Creative Wonders was an
educational software
Educational software is a term used for any computer software that is made for an educational purpose. It encompasses different ranges from language learning software to classroom management software to reference software. The purpose of all th ...
corporation from 1994 to 1999. It created computer games based on children's characters like ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
'', ''
Madeline
''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series and a live action feature fi ...
'', ''
Schoolhouse Rock!
''Schoolhouse Rock!'' is an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films (and later, music videos) which aired during the Saturday morning children's programming block on the U.S. television network AB ...
'', ''
Arthur
Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur.
A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
'', ''
Little Bear'', ''
Dr. Seuss'' and ''ABC World Reference''. It was a joint-venture between
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
and
ABC.
History
Creative Wonders started out in 1994 as a division of
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
called ''EA Kids'' before renaming to Creative Wonders.
Creative Wonders was responsible for creating popular games like the ''Sesame Street'' and ''Madeline'' series, and took over publishing of "EA 3D Atlas" which had been created by The Multimedia Corporation in London (a
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
company). In 1995, Creative Wonders teamed with
ABC to create the ''ABC World Reference Series'', a series of encyclopedias and atlases on CD-ROM based on "EA 3D Atlas", produced by The Multimedia Corporation and incorporating content and branding from
ABC.
In 1998, Creative Wonders' assets were purchased by
The Learning Company
The Learning Company (TLC) was an American educational software company founded in 1980 in Palo Alto, California and headquartered in Fremont, California. The company produced a grade-based line of learning software, edutainment games, and ...
, and sold
ABC and
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
to that company, and, later in 1999, it was folded into the latter, and later
Mattel Interactive.
Products
* ''Sesame Street'' (1994–1999)
* ''Madeline'' (1995–1999)
* ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' (1995–1999)
* ''ABC World Reference'' Series (1994–1998)
* ''The Baby-Sitters Club'' (1997-1999)
* ''Arthur'' (1999)
* ''Little Bear'' (1999)
* ''Dr. Seuss'' (1999)
Software
''Sesame Street''
* Numbers (1994)
* Letters (1994)
* Let's Make a Word! (1995)
* Elmo's Art Workshop (1995)
* Get Set to Learn (1996)
* Elmo's Preschool (1996)
* Search and Learn Adventures (1997)
* Sesame Street Reading Is Fun Toddler (1997)
* Grover's Travels (1998)
* The Three Grouchketeers (1998)
* Elmo's Reading Basics (1998)
* Elmo's Reading Preschool (1998)
* Elmo Through the Looking-Glass (1998)
* Baby and Me (1999)
''Madeline''
*
Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey (1995)
*
Madeline European Adventures (1996)
*
Madeline Thinking Games (1996)
* Madeline Preschool & Kindergarten (1997)
* Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade (1997)
*
Madeline Rainy Day Activities (1998)
*
Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Reading (1999)
*
Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Math (1999)
''Schoolhouse Rock!''
* Schoolhouse Rock!: Grammar Rock (1995)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: Math Rock (1996)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: America Rock (1996)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: Exploration Station (1997)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: Activity Pack (1997)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: 1st & 4th Grade Math Essentials (1997)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: 1st & 2nd Grade Essentials (1997)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: 3rd & 4th Grade Essentials (1997)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: 5th & 6th Grade Essentials (1998)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: Money Rock (1998)
* Schoolhouse Rock!: Thinking Games (1998)
''ABC World Reference'' Series
*
3D Atlas (1994–1997)
** 3D Atlas 97 (1996)
** 3D Atlas 98 (1997)
* Wide World of Animals (1995–1998)
** Wide World of Animals '99 (1998)
* World News Insight (1995)
* ABC NewsLinks (1996)
* Wide World of Dinosaurs (1998)
''The Baby-Sitters Club''
* The Baby-Sitters Club: Clubhouse Activity Center (1997)
* The Baby-Sitters Club: 3rd Grade Learning Adventures (1998)
* The Baby-Sitters Club: 4th Grade Learning Adventures (1998)
* The Baby-Sitters Club: 5th Grade Learning Adventures (1999)
* The Baby-Sitters Club: 6th Grade Learning Adventures (1999)
''Arthur''
* Arthur's Preschool (1999)
* Arthur's Kindergarten (1999)
* Arthur's 1st Grade (1999)
* Arthur's 2nd Grade (1999)
* Arthur's Reading Games (1999)
* Arthur's Math Games (1999)
* Arthur's Thinking Games (1999)
''Little Bear''
* Little Bear: Toddler Discovery Adventures (1999)
* Little Bear: Preschool Thinking Adventures (1999)
* Little Bear: Kindergarten Thinking Adventures (1999)
* Little Bear's Rainy Day Activities (1999)
''Dr. Seuss''
* Dr. Seuss Toddler (1999)
* Dr. Seuss Preschool (1999)
* Dr. Seuss Preschool and Kindergarten Reading (1999)
* Dr. Seuss Kindergarten (1999)
* Dr. Seuss Reading Games (1999)
''Others''
* Family Album Creator (1996) - adaptation of
Delrina
Delrina Corporation was a Canadian software company active from 1988 to 1995. The company was best known for WinFax, a software package which enabled computers equipped with fax modems to transmit copies of documents to standalone fax machines or ...
's
Echo Lake
* Slam Dunk Typing (1997) - adaptation of All-Star Typing 9-12: Basketball Edition (Disk 1)
* Home-Run Typing (1997) - adaptation of All-Star Typing 6-9: Baseball Edition (Disk 1)
* Ice-Hockey Typing (1998) - adaptation of All-Star Typing 6-9: Hockey Edition (Disk 2)
* Type Like A Pro (1998) - adaptation of All-Star Typing 9-12: Soccer Edition (Disk 2)
See also
*
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
*
ABC
*
The Learning Company
The Learning Company (TLC) was an American educational software company founded in 1980 in Palo Alto, California and headquartered in Fremont, California. The company produced a grade-based line of learning software, edutainment games, and ...
*
Jumpstart Games
*
Mattel Interactive
References
{{Authority control
American Broadcasting Company
Creative Wonders games
Defunct video game companies of the United States
Video game companies disestablished in 1999
Video game companies established in 1994