Two ex-Disney staffers aim to grab the top slot in children's online games.

The internet entrepreneur Phil Mason shows galactic ambition when he talks about his online children's game, Little Space Heroes.

''We plan to be the number one market leader in this space, ahead of Disney,'' says the 40-year-old founder of the Sydney start-up, Bubble Gum Interactive.

Judging by the third-party funding and grants that his business has secured, it is clear that Mason, a former online executive with Disney, has convinced investors that his lofty aims are achievable.

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Mason is tapping into the lucrative market for internet games for children as young as six, while treading carefully around parents' concerns about their children's online ventures.

Bubble Gum Interactive launched Little Space Heroes, a virtual universe in which children can play online, late last year. Today, the company says children in more than 50 countries log in to the game, with a new player signing up every 10 seconds at weekends. The start-up is staying mum on its total membership, but expects to reach about 20 million users by the end of 2013.

''We've seen the huge potential for virtual worlds for kids because there are 250 million kids worldwide aged six to 12 who have access to the internet, and that number is growing,'' says the company's marketing and community director, and former Disney employee, Paul Gray.

The game revolves around a colourful science fiction story: a villain robot, who is afraid of the dark, has begun pillaging the heroes' galaxy for light. Players are invited to become space cadets to find him and rescue the universe, making friends along the way.

The site works on a ''freemium'' model. Children can create their own heroes and play for free. A $6 monthly membership allows them to personalise their looks, upgrade their spaceships, have little critters and access some member-only zones and online parties.

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Virtual hit leads to real world success