The Learning Company

The Learning Company (TLC) is an American educational software company, founded in 1980. It produced a grade-based system similar to Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart series. The products for preschoolers through second graders feature Reader Rabbit, and software for more advanced students features The ClueFinders. The company also purchased the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium. The company has corporate offices in San Francisco and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The original The Learning Company was founded by Ann McCormick, Leslie Grimm, and Teri Perl, three educators who saw the Apple II as an opportunity to enhance the ability to teach young children concepts of math, reading and science, along with Warren Robinett, fresh from a stint at Atari. Part of the original funding for the company came from a National Science Foundation grant. Additional funding was provided by Jack Melchor, and Melchor Venture Partners, among others. The Learning Company first went public on April 28, 1992 - Morgan Stanley and Robertson, Stephens & Co. served as the lead underwriters. In 1995 TLC became the target of larger software firms interested in purchasing it. In that year a "bidding war" took place between Brøderbund and SoftKey, with the latter eventually acquiring TLC for $606 million in cash. SoftKey took up The Learning Company's name and continued acquiring other software companies including Mindscape, Inc. in March 1998 for $150 million and, ironically, former rival Brøderbund in June of the same year for $416 million. Mattel purchased the company in 1999 for $3.8 billion from the Canadian Entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary., renaming it "Mattel Interactive". It has been called one of the worst acquisitions in corporate history. Mattel sold Learning Co. to Gores Technology Group, receiving $27.3 million for the unit. TLC, along with Brøderbund, is now a subsidiary of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; however, some of the acquired entertainment holdings were sold to Ubisoft.

As of December 17, 2008, TLC closed its online store, leaving their products to be found at retail stores and other online distributors.

Reader Rabbit/ClueFinders series

 * Grade-based titles
 * Reader Rabbit Baby
 * Reader Rabbit Toddler
 * Reader Rabbit Preschool
 * Reader Rabbit Kindergarten
 * Reader Rabbit 1st Grade
 * Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade (now sold as Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade: Classic)
 * Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade: Mis-cheese-ious Dreamship Adventures
 * The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures: The Mystery of Mathra
 * The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures: Puzzle of the Pyramid
 * ''The ClueFinders 5th Grade Adventures: The Secret of the Living Volcano
 * ''The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures: The Empire of the Plant People
 * Other titles
 * Reader Rabbit 1
 * Reader Rabbit 2
 * Reader Rabbit 3
 * Reader Rabbit's Reading Journey
 * Reader Rabbit Reading Adventures Ages 4-6
 * Reader Rabbit Math Adventures Ages 4-6
 * Reader Rabbit Reading Adventures Ages 6-9
 * Reader Rabbit Math Adventures Ages 6-9
 * The ClueFinders Math Adventures
 * The ClueFinders Reading Adventures Ages 9-12: Mystery in the Himalayas
 * The ClueFinders Search and Solve Adventures
 * The ClueFinders: The Incredible Toy Store Adventure!
 * The ClueFinders: Mystery Mansion Arcade
 * ''Caillou Magic Playhouse
 * SpongeBob SquarePants Typing
 * Some PBS Kids games

Zoombinis

 * Zoombinis: Logical Journey
 * Zoombinis: Mountain Rescue
 * Zoombinis: Island Odyssey

Super Solvers series

 * Challenge of the Ancient Empires! (or Ancient Empires)
 * Spellbound! (Later re-released as 'Leap Ahead! Spelling')
 * Mission: T.H.I.N.K.
 * Gizmos & Gadgets!
 * Midnight Rescue! (Later re-released as 'Super Solvers Reading' and then 'Leap Ahead! 3rd Grade')
 * OutNumbered! (Later re-released as 'Leap Ahead! 3rd Grade')
 * Treasure Mountain!
 * Treasure Mathstorm!
 * Treasure Cove!
 * Treasure Galaxy!

Carmen Sandiego series

 * Carmen Sandiego's ThinkQuick Challenge
 * Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Treasures of Knowledge
 * Note: When The Learning Company purchased Brøderbund Software, they gained the rights to the Carmen Sandiego series. Only the Carmen Sandiego games created by The Learning Company are included here. Note that some original Brøderbund games are now sold under The Learning Company name.

Other games

 * Real World Series
 * Time Riders in American History
 * Operation Neptune (briefly added to the Super Solvers series)
 * Math For The Real World
 * Adventure/Puzzle Games
 * Gertrude's Secrets
 * Gertrude's Puzzles
 * Robot Odyssey
 * Rocky's Boots
 * Think Quick!
 * Logic Quest 3D
 * Road Adventures USA
 * Trail Games
 * Oregon Trail
 * Amazon Trail
 * Yukon Trail
 * Tools and Other Programs
 * All-Star Typing
 * Read, Write, and Type
 * MetroGnomes' Music
 * The Children's Writing & Publishing Center
 * The Writing Center
 * Student Writing Center
 * Other Early Educational Programs
 * Magic Spells
 * Bumble Games
 * Bumble Plot
 * Moptown Hotel
 * Moptown Parade
 * Wordspinner
 * Juggles' Rainbow
 * Juggles' House

Reference: The Gizmos & Gadgets! User's Guide Back Outside Cover

Continuity within game universes
While it may not seem like it at first, many of the series of games do, indeed, involve each other in subtle ways that the developers may just want to sneak in, or otherwise. The ClueFinders games, although part of the same product line, appear to be set in their own universe.

Locations
The primary locations of the Reader Rabbit series are in Wordville. On the Wordville map in the front of the Reader Rabbit 3 User's Guide, Treasure Mountain can be seen. This seems to suggest that the two worlds are located relatively close to one another. Another location is Shady Glen, at which all the Super Solver games take place.

Crossovers

 * Though Operation Neptune seems to be outside of the fantasy realm of the other games, one of the prizes in the Circus in Math Rabbit is the Neptune.
 * In one of the data logs found in Operation Neptune, one of the scientists references Ancient Empires as one of the ways the scientists on the space exploration journey like to pass the time.