Bright Star Technology
Bright Star Technology, Inc. was founded by Elon Gasper and Nedra Goedert during the early 1980s and was a key player in multimedia technology.[1] Well-known titles from Bright Star include HyperAnimation, Alphabet Blocks, and the Talking Tutors series. Bright Star was acquired by Sierra On-Line in 1992, and was a cornerstone of Sierra's educational games department.[2]
Prior to starting the company, Gasper was teaching computer science at California Institute of Technology while trying to teach his daughter how to read. He became inspired by the lip-synchronization positions charts used in Disney animation. This inspired him to create animated tutors whose mouths moved realistically to humans.[3] This continued to Early Math, which follows the curriculum from the National Association of Teachers of Mathematics.[3]
A.J.'s World was developed by Sierra's subsidiaries Coktel Vision and Bright Star Technology.[4]
Bright Star's games
- Alphabet Blocks
- AJ's World of Language
- AJ's World of Math
- AJ's World of Discovery
- Spelling Jungle (also sold as Basic Spelling and Yobi's Basic Spelling Tricks; code-named Spelling Demons)
- Spelling Blizzard (also sold as Advanced Spelling)
- Kid's Typing
- Early Math
- Beginning Reading
- The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain
- Discover ABC and 123 with Hickory & Me (also sold as separate ABC and 123 products; produced in cooperation with Golden Books Family Entertainment)
- Discover Math and Spelling with Monker (also sold as separate Math and Spelling products; produced in cooperation with Golden Books Family Entertainment)
Bright Star's language education products
- Berlitz Live! Spanish (produced in cooperation with Berlitz International, Inc.)
- Berlitz Live! Japanese (produced in cooperation with Berlitz International, Inc.)
References
- Kantra, Suzanne (May 1993). "See Dick and Jane Go High-Tech". Popular Science: 43.
- "Sierra On-Line Inc -- Company History". Funding Universe. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
- Oldenburg, Don (December 13, 1993). "COMPUTERS" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- "ST Report: 18-Feb-94 #1008". www.atarimax.com. Retrieved 2020-10-27.