Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey

Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey

Developer(s) Creative Wonders
Platform(s) PC, Mac
Release date(s) 1995
Genre(s) Children's educational video games

Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey is the first video game based on the Madeline series of books. It was released in 1995 to tie in to the animated television series Madeline, which aired on ABC as The New Adventures of Madeline on Saturday mornings.[1] The game was narrated by actor Christopher Plummer, who also narrated the television series.[2] It was developed by Creative Wonders and released for the PC and Mac.

Production

The video game was developed by Creative Wonders, which is a "joint venture of Electronic Arts and Capital Cities-ABC", and was released to coincide with the airing of a Madeline television series entitled "The News Adventures of Madeline", a relationship that has been described as "synergy".[3] Project manager of Creative Wonders Jennifer Rush said "Madeline is a girl character that we felt was a good role model. She has an assertive, spunky personality and is a logical fit for the interactive world".[4] The game arrived in stores in the autumn of 1996,[5] and contained "30 background screen of original art".[6]

Plot

Kidsource explains the plot:[7]

Madeline's kindly old neighbor Mr Benet (along with his large menagerie of animals) face eviction by a greedy landlord. True to character, Madeline jumps in with plans to save the day: She and her classmates will give apuppet show to raise money to pay the rent. Your child's mission: Guide Madeline on a quest for all the things she'll need to make the puppets and organize the show.

Gameplay

Kidsource explains the gameplay:[8]

The software lets children wander in and out of the rooms in Madeline's large home and through her Parisian neighborhood. Kids interpret verbal clues to figure out what they must find - invitations to the show, balloons, a cape to serve as the theater's curtain. As they click, they trigger animations (statues speak, chandeliers spin) and collect various objects (a loaf of bread, a jump rope) that are stored for future use. (If this sounds a bit like the Putt-Putt adventures from Humongous, you're right; Madeline was designed by the same team.) Along the way, kids also encounter activities like painting backdrops and making puppets as well as a matching game that introduces the French and Spanish words for lamp, stairs, rug, chandelier and clock.

Critical reception

Billboard described the game as "delightful", and remarked "the title, with its fun lead character, will hold special appeal for girls".[9] Entertainment Weekly rated the game an A, saying "Most important, you're actually immersed in a story...so you actually feel as if you've become partners with little Madeline in her escapades. How refreshingly absorbing."[10] Allgame gave it a rating of 3.5 stars.[11] Kidsource praised the artwork, storyline, heroine, faithfulness to the book, "lively music", and "suave narration", thoguh criticised its lack of educational content. It summed up its review stating "The bottom line: good fun for young Madeline fans. But parents looking for long-lasting creative challenges and an adventure that fosters real learning skills should make another choice."[12] The Free Lance-Star said the background art was in "a whimsical water-color style that allows the animations to work without becoming too much like comic book art", adding "the animations themselves are engaging and witty".[13] The Tuscaloosa News argues "Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show" is a "nice find" for those seeking a game for 1st-to-3rd grade girls, not "overly educational", that doesn't involve "shooting things, blowing up buildings, and destroying worlds".[14]

References

  1. ↑ Reviews & Previews. Billboard Magazine. p. 88. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar Rock; Dr. Seuss's ABC; Disney's Animated Storybook: Winnie The Pooh and The Honey Tree; Madeline and The Magnificent Puppet Show". Entertainment Weekly. November 10, 1995. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Software: Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show". Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "Software: Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show". Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  9. ↑ Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar Rock; Dr. Seuss's ABC; Disney's Animated Storybook: Winnie The Pooh and The Honey Tree; Madeline and The Magnificent Puppet Show". EW.com. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show: A Learning Journey". Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Software: Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show". Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  14. ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19951016&id=uTodAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EaYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1792,5958671

External links (to be added to article)