Premier Education and Productivity Publisher to Launch Most Significant
Portfolio of New Products and Upgrades in More Than Two Years
LOS ANGELES, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Learning Company (TLC), a leading
publisher of productivity and education software, today announced its 2001
product releases at the Electronic Entertainment Exposition. Acquired by an
affiliate of Gores Technology Group from Mattel in October of 2000, The
Learning Company has made a considerable investment in research and
development for 2001. This investment has resulted in its most significant
series of upgrades and new products in more than two years, including major
new-product launches in Reader Rabbit(R), The Print Shop(R) and other top
brands.
"This year's array of more than 50 major product introductions represents
a significant R&D and marketing investment in our core brands," said Greg
Bestick, president of The Learning Company. "In 2001, we have refocused the
company and its resources toward unlocking the full potential of these leading
brands. This effort will deliver better solutions to our users and greater
value to our distribution partners."
The Learning Company is currently the #1 publisher of productivity and
education software and has maintained this position for the past three years.
TLC publishes under some of the best-known consumer brands, and has done so
for more than 17 years.(i) Brands like The Print Shop and Reader Rabbit have
sold more than 16 million and 10 million total copies respectively.(ii) Carmen
Sandiego has the highest (79%) consumer awareness of any children's software
brand.(iii) TLC products are installed in 80% of all school districts in the
U.S.(iv)
The Learning Company currently has more than 65 million users
worldwide.(v)
EDUCATION DIVISION
The Learning Company's Education Division develops and publishes
innovative, interactive technology tools for the home and classroom. Its
vision is to build innovative worlds that encourage young people's learning,
imagination and creativity.
Reader Rabbit Preschool(R): Sparkle Star Rescue!(TM)
The Land of Sparkalot has a big job -- to watch more than Mount Brill, the
source of brilliant, sparkly stars, but something has blocked Mount Brill!
Reader Rabbit and Sam the Lion need children to use their pre-reading,
counting, matching and problem solving skills to collect Brillites and bring
back the sparkles. Children ages three to five play and learn in six sparkly
activities that automatically adjusts to their individual skill level.
Additional art and music activities foster learning through creative play.
Ages 3-5 Anticipated Launch Date: June 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)/Macintosh(R)
Reader Rabbit Kindergarten(R): Bounce Down in Balloon Town!(TM)
Reader Rabbit and Sam the Lion's Dreamship is all wrapped up at the Pointy
Palace in Balloon Town. Children ages four to six join Reader Rabbit and
friends in this bouncy, fun adventure to rescue their ship from a wrap trap.
Creativity and imagination will help players save the day. Children use their
math, pre-reading and problem solving skills in eight different learning
activities that automatically adjust to the child's individual skill level.
Additional art and music activities foster learning through creative play.
Ages 4-6 Anticipated Launch Date: June 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)/Macintosh(R)
Reader Rabbit(R) 1st Grade: Capers on Cloud Nine!(TM)
Umbrellas, raincoats and galoshes have started to rain from the clouds and
no one seems to know why. Children ages five to seven journey to the clouds
with Reader Rabbit and friends to help find out what's up with the weather.
Players splash around in eight entertaining and educational activities that
build reading, math, science, creativity and problem solving skills.
Exploration and critical thinking will help children save the day. The
activities automatically adjust to the child's individual skill level.
Additional art and music activities foster learning through creative play.
Ages 5-7 Anticipated Launch Date: June 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)/Macintosh(R)
Reader Rabbit(R) 2nd Grade: Mis-chees-ious Dreamship Adventures!(TM)
Reader Rabbit and Sam the Lion have landed on the Cheese Islands, home to
the Pirates. Children ages six to eight climb Mt. Cheesemore to help Reader
Rabbit save the Dreamship. In this learning adventure, 2nd grade children use
their math, language arts, life science and creative skills to climb, scale
and mine their way through seven cheesy activities. The activities
automatically adjust to the child's individual skill level. Additional art and
music activities foster learning through creative play.
Ages 6-8 Anticipated Launch Date: June 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)/Macintosh(R)
ClueFinders(R) The Incredible Toy Store Adventure(TM)
Kids ages seven to ten embark on a wild toy store adventure to solve the
newest ClueFinders mystery. In this latest escapade, Owen and Joni suddenly
find themselves shrunk down to three inches in height! Players help Santiago
and Leslie to find the tools needed to save Owen, Joni and the entire city of
San Francisco from the Incredible Shrinking Machine. Third and fourth grade
students will strengthen their language arts, math, geography and logic skills
as they work to solve this intriguing mystery.
Ages 7-10, 3rd and 4th Grades Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)/Macintosh(R)
Carmen Sandiego(R) World Treasures of Knowledge (working title)
Children ages eight to twelve tour the globe on their quest to catch
Carmen and her villainous collection of cronies who lead them on a trail of
mystery, excitement and adventure. Along the way, players meet new characters,
native to the country, that will help them learn important facts about
geography, history and world culture as they chase and capture thieves in
eight unique missions. "Knowledge is power" in this game.
Ages 8-12 Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)/Macintosh(R)
Scooby-Doo(TM) Jinx at the Sphinx(TM)
Join Scooby-Doo and the gang in Egypt as they visit Velma's Egyptologist
cousin, Thelma. While visiting the pyramids in Giza, they find Thelma is
missing and a mysterious mummy is frightening all the tourists away. It's up
to the gang to find Thelma and wrap the mummy up for good. Kids direct Scooby-
Doo and his friends, telling them what to do and with whom to talk. Along the
way, players will encounter ghosts, puzzles and hair-raising adventure.
Ages 5-10 Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: Windows(R)98/2000
Zoombinis Mountain Rescue(TM)
Attacked by a severe storm, a small band of Zoombinis seek refuge in a
mountain cave in this all-new title in the award-winning Zoombinis series,
Zoombinis Mountain Rescue. The Zoombinis become trapped in a hazardous tunnel
where mysterious creatures lurk. Kids ages eight to twelve build logic and
mathematical thinking skills as they set out on a quest to rescue the
Zoombinis. This new adventure continues the Zoombinis' journey into the math
of the information age-mathematical thinking kids will put to use in the
future as they organize spreadsheet data and write computer programs.
Ages 8-12 Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)/Macintosh(R)
Oregon Trail(R) 5 Tales of the Oregon Trail (working title)
The Montgomery kids, a new cast of characters, are preparing for a trip
out west to meet their father and grandparents. Players are challenged to make
choices faced by the Montgomery kids--for example, is it better to cross the
raging river or continue along the trail? Designed for players 10-14, Oregon
Trail 5 is realistic, fun and daring with engaging simulation elements and
great re-playability. Learning becomes an adventure as successfully blazing a
trail to Oregon depends on the many decisions made along the way. Oregon Trail
was originally introduced in 1971, as a text-based simulation created on a
Teletype machine and mainframe computer.
Ages 8 and up Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)/Macintosh(R)
PRODUCTIVITY DIVISION
The Learning Company's Productivity Division provides an extensive
portfolio of products for personal and professional use in homes, schools and
businesses, on CD-ROM, Internet and PDA devices.
The Print Shop(R) Deluxe 12
The perfect solution for users who want to create sophisticated projects
in print and on the Web. The program includes 10,000 professionally designed
layouts and 175,000 premium images, making it easy to design impressive
projects. Users have the ability to edit any photo using basic or advanced
tools, customize their graphics, turn any project into a Web page, organize
their photos, create multimedia slide shows and more. With more than
15 million copies sold (NPD INTELECT Data, total unit sales from
November 1993-August 2000), The Print Shop is the benchmark for quality and
creativity in home graphics.
Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)
Family Tree Maker(R) Collector's Edition 9
The ultimate gift for anyone interested in discovering and preserving his
or her family's past. It combines the best version of Family Tree Maker with
our largest collection of in-the-box genealogy data. The collector's edition
holds the premium position in the #1 selling (NPD INTELECT, U.S. retail sales,
1998 -- March 2001) and rated Family Tree Maker product line-up.
Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)
American Greetings(R) CreataCard(R) 6
Create greetings from the heart for every occasion. Featuring an
easier-than-ever user interface, CreataCard puts the power of self-expression
in the user's hands. Thousands of exclusive art images and messages from the
experts at American Greetings plus enhanced photo editing will inspire users
and offer the perfect complement to their own creativity. Cards are only the
beginning - American Greetings CreataCard is great for creating banners,
brochures, stickers, gift wrap and much more.
Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)
Cosmopolitan(TM) Virtual Makeover(R) 2000
The #1, best-selling makeover product (NPD INTELECT, U.S. retail sales,
1998 -- March 2001) gets even better. Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover continues
to offer a fun solution for experimenting with a whole new look. It has a
uniquely Cosmo tone and is the only virtual makeover product made exclusively
for women.
Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)
ClickArt(R) 250,000 and ClickArt(R) Celebrations & Holidays 2
ClickArt Celebrations & Holidays 2 includes 2,700+ new festive images.
With 100,000+ graphics and images, 100,000+ web images, 60,000+ photos and
fine art and 1,000 true type fonts, the selection is endless! Users will be
amazed by the variety and astounded by the quality of images from which to
choose. Both titles include Image Editor and PrintMaster(R) Express. The Image
Editor allows the user to enhance and customize every Windows(R) Metafile for
that special occasion. PrintMaster(R) Express allows the user to download
project templates from the Internet to create greeting cards, invitations,
newsletters and more.
Anticipated Launch Date: Summer 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)
Calendar Creator(TM) Deluxe 8
In this newest version of the #1 best selling calendar software (NPD
INTELECT, U.S. retail sales, 1998 -- March 2001), users will discover than how
simple it is to create customized calendars. They can choose from more than
100+ templates, 50,000 premium images and add their favorite fonts and colors
for one-of-a-kind calendar creation. The excellent address book feature is
sure to keep users organized. The product also includes access to Photo
Workshop including full functionality of photo-editing tools. As an added
convenience, Calendar Creator makes its calendar functionality available for
use on the Palm OS.
Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)
Family Lawyer(R) 2002 Deluxe
This #1 best-selling (NPD INTELECT, U.S. retail sales, 1998 -- March 2001)
generates customized legal documents, forms, worksheets and letters from their
own computer without the help of an attorney. Family Lawyer's intuitive easy
interview format, help document advisor, powerful editing tools and resources
found in the legal library, make the task of writing a will or creating other
important legal documents quick and easy.
Anticipated Launch Date: Fall 2001
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)
3D Home Architect(R) Deluxe 4.0
3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.0 is easier to use and more powerful than ever.
New features like House Wizard give users three easy ways to start a project.
Users benefit from the improved 2D and 3D rendering engine that makes home
visualization easy from any angle or time of day. Other sophisticated features
like SuperFrame, which allows users to see each stud, beam, post and rafter
from foundation to ceiling, make 3D Home Architect Deluxe 4.0 the most
complete home design software solution available.
Launch Date: Available Now!
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)
PrintMaster(R) 11
The creativity never ends. With so many projects to choose from, parents
and children will always have something fun to do together. Create photo
albums, party sets, Web pages, t-shirts, home and garden crafts and more.
Users can pick from thousands of ready-made templates and images or start from
scratch. They can personalize projects with a photo or sentiment and share
with others. The new, integrated photo-editing and multimedia features make
projects even more exciting. In addition, users can have their projects
professionally printed and delivered to their door.
Launch Date: Available Now!
Platform: CD-ROM; Windows(R)
Kid Pix(R) Deluxe 3
The #1 best-selling educational art software (NPD INTELECT, U.S. retail
sales, 1998 - 1999) for kids just got better. Now kids can easily create
amazing multimedia art with stunning graphics, fun sounds and lively
animation. Parents and educators love Kid Pix because it empowers kids and
encourages them to develop their creative, artistic skills.
Launch Date: Available Now!
Platform: CD-ROM; Macintosh/Windows(R)
About The Learning Company
The Learning Company (TLC) is a leading, worldwide publisher of
innovative, interactive consumer software with more than 65 million users
worldwide. The company develops and publishes some of the all-time best
selling consumer software under brands such as The Print Shop, Reader Rabbit,
3D Home Architect, Carmen Sandiego, and Clue Finders. TLC is also the licensed
publisher of software under the Arthur, American Greetings, Scooby-Doo, Family
Tree Maker and Cosmopolitan Magazine brands. The company's products are
distributed worldwide on PCs, PDAs, Game Systems and online, using a multi-
channel approach that includes retail, OEM licensing, and direct-to consumers
at home, in schools and in businesses.
Customers interested in inquiring about The Learning Company products may
visit online at http://www.learningco.com.
NOTE: All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
(i) NPD INTELECT Market Tracking (US retail sales, 1998, 1999,
2000, 12 months ending March 2001.
(ii) The Learning Company, Internal Sales and Research Data.
(iii) 9/98, The Learning Company, Consumer Segmentation Study
(iv) Based on QED's Educational Technology Trends
(v) The Learning Company, Internal Sales and Research Data.
CONTACT: Debbie Galdin, 510-713-6081, or debbie.galdin@learningco.com, or
Evelyn Dubocq, 510-505-6145, or evelyn.dubocq@learningco.com, both of the
Learning Company.
SOURCE Learning Company
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Related links:
http://www.learningco.com
CONTACT:
Debbie Galdin, 510-713-6081, or
debbie.galdin@learningco.com, or Evelyn Dubocq, 510-505-6145, or
evelyn.dubocq@learningco.com, both of the Learning Company
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