Blue's Clues (video game series)

Last updated

Several video games based upon Blue's Clues , a children's educational television series by Nickelodeon, have been released, educational video games and web browser games based on the show. Most of the PC CD ROM-format titles were developed and published by Humongous Entertainment.

Contents

List of games

PC CD-rom games

Home console and handheld console games

Online web browser games

A series of Shockwave-formatted minigames directly based on scenes from the original series were also produced:

Commercial performance

Business Wire called Blue's ABC Time Activities "one of the most anticipated kids software debuts in recent memory". [4] Together, Blue's Birthday Adventure and Blue's ABC Time Activities sold-through over 150,000 units in their first month of release, and were the second and third best selling educational titles. [5] The two titles became the No. 1 and No. 4 selling educational CD-ROM titles of 1998, respectively. [6] ABC was the fourth best-selling video game title in the week before January 3, 1999, after Barbie Photo Designer, Tomb Raider III , and Fallout 2 , [7] and became the third best-selling title out of all PC games in the third quarter and nine months, ending on December 31, 1998. [8] PC Data, which generated the sales data, commented that the popularity of the Blue Clue's CD-ROMs was evident from the impressive sales numbers it consistently generated. [9]

Critical reception

Blue's 123 Time Activities

The game was the winner of the 1999/2000 BESSIE Award for Math. [10]

Blue's ABC Time Activities

SuperKids deemed it "pleasant" and said it would appeal to fans of the TV show. [11] Review Corner said the educational value was "excellent", while noting it was "entertaining and appealing for preschoolers". [12] Allgame deemed it a "very good package". [13] PC Data reported that Blue's ABC Time Activities was the United States' best-selling educational software during 1998. [14]

Blue's Art Time Activities

Tech With Kids said the game wasn't as intuitive as previous titles. [15] Entertaining Kids thought a negative of the game was inability to provide a "good freeform art activity". [16]

Blue's Reading Time Activities

Tech With Kids wrote that the game was special because it taught word awareness, not simply the alphabet or letter sounds. [17] Discovery School opined the title was well-designed and entertaining. [18] [19] Edutaining Kids thought the game was "clever". [20] Just Adventure gave the game an "A". [21] Daily News commented the game saw the host "gently walking players through graphically simple but engaging activities". [22] Allgame thought that "normally, the Blue's Clues series of games are excellent", but found various technical difficulties with this title. [23]

Related Research Articles

<i>The ClueFinders</i> Childrens educational software series

The ClueFinders is an educational software series aimed at children aged 8–12 that features a group of mystery-solving teenagers. The series was created by The Learning Company as a counterpart to their Reader Rabbit series for older, elementary-aged students. The series has received praise for its balance of education and entertainment, resulting in numerous awards.

<i>Blues Clues</i> American childrens television show

Blue's Clues is an American interactive educational children's television series created by Traci Paige Johnson, Todd Kessler, and Angela C. Santomero. It premiered on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block on September 8, 1996, and concluded its run on August 6, 2006, with a total of six seasons and 143 episodes. The original host of the show was Steve Burns, who left in 2002 and was replaced by Donovan Patton for the fifth and sixth seasons. The show follows an animated blue-spotted dog named Blue as she leaves a trail of clues/paw prints for the host and the viewers to figure out her plans for the day.

<i>Putt-Putt</i> (series) Video game series

Putt-Putt is a series of children's adventure and puzzle computer games created by Humongous Entertainment. This franchise was Humongous Entertainment's first game series to be developed. They primarily involve clicking to get to a destination, although some sub-quests and mini-games involve the keyboard. The main character, Putt-Putt, an anthropomorphic purple convertible, and his dog, Pep, travel to various locations.

<i>Backyard Football</i> Video games series

Backyard Football is a series of video games for various systems. The series was developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Infogrames, Atari, and The Evergreen Group. It is one of several sub-series in the Backyard Sports franchise and is the first to feature professional players as kids, examples being Steve Young and Barry Sanders. The series currently has eleven titles.

<i>Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal"</i> 1997 video game

Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" is an adventure game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment, part of their "Junior Adventure" line and the first entry in the Spy Fox series of games. The game follows the heroic Spy Fox as he attempts to stop a supervillain from stealing the world's dairy milk supply. The game was released for computers in October 1997 to positive reception and was ported to several other systems over the following decades.

<i>The Playroom</i> (1989 video game) 1989 video game

The Playroom is an educational video game published in 1989 for MS-DOS, Apple II, and Mac. The game was compatible with the TouchWindow utility. It was ported to the Amiga and FM Towns computers in 1992 and 1994 respectively and then remade for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 1995. It was designed for ages 3 to 6 manufactured by Broderbund. A follow-up game titled The Treehouse came in 1991 as well as a sequel to this game, called The Backyard in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humongous Entertainment</span> American video game developer (1992-2006)

Humongous Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Bothell, Washington. Founded in 1992, the company developed multiple edutainment franchises, most prominently Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, Pajama Sam, Spy Fox, and Backyard Sports, which, combined, sold over 15 million copies and earned more than 400 awards of excellence.

<i>Big Thinkers</i> (video game series) Video game series

Big Thinkers is a short line educational game from Humongous Entertainment, which revolved around siblings Ben and Becky Brightly, two characters with the ability to shape-shift into any object they desire. The series contains two games: Big Thinkers! Kindergarten and Big Thinkers! 1st Grade. Both titles feature the same goal of collecting stars. The title was conceived and developed by Jonathan Maier.

<i>Reader Rabbit Preschool: Sparkle Star Rescue</i> 2001 educational video game

Reader Rabbit Preschool: Sparkle Star Rescue is a game in the Reader Rabbit series by The Learning Company. The title was released in 2001. The game is recommended for ages 3–6. The game teaches "shape and size recognition, letter recognition and listening", among other skills, including maths-related ones. The game was also released for the Nintendo Wii by Graffiti Entertainment, simply titled Reader Rabbit Preschool.

<i>Putt-Putt Enters the Race</i> 1999 video game

Putt-Putt Enters the Race is an educational adventure game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment on January 1, 1999. The game is the fifth entry in the Putt-Putt series.

<i>Putt-Putt and Peps Balloon-o-Rama</i> 1996 video game

Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-o-Rama is a 1996 action video game, developed by Humongous Entertainment. The game is part of the Putt-Putt series of educational video games. It was part of a series of Junior Arcade games, targeted at kids aged three to eight.

<i>Blues Birthday Adventure</i> 1998 video game

Blue's Birthday Adventure is an educational video game for children from the ages of 3–6 years of age. The game is based on the pre-school television program Blue's Clues, specifically the episode "Blue's Birthday". It was developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. The game is about how Steve tries to find three clues to figure out what Blue wants to have for her birthday.

<i>Carmen Sandiego: Junior Detective</i> 1995 Windows/MacOS video game

Carmen Sandiego: Junior Detective is a 1995 education game in the Carmen Sandiego franchise developed by Broderbund. Although not a version of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? by name, it is essentially a simplified version of it for pre-readers. Allgame says the game "is geared for younger users, with only 14 cases to solve". The lead characters of the FOX animated series Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, Zack and Ivy, were included in the game, along with Stretch - "ACME's crime-tracking dog".

<i>Disneys Animated Storybook</i> Interactive storybook video game series

Disney's Animated Storybook is a point-and-click adventure interactive storybook video game series based on Walt Disney feature animations and Pixar films that were released throughout the 1990s. They were published by Disney Interactive for personal computers for children ages four to eight years old. Starting from 1994, most of the entries in the series were developed by Media Station. They have the same plots as their respective films, though abridged due to the limited medium.

<i>Early Learning House</i> 1990s collection of educational video games and compilations

Early Learning House or simply the House Series is a collection of four main educational video games and two compilations for the Windows and Macintosh platforms, developed by Theatrix Interactive, Inc. and published by Edmark software. Each different game focuses on a particular major learning category with selectable skill settings for preschooler, kindergarten and elementary learners. Millie's Math House (1992) on mathematics, Bailey's Book House (1993) on language, Sammy's Science House (1994) on science, and Trudy's Time and Place House (1995) on history and geography. A spin-off, Stanley's Sticker Stories (1996), sees players create animated storybooks with the series' characters. Millie & Bailey Preschool and Millie & Bailey Kindergarten each contain the combined activities from two of the four software products. In addition the programs can be configured by an adult mode to suit students with special needs. Most of the activities in every game have two modes, one to allow learners to explore and try it out for themselves and the other for learners to follow specific tasks set by the game characters. Learners also have the option to print pictures of creative activities and record sounds in phonics activities. Later the games were re-developed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology and re-published by The Learning Company with newer graphics and additional activities.

The Arthur video games franchise was a series of learning and interactive story video games based on the American-Canadian children's TV show Arthur. The games were released in the 1990s and 2000s for PlayStation and Game Boy Color alongside Windows and Mac OS computers.

<i>Blues Treasure Hunt</i> 1999 video game

Blue's Treasure Hunt is a 1999 educational video game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment, based on the Blue's Clues television series, specifically the episode "Blue's Big Treasure Hunt".

<i>Disney Learning: Winnie the Pooh</i> Video game series

Disney Learning: Winnie the Pooh comprises three titles: Winnie The Pooh Toddler, Winnie the Pooh Preschool and Winnie The Pooh Kindergarten. They are point-and-click educational video games developed and published by Disney Interactive and based on the Winnie the Pooh franchise. The titles were shipped by BAM! Entertainment.

<i>Reader Rabbit Toddler</i> 1997 education video game

Reader Rabbit Toddler is a 1997 educational video game developed by KnowWare and published by The Learning Company. It is part of the Reader Rabbit series.

<i>Blues 123 Time Activities</i> 1999 video game

Blue's 123 Time Activities is a 1999 educational game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. The game works on Windows 95 and above, and on System 7.5.3 to Mac OS X Tiger. It was the third game in the Blue's Clues video game series, in turn based on the television series of the same name.

References

  1. 1 2 "Blue's Clues Games | NuMuKi". www.numuki.com. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  2. ↑ "Blue's Clues Game Archive". The Old Nick Jr Sites. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  3. ↑ "CloudyEgg- Archive.org". archive.org. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  4. ↑ "Finally, Preschool Software With A Clue! Humongous Entertainment And Nickelodeon Introduce Two New CD-ROMs Based on the Hit Preschool TV Show, Blue's Clues. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  5. ↑ "Humongous Entertainment and Nickelodeon Soar to the Top of PC Data's Sales Charts With Blue's ABC Time Activities and Blue's Birthday Adventure CD-ROMs. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  6. ↑ "Humongous Entertainment and Nickelodeon Deliver Preschool Software Kids Can Count On With Blue's 123 Time Activities in June 1999. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  7. ↑ "CHARTS: THE TOP 10". 1999-01-03. Archived from the original on 2016-10-08.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ↑ "GT Interactive Reports Third Quarter and Nine Months Operating Results. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  9. ↑ "Top-Selling Blue's Clues CD-ROMs From Humongous Entertainment and Nickelodeon Surpass One Million Mark. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  10. ↑ "ComputED Gazette - 6th Annual BESSIE Awards". computedgazette.com. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  11. ↑ "SuperKids Software Review of Blue's ABC Time Activities". www.superkids.com. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  12. ↑ "DiscoverySchool.com - Review Corner". 2003-12-18. Archived from the original on 2003-12-18. Retrieved 2016-09-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ↑ "Blue's Clues: Blue's ABC Time Activities - Review - allgame". 2014-11-15. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2016-09-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ↑ "GameDaily March 24th, 1999". Archived from the original on 2001-05-25. Retrieved 2001-05-25.
  15. ↑ "Blue's Art Time Activities Review - TechWithKids.com".
  16. ↑ "Edutaining Kids: Blue's Art Time Activities Software Review".
  17. ↑ "Blue's Reading Time Activities Review - TechWithKids.com". www.techwithkids.com. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  18. ↑ "DiscoverySchool.com - Review Corner". school.discoveryeducation.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  19. ↑ "Blue's Reading Time Activities - Review Corner". 2004-04-05. Archived from the original on 2004-04-05. Retrieved 2016-09-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ↑ "Children: Learn to Read Programs". www.edutainingkids.com. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  21. ↑ "Review: Blue's Reading Time Activities". 2002-02-21. Archived from the original on 2002-02-21. Retrieved 2016-09-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  22. ↑ "TOY, LEARNING TOOL, FRIEND IT'S THE GIFT THAT NEVER STOPS GIVING TO YOUR CHILD: A NEW COMPUTER, SOFTWARE. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  23. ↑ "Blue's Clues: Blue's Reading Time Activities - Review - allgame". 2014-12-12. Archived from the original on 2014-12-12. Retrieved 2016-09-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.