Broderbund Learning Games of the 90s: Beyond Carmen Sandiego
Broderbund's educational output went well beyond Carmen Sandiego, spanning an interactive reading imprint, creativity software, and TERC's Zoombinis.
Publisher and imprint context
Broderbund published the Living Books series (starting in 1992 with an adaptation of Mercer Mayer's Just Grandma and Me), Kid Pix, and Logical Journey of the Zoombinis (1996, developed by TERC), alongside the Carmen Sandiego franchise, and by 1997 the company had annual revenues of around $190 million.
Try Broderbund's creativity software
Kid Pix Studio Deluxe continues the creative drawing software discussed above.
Check price on Amazon →Reading and exploration
Living Books turned illustrated children's storybooks into interactive CD-ROM experiences, with clickable animations hidden throughout each page rather than a linear game structure.
Creativity software vs. games
Kid Pix, a bitmap drawing program aimed at kids, and The Print Shop, a desktop-publishing tool, weren't games at all but open-ended creative software, distinct from the puzzle- and story-driven titles elsewhere in Broderbund's catalog.
Subject-based choices
- Geography and mystery: Carmen Sandiego
- Early reading: Living Books
- Logical reasoning: Zoombinis
- Open-ended creativity: Kid Pix
Frequently asked questions
What was Living Books?
A Broderbund-published series of interactive CD-ROM storybooks, starting in 1992 with an adaptation of Mercer Mayer's Just Grandma and Me, built around clickable animations rather than a linear game.
Is Kid Pix a game?
No. It's an open-ended bitmap drawing program for kids, distinct from Broderbund's puzzle- and story-driven educational titles.
Did Broderbund publish Zoombinis?
Yes. Logical Journey of the Zoombinis (1996) was developed by the education research nonprofit TERC and published by Broderbund.
Sourcing and corrections
Publisher and product details for Living Books, Kid Pix, and Zoombinis were checked via web search against sources including Wikipedia in September 2026.