On October 6, 2011, Knowledge Adventure announced the casual gaming brand Twisted Games.
On February 19, 2011, Knowledge Adventure announced the JumpStart brand had entered the console market by making Crazy Karts for the Nintendo Wii (released February) and Deep Sea Escape (released March) and Legend of Lost Island for the Nintendo DS (released March). James Czulewicz, Vice President of Sales and Planning at Knowledge Adventure said that JumpStart Pet Rescue, launched August 2009, was the "first educational product for the Wii." The trademark "JUMPSTART GET MOVING" was issued by UPTO on November 23, 2010. That year, Jumpstart was advertised as offering the first browser game with "high quality 3D graphics and advanced gameplay". Modern era (2009-present)Īfter launching JumpStart 3D Virtual World in 2009, Knowledge Adventure noted they were adding online worlds and casual mobile games, console games, and traditional web-based browner games to their Jumpstart catalogue. JumpStart Typing, JumpStart Spanish, JumpStart Kindergarten II, JumpStart 1st Grade Reading, JumpStart 1st Grade Math, JumpStart 2nd Grade Math and JumpStart 5th Grade were premiered at the 1997 E3.
On February 3, 1997, the privately held Knowledge Adventure was acquired by CUC International, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the CUC Software division alongside Davidson, Blizzard Entertainment, and Sierra On-Line CUC Software would be the label that marketed the JumpStart games. According to Chicago Sun-Times, Knowledge Adventure "started the baby trend when it introduced JumpStart Toddler in 1996".
In October, Steve Chadima, vice president of marketing services at Knowledge Adventure said that while JumpStart sales were strong, and the series was about to be extended with JumpStart Second Grade, he said: "We're testing concepts for third grade to see if it is viable.I don't know if this is going to work with higher grade levels." JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain would end up being released in 1996, and many higher grade games followed.
Microtimes retrospectively wrote that the acquisition of the early learning products augmented Knowledge Adventure's strengths. Meanwhile, Listick was optimistic that the added resources of the larger organisation would allow him to create a "JumpStart Elementary School" of compelling and exciting children's software. Knowledge Adventure founder Bill Gross hoped the acquisition would allow the JumpStart series to expand into international markets, as well as multiple platforms, on-line, and the Internet, to supplement the home and school markets. Fanfare founder and chairman Barton Listick became vice president of Knowledge Adventure, while his staff relocated to Knowledge Adventure's headquarters in Glendale. Fanfare developed two more games JumpStart Preschool and JumpStart 1st Grade before being acquired by Knowledge Adventure in August 9, 1995. The first game in the early learning software series JumpStart, JumpStart Kindergarten, was created in 1994 by independent developer Fanfare Software (founded 1988) and published by Knowledge Adventures (founded 1991). JumpStart Previews (1997) - Here are the JumpStart previews from JumpStart Baby (1998) it showcases all of the different JumpStart products by Knowledge Adventure that were once available at the time.
It originally consisted of a series of educational PC games, but has expanded to include workbooks, videos, iPad apps, and other media â" including, perhaps most significantly, a massively multiplayer online game located at, first launched March 10, 2009. The series is distributed as Jump Ahead in the United Kingdom.
JumpStart (aka JumpStart Series) is an educational media franchise for children, consisting mostly of educational games, produced by Knowledge Adventure.