox and Sheep GmbH
3. Reading Trainer – HeKu IT GmbH
4. Sago Mini Toolbox – Sago Sago
5. The Robot Factory – Tinybop

Netherlands
1. TopoMania – David Pront
2. Dr. Panda’s Ice Cream Truck – Dr. Panda
3. The Robot Factory – Tinybop
4. Tiny Farm – Animals, Tractors and Adventures! – wonderkind GmbH
5. Toca Kitchen 2 – Toca Boca

Australia
1. Explain Everything – MorrisCooke
2. Toca Kitchen 2 – Toca Boca AB
3. Toddler Counting 123 – GiggleUp Kids App and Educational Games
4. Algebra Touch – Regular Berry Software LLC
5. Pepi Bath 2 – Pepi Play