Plot and gameplay

The series centers on the adventures of Reader Rabbit and his friends, including Sam the Lion and Matilda the Mouse.

Generally, the series consists of point-and-click adventure games where the player must use their inventory and interact with characters to solve a series of puzzles. These puzzles were originally reading-based challenges but different titles focus on other subject areas, such as math and spelling. Visually, the games consists of a series of static screens which the player can navigate through by clicking on certain "travel" hot spots. Other hot spots can trigger an interaction with a character, item, song, or mini-game.

Art

In the early 1990s, artist Shaowei Liu hand painted backgrounds and animations which were then digitized for the games.^[29] In the mid-1990s, artist Frank Cirocco drew the characters and foregrounds in pencil,^[30] hiring Mick Gray to ink the line art.^[31][32] By 1997, the characters were redesigned for Reader Rabbit Toddler by Tracy Reynolds of Class 6 Entertainment.^[33] For some of the games at this time, the art was provided by Chester Aldridge's company US Equity Holdings.^[34] For the later games, Fred Dianda was made Lead Artist.^[35] Some line art was worked on by Gerald Broas, who used a 2B pencil to hand draw the backgrounds and characters on 12 field animation paper.^[36] For the story books included in the interactive journey and library games, artist Marc Diamond used a LeapPad tablet to sketch the pictures before coloring and shading.^[37] The most recent art for the iOS games was done by concept artist Federico Miniaci.^[38]

Music

Each game contains songs that guide the narrative and provide the internal monologs of characters. Composer Scott Lloyd Shelly was particularly proud of composing the music for Reader Rabbit: 1st Grade in 1998.^[39] Foreign language versions were created for many of the games to give the franchise global appeal. This extended to the games' songs; one song from Reader Rabbit Preschool was translated into French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Swedish.^[40] A VHS video called Reader Rabbit Sing-A-Song Adventures was released in 2000, featuring a compilation of the series' best songs.^[41]

Educational goals

Education has always been a key part of the games' design, seeking to find a balance between learning and fun. The titles in the series are researched by educators, parents, children and reading specialists to ensure the software is educational, engaging and easy-to-use.^[42] The software aimed to promote the use of computers as teaching tools in the classroom.^[43] The games covered a range of subjects such as reading, phonics, math, and memory.^[44] The A.D.A.P.T. Learning Technology was introduced into Reader Rabbit titles in 1999. The system contained a series of customization features that would facilitate the player's learning by assessing abilities, developing skills, adjusting levels, providing help, and tracking progress.^[45]

Video games

Cassettes and DVD

• Reader Rabbit's Sing Along Favorites (music cassette)
• Reader Rabbit: Sing-A-Song Adventures (VHS – 2000)
• Reader Rabbit: Wordville Soup (DVD – 2004)
• Reader Rabbit: The Great Alphabet Race (DVD – 2005)

Reader Rabbit Giant Workbooks

These workbooks were published by The Learning Company and each were supplementary material to a corresponding game. They were republished as Reader Rabbit: Let's Learn by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:

• Reader Rabbit Kindergarten
• Reader Rabbit Kindergarten: Rhyming Words
• Reader Rabbit Preschool
• Reader Rabbit Preschool: Reading Readiness
• Reader Rabbit Preschool: Colors & Shapes
• Reader Rabbit Preschool: Sounds
• Reader Rabbit Preschool: Alphabet
• Reader Rabbit Starting School Level 1: ABC
• Reader Rabbit 1st Grade
• Reader Rabbit 1st Grade: Spelling
• Reader Rabbit 1st Grade: Phonics
• Reader Rabbit 1st Grade: Writing Mechanics
• Reader Rabbit K-1st Grade: Math
• Reader Rabbit K-1st Grade: Math – Money, Time & Measurement

Reader Rabbit Leapfrog e-books

These e-books are about phonics and were released under the LeapPad learning system:

• High Flying Circus
• Sam's Sweet Surprise
• The Great Word Chase

Critical reception

In 1991, The Chicago Sun-Times noted that Reader Rabbit was "one of the most effective edutainment gaming franchises" and that it had helped many children learn how to read.^[87] Computer Shopper appreciated that the games filled a gap in the market; it found that while most reading comprehension titles were aimed at older children, Reader Rabbit uniquely offered games to the preschool age.^[88]

In 1995, The New York Times noted that the flagship title of The Learning Company was "unusual in crossing over from home use to in-school, curriculum-based learning".^[89] The newspaper noted in 2002 that the series had become an "educational staple in schools and homes" with a long tradition of "quality educational software".^[90] The Boston Herald argued that the games' replayability and enjoyment made their costs immediately justifiable.^[91] Krystina Madej of Physical Play and Children's Digital Games highlighted the series as an innovator in the budding edutainment genre during the 1980s, following in MECC's The Oregon Trail footsteps to create play-based educational games aimed at young children.^[92]

In 2012, PC Mag listed the debut title as one of the 10 Educational PC Games of the 1980s and noted that new titles were still being released.^[93]

Sales

The premiere game in the series, Reader Rabbit and the Fabulous Word Factory, first entered the Billboard Charts for Education Computer Software at number six in May 1985^[94] and re-entered at number 10 two weeks later.^[95] The game continued to feature on the charts in following weeks, selling 250,000 units by 1989.^[96]

The series was commercially successful throughout its run. By 1991, the series had sold 500,000 copies.^[87] The Learning Company had a gross revenue of $27.5 million at the end of the 1993 financial year and 41% revenue growth from 1992–3, largely due to the Reader Rabbit series.^[97]

Between 1993 and 2001, the series sold six million copies.^[26] Around 2001, prices of the products were tapering and the sales were declining around Europe.^[98] By 2002, the series had sold over 25 million copies.^[99]

Awards and nominations

As of 2017, the series has won over 175 awards.^[100]