Educational Video Games (of our childhood), Part 1
You remember when you got your first Windows (or Mac) computer and your parents gave you educational video games, from Edmark to Humongous Entertainment — as well as playing computers in our elementary schools as children.
Millie’s Math House (released October 1992, ages 2–6)
Millie’s Math House (in Español/Spanish: La Casa de las Matemáticas de Millie, lit. “Millie’s House of Mathematics”) stars the anthropomorphic cow, Millie. It primarily focuses on counting, quantities, and simple figures divided into nine activities (seven in earlier versions and six in first versions).
Millie is a female cow wearing an orange shirt, blue jeans with cuffs, white socks, and black Mary Jane shoes. The later versions feature the female goose, Dorothy.
Bailey’s Book House (released June 1993, ages 2–6)
Bailey’s Book House stars the cat Bailey. It primarily focuses on reading, playing with words, and phonics divided into nine different activities (seven in earlier versions).
Bailey is a male gray cat (possibly an American Whitehair) wearing a red (blue in the earlier version) baseball cap, glasses, an azure blue T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and red (orange in the earlier version) Chuck Taylor-inspired sneakers that are always untied, as the laces on his red sneakers are fuchsia or pink, and the Converse logo on his sneakers is black in all of the games (including the official art) that feature him (in contrast to the white laces and the white Converse logo in both real life and in fiction). Unlike many anthropomorphic cats and catgirls who always have a tail, he lacks one.
Millie and Bailey Kindergarten and Preschool (both released 1997, ages 2–7)
The two games feature two characters from Millie’s Math House and Bailey’s Book House, respectively, along with other activities from various House series.
Sammy’s Science House (released June 1994, ages 3–7)
Sammy’s Science House stars the snake, Sammy. It primarily focuses on biology, experiments, and matter, divided into seven different activities (five in earlier versions). The Windows 95 version of the game was shipped on July 31, 1995.
Since Sammy is a snake, many snakes don’t have limbs. This is why he only wears a red propeller hat (similar to the Nintendo character Donkey Kong, a gorilla who wears only a red necktie).
Trudy’s Time & Place House (released September 1995, ages 3–7)
Trudy’s Time & Place House stars the crocodile Trudy. It primarily focuses on geography, simulation, and time, divided into seven different activities (five in earlier versions).
Trudy is a female crocodile wearing a pink jumper (albeit without a shirt) and yellow Chuck Taylor-inspired sneakers. She has a bandage on her left leg.
Stanley’s Sticker Stories (released June 1996, ages 3–8)
Stanley’s Sticker Stories (in Español/Spanish: “La Casa De Cuentos De Stanley,” lit. “The Stanley Tales House”) stars the sea otter Stanley (possibly Daxter’s sworn descendant), clad in a pair of glasses, a blue striped T-shirt, gray shorts, and yellow Chuck Taylor-inspired sneakers. The game features characters from various House series.
Thinkin’ Things series (1993–1999, ages 4–13)
Thinkin’ Things is a series of 1990s educational video games by the Edmark Corporation released for Windows and Mac. Entries in the series include:
- Thinkin’ Things Collections 1, 2, and 3
- Skyland Mysteries
- Galactic Brain Benders
- All Around Frippletown
- Toony the Loon’s Lagoon
Reader Rabbit franchise
Interactive Math Journey shown in the article (Use Wikipedia for a complete list)
Reader Rabbit (リーダーラビット Rīdā Rabituto) is an edutainment software franchise created in 1983 by The Learning Company. This series is aimed at players aged from infancy through second grade.
The series centers on the adventures of the titular character and protagonist Reader Rabbit, and his friends such as Sam the Lion and Matilda the Mouse. Reader Rabbit is the protagonist of all the games. He is a greyish-blue rabbit. In the 1986–1993 games, he wears a red T-shirt rather than his trademark red sweater. In the 2000s games, he wears a red T-shirt and blue jeans, and in the 1995–present games, he wears a red and blue striped sweater (similar to the Montreal Canadiens jersey, but without the logo).
In Interactive Math Journey, Tally the Counting Cat (v.b. Anndi McAfee, predating Sayaka (Japan and Europe)/Yumi (North America) from Saru Getchu/Ape Escape 3 video game for the PlayStation 2) takes the role of the protagonist instead of Reader Rabbit. She wears various clothes throughout the game (in reality, she wears a blue collar and a backpack):
- a blue dress in “Patchwork Patterns”
- a striped apron (sans chef’s hat) in “Sugarcane Addition”
- a pair of blue jeans with Steve Urkel-inspired suspenders and brown Caterpillar-inspired steel-toed boots with red laces (albeit without a shirt) in “Log Cabin Measurement” (this is the first time she wears shoes)
- a black bowtie (replacing her trademark blue collar) and a red sash in “Pizza Fractions”
- a primitive-style necklace in “Jitterbug Multiplication”
- a beanie, a brown Eskimo-inspired parka, blue mittens, and brown boots in “Arctic Shapes” (though the rest of her body is hidden)
- a green Swiss-styled overalls in “Alpine Addition”
- a train conductor’s uniform (later Punjabi/Gujarati-styled sari dress) in “Weight for the Train (Measurement)”
- Tally doesn’t wear anything in “Tropical Fractions”, instead she is holding a basket of fruits
- an Egyptian-styled garb in “Pyramid Multiplication”
In the end, see you in Part 2!
