Madeline (video game series)

Titles

Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey, was the first entry in the series. Its release was scheduled to promote the ABC TV animated television series The New Adventures of Madeline. Set in Paris, France, it follows Madeline as she organizes a puppet show to raise money to help her neighbor Mr. Benet avoid eviction by his greedy landlord. The second release, Madeline Thinking Games, Madeline invites the player to explore the rooms and gardens of her boarding school through educational minigames. This was followed by Madeline European Adventures (also known as Madeline European Vacation) in which Madeline tracks down a man who stole a genie's magic lamp. She travels through France (Paris), Switzerland (Zermatt), Italy (Venice) and Turkey (Istanbul) Madeline Classroom Companion: 1st and 2nd Grade was part of the Madeline Classroom Companion series, with games designed for children aged four to eight. The story takes place in Paris, and follows Madeline on a tour of her neighborhood. Madeline Thinking Games Deluxe, was simply a combination of Madeline Thinking Games and Madeline European Adventures. Madeline Rainy Day Activities was the sixth release. The game takes place in Madeline's Catholic boarding school in Paris, and follows her as she engages in a variety of games to occupying herself during the rainy weather.

Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Reading takes place in the boarding school where Madeline guides the player through activities related to reading comprehension. Through Madeline's imaginary magic attic, the player could also travel to a carnival in Venice, Italy and visit Egyptian pyramids. The game was later re-released under the title Madeline: 1st and 2nd Grade Reading Deluxe. Madeline Classroom Companion: Preschool and Kindergarten was part of the Madeline Classroom Companion series consisting of games for children aged four to eight.Similar to Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade, the game follows Madeline on a tour of her neighborhood, while the player completes various activities.

Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Math, was the final entry in the series, and was released as a two CD-ROM set on July 12, 1999. The discs were also sold separately as Madeline 1st Grade Math and Madeline 2nd Grade Math. Set in the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, Madeline guides the player through nine works of art, each given a Madeline genre name change, such as the Mona Lisa being reimagined as Mona Clavel after Miss Clavel, the headmistress of Madeline's school. Each topic is organized around a painting teaching addition, subtraction, and multiplication. The game was released on the 60th anniversary of the publication of the first Madeline book (Madeline) in 1939.

Gameplay

The games in the Madeline series have a point and click interface, which players use to navigate through a series of static screens, interact with characters, and manipulate objects to complete tasks and to overcome obstacles at a comfortable speed. The gameplay was compared to other edutainment games, such as Big Thinkers, Fisher-Price video games, JumpStart, and Reader Rabbit. The Madeline games revolve around educational minigames in various subjects, including reading comprehension, mathematics, problem-solving, and cultural studies, targeted for children. The games are thorough and informative, yet have an easy to use, straight-forward design. The interface varies over the course of the series. While Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show and Madeline's European Adventures were designed to look and play like interactive storybook adventure games, others such as Madeline Thinking Games were designed as a series of activities within the game. Madeline European Adventures requires players to search across each screen in a first person view, similar to the game Myst.

The subjects covered in the minigames vary depending on the game. For Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Reading, reading comprehension and spelling are taught by completing crossword puzzles, arranging words in alphabetical order, and finding synonyms and antonyms for words. Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Math focuses on building the player's knowledge of mathematics. In the game, Madeline coaches the player through 55 activities covering two full years of math curriculum, including lessons on "logic, time, money skills, sequencing, fractions, geometry, estimation, and patterns."

Basic French and Spanish vocabulary are taught throughout the series. In Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey, the player can click on objects to hear words in English, French, and Spanish and review vocabulary by playing a game of Concentration. In Madeline European Adventures, the player can learn up to 100 words in both Spanish and French, as well as more information about European countries, flags, and culture through an interactive map, through skill-building activities that can be repeated at will. Throughout the series, the gameplay includes references to European culture, as well as foreign languages.

Some of the in-game activities such as the player being able to dress up Madeline's friends and dog in various outfits, or create postcards, masks, door signs, and stickers are not strictly educational-related topics. In Madeline Thinking Games Deluxe, the player can design Madeline's bedroom by changing the wallpaper, carpeting, and furniture. Personalized graphics, printable activities, and reward certificates are also common mechanics in these games. The player can also watch and sing along with music videos in Madeline Thinking Games.

Madeline was targeted at a younger demographic of gamer. Age recommendations from reviewers varied somewhat from reviewers. The series was deemed appropriate for "even the youngest pre-readers" by one video game reviewer. Other video game commentators recommended that it was best suited for players between kindergarten and second-grade. A reviewer from SuperKids suggested that young children may require adult assistance due to the complex skills required. The reviewer also noted that the series was appropriate for older players, but the games were not sufficiently challenging for their grade level. While primarily a single player series, one exception is Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Math, which includes six multiplayer games with different difficulty levels.

The Madeline video games feature several methods for the player to track progress through the educational material. Madeline serves as an in-game helper, providing encouragement and hints supporting the learning process through immediate, positive reinforcement from the game to the player. The Orlando Sentinel explains, "the effervescent Madeline is there to offer frequent encouragement and reward correct answers." In addition, the games incorporate a Progress Tracker to keep parents and educators informed of the player's ongoing performance. The Progress Tracker highlights the activities in which they are excelling or may need some assistance. The game also has a feature which recognizes skill mastery and increases difficulty automatically. Level adjustment is a mechanic used in certain games, however, variable levels of difficulty are not present in all of the games. Some of the games, such as Madeline European Adventures, come with a user guide with hints and a walkthrough to help a player who is stuck, or to allow a parent to quickly learn the gameplay in order to help a young player. Several of the installments allow the player to track his or her progress through printable materials, such as "printable cards, postcards, and games that you can play away from the computer."

Settings and characters

Most of the Madeline series takes place either in Madeline's boarding school or the surrounding neighborhood. The two exceptions are Madeline European Adventures, which includes France, Italy, Switzerland, and Turkey, and Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Math, which focuses on the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay. While Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Reading is set in the boarding school, Madeline and the player can also travel to Italy and Egypt through a magical attic. Throughout the series, Madeline is tasked with helping several characters achieve their goals. The series includes original artwork, emulating watercolor painting, for the backgrounds and full animation. For instance, Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show contains 30 background scenes and over 10,000 frames of original animation. The TV series' theme song, is featured at the beginning of each game. American author Annie Fox, who had previously co-created the edutainment Putt-Putt series also contributed to the development of the Madeline games.

Madeline serves as a guide or a teacher for the player throughout the minigames and the series was noted as unique for featuring a female protagonist. In addition, Madeline's dog Genevieve is featured in several games. She provides hints to the player on how to correctly complete an activity in Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Math, and helps Madeline search for the genie's magic lamp in Madeline European Adventure. In Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade, Miss Clavel appears and is assisted by Madeline with completing equations on an easel. Madeline's Spanish neighbor Pepito is featured in the "reading comprehension and problem solving" activity "Where's Pepito?" in Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Reading.

Tracey-Lee Smyth voices Madeline in most of the video games, reprising her role from the television series Madeline; Similarly, Christopher Plummer, who previously played the narrator in six Madeline specials on HBO (1989–1991) as well as the TV series Madeline (1993–1994) and The New Adventures of Madeline (1995), returns as the narrator for Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey and later installments in the series. In other games, such as Madeline Thinking Games, the voice of Madeline acts as narrator. Other voice actors from the television series also reprise their role in the video game where their character makes an appearance. The voice actors recorded their dialogue at Koko Productions 8th Avenue Sound Studios in Vancouver and The Audio Department in New York.

Educational goals

As the only educational software brand focused on meeting the specific needs of young girls, Madeline is a great addition to The Learning Company's growing girls software library [which creates] multimedia products for girls and children that are not only entertaining, but also educational.

A major goal of the series was to improve skills such as creativity, reading, math, critical thinking & problem solving, and foreign language abilities for children in preschool to about grade three or four. The growth in the development of educational computer software in general was thought to reflect the desire among parents to start teaching their children at younger ages. To this end, developers consulted with children, parents, and teachers during the design and development of each installment. Madeline Classroom Companion: Preschool and Kindergarten was playtested by children and their parents at Redwood City Kid's Club and Sequoia Children's Center. Many reviewers indicated that the developers achieved many of these goals well.

Larry Blasko of The Free Lance–Star found that the series filled a void with games that balanced education with entertainment. Robert Harrow Jr. of The Washington Post recommended the Madeline series to parents since it was "educational software ... cloaked in games." In her book Lesson Plans for the Busy Librarian, Joyce Keeling wrote a guide for teachers explaining how to incorporate Madeline video games into school curricula, such as using Madeline Thinking Games Deluxe in math class, while Priscilla Bennett of School Library Journal suggested the games "should be popular in schools, homes, and public libraries." A school in Hope Meadows, Illinois, offered the program as a reward for children who had done their 15 minutes of reading, and Madeline Classroom Companion: 1st and 2nd Grade Reading Deluxe was made available as a resource at the Washington-Centerville Public Library in 1999. According to education lecturer Tom Lowrie in a paper entitled Using Technology to Enhance Children's Spatial Sense, the interactive program Madeline Thinking Games is commonly used to test "for a range of visual and spatial understandings" in children. Sebastian Dortch of The St. Petersburg Times reported that his three year old child said, immediately after waking up, that he wanted to "play Madeline", which Dortch called a "ringing endorsement."

Joe Szadkowski of The Washington Post suggested that each CD on Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Math covers one year's worth of educational material. Software and CD-ROM Reviews on File wrote the Madeline Classroom Companion games contained the "basic elements of [the] school curriculum" citing Philip Bishop's Family PC review which said the games "constitute two complete years of learning, covering pre-reading, pre-math, thinking skills, and creativity." The Chicago Tribune said of Madeline European Adventures that "the games build on each other for cumulative learning." Linda Jewell Carr's paper Instructional Programs Used in Home Schools in Five North Carolina Counties found Madeline "instructional programs " to be among those played by the participants in the exploratory study.The Washington Post said the games were Creative Wonders "big sellers" that "incorporate a more educational tone" than their contemporaries. However, Julie Strasberg of PC Magazine wrote that the majority of tasks in Madeline Thinking Games "involve simple observation", meaning "kids may not learn a tremendous amount."

Feminist goals

I think that we know that Madeline is a character who is popular with both boys and girls. Although parents are more likely to buy the software for girls, we didn't have to come out and say that. I think it's kind of a turnoff to parents to actually ... see a box that says on it 'For Girls Only'.

In 1995, there was a "conspicuous absence" of interactive edutainment software aimed at young girls, however by 1998 there were 65 titles for this demographic. Although many of these games (including those of Mattel, Polaroid, Hasbro, and Disney) were accused of reinforcing negative stereotypes by having themes such as pink, makeovers, jewelry, ponies, and kitchens, Katie Hafner of The Chicago Tribune and The New York Times wrote that the Madeline series, along with American Girls, achieved the "lofty goal" of providing young players with content that was "carefully designed [and] thoughtful", managing to be popular while "present[ing] players with some intellectual substance." The Orlando Sentinel suggested that "the success of Barbie software ... encouraged other software makers to come out with their own programs just for girls", such as Creative Wonders' Madeline. Creative Wonders product manager Jennifer Rush called Madeline "a good role model" with "an assertive, spunky personality and ... a logical fit in the interactive world." Rush attributed the decision to center a series of educational games on the character as an attempt to reach young girls who are "often ignored by multimedia developers." She explained that the games fulfilled the "real opportunity in multimedia to develop titles that appeal to girls", emphasizing that "girls tend to want more of a storyline." Holly Smevog, producer of software at Creative Wonders, said that girls are drawn to "story lines, real-life situations, hands-on experiences and developing relationships with characters."

The Daily Gazette's Susan Reimer felt that the Madeline educational games helped to revive girls' interest in computers and changed their preconceptions of them as "that solitary, isolating experience". Reimer wrote the games are: "based on the idea that girls learn, play and relate to each other in a different way than boys." A writer from The Beacon News thought the series resonated with girls because the main character is a young girl. The writer followed up by noting the difficulty in finding software suited for girls. Mark Ivey and Elizabeth Kemper from Daily News thought the series was an example of how software developers were making strides toward creating quality girls' software that matched what had been created for boys. J.P. Faber of U.S. Kids praised the fact that a "smart little girl is the star", noting that "it's usually a boy who is in charge."

The article Engaging Girls with Computers Through Software Games noted that since the 1990's, "several companies have attempted to market a line of software games specifically for girls", and that Broderbund's Carmen Sandiego and Creative Wonders's Madeline are two rare examples that have "marketed girl games that were designed to appeal to boys as well." Software and CD-ROM Reviews on File noted that reviewers thought the games would "engage both boys and girls", while James Madge of The Toronto Star said the games were "edutainment ... geared at girls." Reviewers in Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine found an activity in Madeline Thinking Games Deluxe where players have to redecorate Madeline's room was "excruciatingly painful" for one of their male testers; however they rebuffed the girl testers' claim that they didn't like the "girl's game". Selling to Kids wrote that through their Madeline series, Creative Wonders was "targeting girls" and "get[ing] girls thinking." While the boys in the HomePC Kids' Lab didn't warm to the "sweet" Madeline TV show, it found that their male playtesters were eager to play the video games.

In an official press release for Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Math, Andy Young, senior vice president of marketing at The Learning Company, described the series as "imaginative product" for girls to play alongside "their beloved and adventurous friend Madeline", and identified the character of Madeline as a figure "that children love and parents trust." According to Bestick, girls were more drawn to plot and character development over dominance and violence, and he saw the series as a way to enter this untapped market. Ivey and Kemper noted that boys were spending more time on the computer than girls, and as a result girls were missing out on learning opportunities; the newspaper identified a recent trend toward "high skill, not high kill" games, such as in the series involving Nancy Drew and Madeline. Terri Payne Butler of The Horn Book Magazine thought the series offered a solution for "every young girl who wants to play computer games but has little interest in shootem-up, take-em-out games such as Ninja Turtle." Nancy Churnin of the Los Angeles Times suggested a child's comfort level can increase if the educational content they are offered has familiar characters, like Madeline. Donna Ladd of MacHome Journal noted that a Madeline Classroom Companion game of Concentration contained a subtle positive message by asking players to match images such as a female forest ranger, policewoman, and woman newspaper reporter, with "few portraying traditional gender roles." Retailing Today suggested that the Madeline series was "among the few titles specifically aimed at girls that seems ready for the mass market.". The Los Angeles Daily News compared Madeline to storybook video game Chop Suey as they both contained heroines, had "brightly colored, naive-style illustrations", and were targeted toward all children despite having "obvious feminine appeal." Shelley Campbell, education coordinator at Wiz Zone Computers for Kids in Vancouver, recommended Madeline European Adventures as a video game that is effectively relateable to girls.

Creative Wonders era (1995–1997)

Creative Wonders (also known as ABC/EA Home Software until 1 June 1995), a multimedia software joint venture of Electronic Arts Inc. and Disney unit Capital Cities/ABC Multimedia Group, was founded in Redwood City, California in December 1994 to develop software for the children's market in an attempt to "dovetail ... with Disney's overall corporate strategy", utilize the "creative, marketing, and distribution muscle of its partners", and cultivate a strong brand identity that was synonymous with product quality. ABC contributed a "video archive and production expertise", while EA brought its "software development experience and retail distribution system." Michael Pole, Creative Wonders' director of development and an executive producer, "supervised the development of children's product lines based on such well-known properties" as Madeline. In 1993, he saw an opportunity for a "recognised, franchizable property which could be marketed to girls in the 7-12 year old age bracket" to enter the edutainment space. Creative Wonders' president Greg Bestick envisioned an educational brand that would "excite the emotions, stimulate learning, and provide entertaining, yet valuable lessons." Starting from the 1939 publication of Ludwig Bemelmans' eponymous book, the Madeline franchise and its protagonist still remained popular decades after its release. By 1995, Madeline had become a "cultural icon", and a "widely licensed character in dolls, games and videos" and was "internationally recognized" alongside Sesame Street characters such as Elmo, and Schoolhouse Rock's Lucky Sampson. DIC Entertainment had bought the Madeline content rights from Bemelmans in 1993 and had since produced the successful Madeline TV series for Home Box Office and The Family Channel. Michael Pole approached DIC to acquire the electronic rights to the Madeline franchise and secured the license for a "low, up-front fee (plus royalties)" in exchange for an assurance that their premiere video game title would "contain the highest quality design elements". Interactive Publishers Handbook asserts that Creative Wonders performed a "'song & dance' negotiation" in which they convinced DIC of the benefit of a licensing agreement despite a "short term lower cash infusion"; this was a three-pronged argument of: having an association with multimedia software of award-winning caliber, branding the Madeline name into a new multimedia market, and receiving free collateral publicity for DIC's television show via Creative Wonders' marketing campaign for their premiere title. Blasko felt that the video game project achieved "synergy" by being an interactive media extension of the animated adaptation of Madeline; the games were in made in association with The Incredible World of DiC. Interactive Publishers Handbook said this was a necessity as contemporary licensing fees for branded media characters ranged from $100,000-$250,000, while production budgets for high-end children's edutainment titles ranged from $400,000-$700,000, and the six figure licensing fees would have made it difficult for Creative Wonders to stay profitable while maintaining high production values. It highlighted the deal as a prime example of a publisher and licenser partnering up to "produce a top-notch title in a cost-effective manner" and sharing back-end royalties once the products hit the shelves, suggesting that high licensing fees would have been unbeneficial to both parties. Louis Roitblat was vice president of marketing at Creative Wonders, who "directed his team on product line strategies for many successful brands including...Madeline".

Independent developer Vortex Media Arts was placed in charge of programming, art, animation, sound, script, and voice artists for the series. Meanwhile, as publisher, Creative Wonders was in charge of producing, testing, package design, documentation, online assistance, print activities, and consulting. Vortex Media Arts was formed by a 1993 merger of game design and programming technology company Strategic Visions (aka Creative Vision, founded in 1991), and art and animation company Lil' Gangster Entertainment, in order to create a stronger value proposition to publishers. Prior to the creation of Vortex Media Arts, Lil' Gangster Entertainment partner Jay Francis supervised the animated series of Madeline while working for DIC Entertainment the shows' producer. Michael Pole was familiar with Lil' Gangster Entertainment through their work Electronic Arts, as well as Virgin Interactive and Disney Interactive, but felt that while the company could take care of the animation work of Madeline, it was unable to produce an entire title in-house. After the merger however, Creative Wonders was able to obtain the Madeline licensing deal from DIC alongside the new company Vortex. Madeline and the Magnificant Puppet Show, the premiere project of the Madeline video game series, was created on a budget of $500,000 and required 60,000 units to be sold to break even. It cost Vortex $300,000 to produce later Madeline video games, and they were paid through an "advances against royalties" deal, receiving an "advance of $3 on a disc that sells for $20 wholesale"; at least 100,000 copies of a video game had to be sold before Vortex received a royalty. The company saved money during development through an advance called "publisher's assistance", which meant "equipment is essentially borrowed from the publisher"; and the publisher then had the right to "repurchase the equipment at a depreciated value after the project is completed." Nevertheless, without outside financing, "overhead, salaries, and marketing" costs made royalty reimbursement from the games slim. Many Vortex artists had previously worked on the DIC television series, so had familiarity with the characters and design, and therefore had a lower learning curve. The video game series used an established engine that had already been created by Strategic Visions/Creative Vision, which minimised the technology learning curve. With the money that was saved from the relatively low rights acquisition fee, plus these "business and design caveats", Creative Wonders was able to publish video games with high quality on-screen elements for a cost well below the standard of the industry.

Vortex vice president Rick Giolito noted that there was "pressure" by their clients "to incorporate Hollywood-type production, techniques, and corporate structure." Interactive Publisher's Handbook agreed that Creative Wonders had streamlined its production process and produced partnerships and alliances between previously unrelated companies in a similar fashion to the "'best practices' of Hollywood". Giolito asserted that publishers forced the company to create prototypes for pre-testing by focus groups before products would receive complete funding, investment, or a purchase commitment, which lead to shoe-horned Madeline prototypes that were made on a bootstrap budget. Interactive Publisher's Handbook wrote that the developer was required to have a "lean production" in order to ensure success of the multi-company entity. EA required the developer to create technical design documents which would state the project milestones based on required technical aspects like game engines that need proof of concept, how long each element would take, the amount of human resources invested which then determined the shipping date; according to executive producer Michael Pole this was a favourable alternative to choosing a release date then working backwards and it helped developers stick to a timeline and understand which assets they were able to deliver. The publisher wanted the prototype stage to be preliminary deadline, with a trivial monitary investment that would identify any "technical hurdles" early on; this was followed by "delivery of levels and game tuning" by the developer. They would only back a project once "one room of an environment that includes art and animation up and running, some collision detection and some gameplay" was created, thereby demonstrating a viable investment; the preliminary artwork and prototype had to be completed within four months. The outsourcing of development to Vortex was a cost-cutting measure, as "software publishers ha[d] found that they ma[d]e more money distributing and selling software than developing it"; this led to a "garage developer phenomenon" where companies like Vortex made games like Madeline out of houses and basements. Madeline game artists worked double shifts, and shared computers, desks, and phone lines. In terms of marketing, EA would start devising strategy early on by discussing the chosen genre, and making sure the content and design fit the genre and were "demographically correct"; for instance Pole asserted that "Madeline doesn't belong on the Sony Playstation". In addition to Madaline already being a recognisable brand through its 60 year history, many national sales representatives in the interactive software industry had previously worked in the book and toy space, which meant that they were especially familiar with elements of the Madeline franchise. Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show, Madeline Thinking Games, and Madeline European Adventures were published by Creative Wonders in 1995–6, and Madeline would become Creative Wonders' "flagship product". Interactive Publisher's Handbook believes that the marketing of the games would have been in vain if the games didn't live up to the expectations of Madeline branded content, and noted that its financial success paid off for DIC's original gamble, and that the critical praise of the premiere title coupled with ABC's desire to run children's programming led to the network picking up the second season of DIC's animated version of Madeline and airing it under the title The New Adventures of Madeline (the previous season and specials had aired on the Family Channel).

The Learning Company era (1998)

In 1995, The Learning Company had been acquired by SoftKey International for cash and stock valued at $606 million, with SoftKey assuming the name of its acquisition. At the end of December 1997, the new iteration of The Learning Company acquired Creative Wonders from Capital Cities/ABC and Electronic Arts, which became a brand of the company though allowed to operate as a separate division. This was the latest in a string of acquisitions the company made toward the end of the 1990s and it added Madeline to its roster of assets. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, some games were published under a "Davidson/Creative Wonders" brand. The mid-90s had seen software companies begin to market products toward families after the decrease in the price of personal computers led to increased access to the technology. The Learning Company capitalized on the demand for educational software by purchasing popular characters and franchises, such as Sesame Street and Madeline, from smaller companies. Chief executive Michael Perik wanted the company to be the lead supplier of educational software by incorporating recognizable brands in its catalogue.

The Learning Company published the Madeline video game series under the LearningBuddies brand name. Some games in the series, such as Madeline's European Adventures, were also published under the SmartSaver brand. The Learning Company established the LearningBuddies trademark to house "developmental reading and math skills programs" based on Madeline and other characters from children's literature and cartoons, such as from the works of Dr. Seuss and the Winnie the Pooh franchise, to attract a younger audience while keeping them engaged and motivated. They were chosen because they were beloved characters that "children love and parents trust". Andy Young, senior vice president of marketing for The Learning Company, wanted children to "learn important skills from their all-time favorite friends." In 1997, Terri Payne Butler of The Horn Book Magazine noted that popular children's characters Madeline, Mike Mulligan, Arthur, and Peter Rabbit had all ventured into the "burgeoning world of CD-ROM". In 1998, O'Leary would say "we have recently acquired widely known brands such as Sesame Street, Madeline and Cyber Patrol to our stable of strong brand equities." Susan Getgood, director of corporate communications with The Learning Company explained this trend, suggesting "the more we give [players] familiar things, the better they learn."

In previous few years, SoftKey founder Kevin O'Leary had wanted the new The Learning Company to collaborate with developers to "produce products to service that 40 percent of the market that hasn't bought educational software because of pricing issues." This resulted in a new budget line of "Platinum" CD-ROM products; during this period The Learning Company would become known for aggressively driving down the development costs of products, and laying off employees in the companies it acquired. Post-1997 Madeline products were manufactured by BMG's manufacturing division, Sonopress, and order fulfillment was handled by BMG Distribution. These products were distributed to a wide range of retail outlets including: Best Buy, Circuit City, Computer City, Egghead Software, Office Depot, Price Club/Costco, Sam's Club, and Staples. Robin Ray of the Boston Herald noted in 1998 that while new releases in kid's software used to be in the $50 range, they were now being released at $35, and with a rebate or a few months wait customers could often get them for half price; he deemed the repackaging of two separate games into Madeline's Thinking Games Deluxe as a "bargain." While Madeline and Magnificent Puppet Show had been released with a retail price of $49.95 three years prior, Madeline Rainy Day Activities and Madeline Thinking Games Deluxe were launched in late 1998 at a price of $19.95, "in time to meet holiday demands for entertainment software to complement cross-curricular products." In the 1999 press release of Madeline 1st & 2nd Grade Math, which was released on the 60th anniversary of the publication of the first Madeline book was released, Young said: "We are proud to be part of that heritage as we continue to build on the success of our LearningBuddies line of Madeline CD-ROM product."

Mattel, discontinuation, and aftermath (1999-present)

Throughout the late 1990s, which correlates to the history of the Madeline series, The Learning Company was accused of being a house of cards "burdened with tired brands", cutting research and development to 11% of expenditures, and focusing on repackaging old products through distribution channels like convenience stores and drugstores, rather than investing resources into new software by the development companies they had acquired. The company had continued to grow through acquisitions, achieving revenues of $800 million, despite having an accumulated deficit of $1.1 billion by the end of 1998. Mattel CEO Jill Barad made a takeover bid in an attempt to overcome a downward slide in her company's stock price, "seiz[ing] on educational software as a driver of future growth." Mattel had found success with its series featuring Barbie due to the representation of the characters, and sought to replicate this formula by expanding the product line to include series like Madeline, which also included "well-developed characters." While the Madeline video game series was officially cancelled in 1997, Madeline Classroom Companion: Preschool and Kindergarten and Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Math would be released two years later in 1999 under Mattel, becoming the last two entries in the series before Creative Wonders being closed later that year. A few weeks after the sale, CFRA produced a critical report on Mattel, which claimed: "TLC was already experiencing collapsing revenue, a surge in receivables and a deterioration of operating cash flow." O'Leary, who had been hired as president of Mattel's new TLC digital division, soon sold his stock for $6 million, a few months before $2 billion in shareholder value was lost in a single day. The Learning Company's acquisition by Mattel in May 1999 resulted in a loss of nearly $300 million (once estimated at a loss of a $1 million a day) and represented the end of the "boom-and-bust period" of the "edutainment" era of the mid-1990s. Toby Levenson, former manager of The Learning Company's Educational Design Department, said "edutainment" had become "a toxic word" following the company's merger with Mattel, while Businessweek would describe the acquisition as one of "the Worst Deals of All Time". Lee Banville, editor of Gamesandlearning.org, wrote that the collapse of the market for children's education games was reflective of: "how difficult it is to grow that business and diversify and evolve".

The Madeline video game assets were passed around to various companies during the turn of the millennium. In 1999, the company name of The Learning Company was changed briefly to Mattel Interactive, which published not only educational games, but licensed titles from brands like Barbie. After suffering significant losses, Mattel sold The Learning Company in 2000 at a loss to Gores Technology Group, a privately held international acquisition and management firm, for a share of what the firm could sell the assets for. In 2001, edutainment development company Riverdeep Group acquired the education assets of The Learning Company from Gores Technology Group for $40 million in stock, while assuming $20 million in liabilities as inter-company debt. By 2002, Encore Software, a privately held publisher of home entertainment and education, had acquired the exclusive publishing rights for the Madeline properties and re-released the software under its own brand name. In that same year, distribution company Navarre Corporation purchased Encore for $7 million in cash while acquiring $2.75 million in debt. Having worked with Encore since the company's inception in 1995, Navarre saw this as a "move to strengthen its position in the video game market." In 2006, Riverdeep acquired Houghton Mifflin, becoming Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep Group. In 2007, Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep Group bought Harcourt Education assets from Reed Elsevier for $4 billion, with the resulting company called Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is the current owner of the Madeline video game license while either Navarre Corporation holds the publishing rights or they reverted to HMH after the games went out of print. HMH has not attempted to resurrect the series, unlike other similarly acquired edutainment assets like Broderbund's Carmen Sandiego, which saw its latest release in 2015.

In late 2014, several titles in the Madeline computer game series, along with about 2300 other vintage computer games, were made available online by the Internet Archive. Titles available for download (at no cost) from the Madeline series include Madeline thinking games Madeline European Adventures and Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show.

Promotion

Since the debut of the series, Creative Wonders ran various promotional campaigns for the Madeline games. The first entry Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey was released to coincide with the 1995 holiday season, as well as the ABC-TV premiere of the Saturday morning cartoon The New Adventures of Madeline in September; one of various pieces of Creative Wonders software, along with Bump in the Night and Free Willy, to be video game adaptions of ABC's 1995 Fall children's programming lineup. There were numerous promotions upon the launch of Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show, in order to cross-merchandise the CD-ROM title with the Madeline television show; one example is the create-your-own-puppet-show-scene contest where the grand prize include a personal Madeline appearance at the winner's puppet show and Madeline dolls from Eden Toys. According to Computer Retail Week, "the initial shipment of CD-ROMs also included a "32-piece kit that contains Madeline's napkins, plates and invitations", while shelf talkers and bookmark give-aways were also part of the promotion. The company used a portion of their marketing budget to fund "eye-catching, stand-alone displays" in the front of retail stores, which consisted of toy, software, doll, book, and video merchandise, in time for the Christmas season. The game was also showcased at the May 1995 Electronic Entertainment Expo, marking Creative Wonders' debut at the event.

In 1996, Creative Wonders collaborated with Western Publishing and Sony Wonder to promote the CD-ROMs and other aspects of the Madeline franchise through a mall tour. Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show A Learning Journey was included as part of the Aspire Games Arcade for the Acer Aspire personal computer. From August to October 1996, Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show was one of the free choices in a 2-for-1 promotion for Creative Wonders titles sponsored by Electronic Arts. In addition, the product was also one of four in a "bundle up" marketing campaign where customers received a free video cassette with a CD-ROM purchase, and a $5 rebate check for other Creative Wonders CD-ROMs, in a promotion that aimed to "bridge the gap between interactive and traditional entertainment" and build customer loyalty toward the company's products, lines, and brands; Creative Wonders shipped 100,000 units and the promotion continued until retailers ran out of stock. Madeline Thinking Games was introduced at the June 1996 Electronic Entertainment Expo. At the third annual Children's Interactive Media Festival, a panel entitled Case Study: Vortex Media Arts' Madeline, From Development to Ship was moderated by Richard Kahlenberg on March 16 at the Academy Theatre.

For the 1996 holiday season, Creative Wonders bundled plush toys with Madeline European Adventures. Creative Wonders launched a website in 1997 to facilitate further interaction with children, parents, and teachers, which included a free downloadable game Know Europe. The software was also featured on ABC Online to increase the visibility of the products, while the game Madeline's European Adventures included a free trial for America Online. Through its official website, the company also promoted a "Buy One Take One" deal, in which a customer could purchase two products for the price of one. In mid-October 1997, Creative Wonders held a "Buy One, Get One Free" for its "Madeline Classroom Companion" series. In the week of November 4, 1997, computer retailer Computer City debuted a new software section entitled "Just For Girls" to market entertainment and educational software titles to young girls aged 4–13, a market the company believed was overlooked by many technology companies. Madeline was among the first series to have products and in-store demos featured in the promotion.

Golden Books Family Entertainment Home Video and Audio and Creative Wonders agreed to a cross-promotion in 1998. A $15-off coupon for Madeline Classroom Companion: Preschool and Kindergarten, Madeline Classroom Companion: 1st and 2nd Grade, Madeline 1st and 2nd Grade Reading, and Madeline Thinking Games Deluxe was included in the VHS releases of the television episodes "Madeline In New York" and "Madeline At The Ballet". The VHS boxes containing the coupons were marked with a "color burst". In return, Creative Wonders packed 200,000 copies of its software products and Golden Books' VHS releases with inserts promoting the entire Madeline franchise and Golden Books' The Little Lulu Show series. The Los Angeles Times suggested Madeline Classroom Companion: Preschool & Kindergarten would be "especially appealing" as a result of the live-action Madeline film in the summer of 1998. In 1999, The Learning Company and Noodle Kidoodle teamed up to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Madeline. Children were able to play demo versions of the Madeline video games in retail stores. The Learning Company also donated hundreds of copies of the software to children who did not have access to these learning tools. For the celebrations, The Learning Company collaborated with educational superstore chain Zany Brainy to have a Madeline-themed event at 2:00 p.m. on March 20 and 21 in each of their stores. During the events, children interacted with the latest software in the series. In 1999, Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Creative Wonders allowed customers who bought the television film Madeline: Lost in Paris and an installment of the Madeline game series to mail in for a free Madeline software program. On April 26, 1999, The Learning Company announced its intention to introduce new software product including Madeline 1st & 2nd Grade Math at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles the following month.

Commercial performance

In December 1995, Creative Wonders revealed that Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey was as commercially successful as the company's best-selling Sesame Street title. From September 1995 to June 1997, two of the titles in the series had accumulated a total of $500,000 in sales and Madeline was the second-best female-targeted brand after Mattel's Barbie video game series. Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey was the second most popular title in the Macintosh category sold across 11 Software Etc. and Babbage's stores in the Washington area in the week that ended March 2, 1997. Madeline Classroom Companion was the most popular education category title sold across 11 Software Etc. and Babbage's stores in the Washington area in the week ended November 22, 1997. Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show, Madeline Thinking Games, and Madeline's European Adventure were all among the best-selling educational software titles of 1997. Karen Wickre reported in Upside in January 1998 that a Madeline game was one of the "two top titles" of Chinese distribution and development company Mediamax, along with Qin: Tomb of the Middle Kingdom. According to marketing data from PC Data, four of the top ten girls' video game titles in 1998 were Madeline products, while the other six featured Mattel's Barbie. In December 1998, Tony Hughes, managing director of TLC Asia Pacific, explained that Madeline Classroom Companion was "already out-selling Sesame Street in Target." In lists of thirteen software retail chains (representing 57% of the U.S. market) as compiled by PC Data of Reston, Madeline 1st Grade and 2nd Grade Math was the ninth top-selling educational title for the week for July 17, 1999 and the seventh top-selling title for the week of August 21, 1999. According to PC Data, Madeline Preschool/Kindergarten (119,721 units, $2.6 million), Madeline Thinking Games (106,392 units, $1.7 million), Madeline Thinking Games Deluxe (102,164 units, $2.0 million), and Madeline Classroom 1st/2nd (101,331 units, $2.2 million) were ranked 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th respectively in a list of top-selling girls titles in 1998-9 in terms of units sold and revenue generated.

Critical response

The Madeline video game series has been widely praised by many commentators as an excellent example of edutainment, well thought out, carefully designed and effective in teaching youth. Joe Chidley wrote in Maclean's that the storyline of Madeline European Adventures is "simple ... and silly without being stupid", offering some "engaging ... fanciful, surprise-filled" moments for children and "chuckle[s]" for parents. It was praised for making its educational content subtly entertaining for children It also was praised for teaching children valuable life skills, such as using different currencies and acquiring a passport and for helping develop creative writing skills. The series was also been praised for its foreign language teaching strategies for young people, being one of only a few games that helped children with language learning. Other reviewers added that the games would expose young American children to the European culture and stimulate further inquiry. Some reviewers also felt that the series improved over time due to the increased amount of activities and educational minigames in later releases. The game's art style music and sound also received several positive reviews. The soundtrack and illustrations was praised for being immersive, stimulating, and loyal to the television series and the books, respectively. Terri Payne Butler of The Horn Book Magazine wrote that the "character-driven" games are "faithful in spirit, accent, and illustration" to the source material, effectively telling original stories containing "adventures, puzzles, match games, and mysteries", thereby avoiding the traps of other video game adaptions of book and television properties. Discount Store News, reviewing the 1996 E3, commented that Madeline Thinking Games had "sharper [and] more detailed graphics than have been seen in the past." Games in the series have also received awards. In 1996 PC Magazine Labs awarded Madeline Thinking Games as the winner for the "Education/fun 5–9 age group" category in a analysis of 500 games. In 1999, The Association of Educational Publishers (EdPress) awarded Madeline's Reading 1st and 2nd Grade with The Golden Lamp Award in the home learning category.

The series has also received some strong criticism. Some reviewers argued that the earlier games were overly simplistic, that they developed mostly point and click skills, and they would provide only a few hours of entertainment. One set of reviewers took issue with the series' lack of replayability due to the games' simplicity. Conversely, other critics argued that the games were too challenging for the target audience and that the hardest games were excessively hard and that the games moved at a relatively slow pace. There were also technical criticisms of the games. These included slight technical glitches, and inferior graphics. The transitions between graphics and pictures were considered slow by some critics and the voice recordings seemed to have static contamination. Reviwers from Newsday said that in Madeline Thinking Games "the music is dull (and not the least bit French), the drawings are homogenized, the animation is about as basic as it gets."

Critics have also commented on the voice acting for Madeline and its impact on the player. In Blasko's opinion, Madeline's constant giggling, pirouetting, skipping, and smiling reflected the programmers' awareness of the games' intended, female audience. Writers in two SuperKids reviews found Madeline's accent and "encouraging, praising, and giggling" attitude to be endearing, but Hwan-Chi questioned if she would deter a male audience. AllGame's Lisa Karen Savignano compared the repeated phrases used by Madeline to congratulate the player to "fingernails down a blackboard" and advised "invest[ing] in a good pair of earplugs" before playing the game. Foran wrote that players may get annoyed by Madeline's "phony accent and endless saccharine praise", and Lynne Touhy from The Daily Gazette called the repetition of the "You are so clever" sentiment in Madeline's "French-accentuated, high-pitched" voice to be a deterrent to the player. Ray praised the characterization of Madeline, but found that her faux French accent proved annoying to his kid play-testers. Jeffrey Branzburg wrote in Technology & Learning that young players may have difficulty understanding her French accent, while Macworld suggested her "exaggerated French accent can be hard on the ears [and] annoying". Meanwhile, New Straits Times's Rhonwyn Hwan-Chi thought Madeline spoke "flawless (although accented) English." The Herald Sun wrote that she speaks "in the worst fake French accent imaginable." Home PC suggested that Christopher Plummer's narration "frees children who have not yet learned to read from the feelings of frustration that come with stumbling through printed directions."

Madeline's characterization received a mixed response from video game critics. In their book New Trends in Software Methodologies, Tools and Techniques, professors Hamido Fujita and Paul Johannesson argued that Madeline was a good role model for girls, due to her use of problem solving, critical thinking, and logic skills throughout the games to achieve her objectives. The Record said that her "spirit and enthusiasm are well-suited to the coaching and teaching role" she adopts throughout the series. Bishop asserted the games had the "bounce and charm" of other ventures within the Madeline franchise. Kathy Yakal of PC Magazine wrote that "Madeline's warmth as a host" made the series "a nice, gentle activity platform for younger children." Kawamoto thought Madeline was a "feisty female lead", he felt the games had the potential to be "equally enjoyable for boys and girls", but Abel noted in a separate article in the same magazine that the series is "especially appealing to girls" due to the choice of protagonist. Reviewers from Children's Software Revue wrote the games are "popular with girls", while a writer from SuperKids said Madeline was "the epitome of the strong young female", and editor of the publication Warren Buckleitner commented that "you can't go wrong with this solid program." In their book Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes, professor Sharon Lamb and feminist activist Lyn Mikel Brown were critical of the inclusion of decoration-related activities in Madeline's Rainy Day Activities, saying: "On what planet would brave Madeline give a hoot about the color of the living room wallpaper?" Nevertheless, both Computer Shopper and SuperKids found the most popular activity on Madeline's Thinking Games was Let's Decorate; the latter observed that testers "frequently returned to the room to rearrange items or totally obliterate their designs and begin anew."