Stickybear

Stickybear is a fictional character created by Richard Hefter and an edutainment series starring the character headed by Optimum Resource. The character was a mascot of Weekly Reader Software,[1] a division of Xerox Education Publications.[2]

Software of the series has been released since the early 1980s.[3] software programs originated on the Apple II and were released for IBM PC,[1] Atari 8-bit computers,[4] and Commodore 64.[5]

As of 2008, the most recent Stickybear software was developed for Windows XP/Windows Vista and Mac OS X.[6]

Books with Stickybear

• Babysitter Bears (1983)[7]
• Bears at Work (1983)[8]
• Lots of Little Bears: A Stickybear Counting Book (1983)[9]
• Stickybear Watch Out: The Stickybear Book of Safety (1983)[10]
• Stickybear Book of Weather (1983)[11]
• Where is the Bear? (1983)[12]
• Stickybears Scary Night (1984)[13]

Software with Stickybear

The earliest software programs included picture books in colors and posters.[14]

• At Home With Stickybear[15]
• Stickybear Alphabet (IBM-PC,[1] Apple II[16]) (Some versions included the book The Strawberry Look Book)
• Stickybear BASIC
• Stickybear Basket Bounce
• Stickybear Bop
• Stickybear Drawing
• Stickybear Early Learning Activities (Windows, Apple Macintosh Classic, Windows XP/Windows Vista, Mac OS X[17]
• Stickybear Family Fun Game (Philips CD-i)
• Stickybear Kindergarten Activities[18]
• Stickybear Math (Commodore 64, IBM-PC, Apple II,[1] Philips CD-i)
• Stickybear Math 1 Deluxe (Windows XP/Windows Vista, Mac OS X[6])
• Stickybear Math 2 (IBM-PC[1])
• Stickybear Music
• Stickybear Music Library 1
• Stickybear Numbers
• Stickybear Opposites (IBM-PC[1])
• Stickybear Parts of Speech
• Stickybear Picture Library 1
• Stickybear Preschool (Philips CD-i)
• Stickybear Printer
• Stickybear Reading (Commodore 64, IBM-PC,[1] Philips CD-i)
• Stickybear Reading Comprehension
• Stickybear Shapes
• Stickybear Spellgrabber (Commodore 64, Mac OS 7)
• Stickybear Town Builder
• Stickybear Typing (Commodore 64, IBM-PC)
• Stickybear Word Problems
• Stickybear's Reading Room (Mac OS 7)

Reception

II Computing listed Stickybear tenth on the magazine's list of top Apple II educational software as of late 1985, based on sales and market-share data.[19]

Peter Mucha of the Houston Chronicle reviewed IBM versions of Stickybear in 1990; Stickybear Opposites received a B−, Stickybear Math received a B, Stickybear Math 2 received a B, Stickybear Alphabet received an A−, and Stickybear Reading received a C.[1]

The New Talking StickyBear Alphabet won the Best Early Education Program 1989 Excellence in Software Award from the Software and Information Industry Association.[20]

Leslie Eiser of Compute! magazine said in a 1992 review that StickyBear Town Builder was dated compared to other games of its time.[21]

Computer Gaming World in 1993 said of Stickybear's Early Learning Activities, "In the world of early learning software, it's difficult to find anyone who does it better."[22]

References

1. Mucha, Peter. "Educational programs vary widely in quality and range."^[dead link‍] Houston Chronicle. Sunday August 18, 1990. Lifestyle 5. Retrieved on December 5, 2009. Available from the Houston Public Library newspapers section, accessible with an HPL library card number and its PIN.
2. Moritz, Michael and Philip Elmer-DeWitt. "Software for All Seasons." TIME. Monday December 19, 1983. Retrieved on December 5, 2009.
3. 'Stickybear Numbers & ABC for preschool children', InfoWorld, October 24, 1983, pp. 37-38.
4. "Stickybear". Atari Mania. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
5. Engst, Adam C.; Hirasuna, Tom (May 4, 1992). "In Search of Stickybear". TidBITS. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
6. "Stickybear Math 1 Deluxe Grades PK-2". Optimum Resource, Inc. Archived from the original on April 18, 2006. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
7. "Babysitter Bears." Google Books.
8. "Bears at Work." Google Books.
9. "Lots of Little Bears: A Stickybear Counting Book." Google Books.
10. "Watch Out: The Stickybear Book of Safety." Google Books.
11. "Stickybear Book of Weather." Google Books.
12. "Where is the Bear?." Google Books.
13. "Stickybears Scary Night." Google Books.
14. Lynch, Dennis (1985-04-12). "STICKYBEAR HELPS PRESCHOOLERS LEARN THE COMPUTER ROPES". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
15. "At Home with Stickybear: School Version with Lesson Plans (Ages 1-5)." ERIC. Retrieved on April 3, 2017.
16. Compute! Issue 49. June 1984. "71.
17. "Stickybear Early Learning Activities." Optimum Resource, Inc..
18. "Stickybear Kindergarten Activities." Optimum Resource, Inc..
19. Ciraolo, Michael (Oct–Nov 1985). "Top Software / A List of Favorites". II Computing. p. 51. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
20. "1989 Excellence in Software Awards Winners Archived 2008-08-29 at the Wayback Machine." Software and Information Industry Association.
21. Eiser, Leslie. "Stickybear Town Builder. (computer game) (Software Review) (Evaluation)." Compute! December 1992. Issue 147. 164.
22. Soper, Virginia (December 1993). "Stickybear's Early Learning Adventures". Computer Gaming World. pp. 155–156. Retrieved 29 March 2016.

Further reading

• McCullough, Karen (June 1986). "Stickybear Learning Games For Apple And Commodore". Compute!. No. 73. p. 70.

External links

• Optimum Resource, Inc. (Stickybear.com) at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
• Stickybear ABC for the Apple II at the Internet Archive