The wrist bone is connected to the arm bone, the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone, the Headbone is connected to the funny bone. Headbone?
Yep, Headbone Interactive Inc. It is one of the most quirky, innovative children's software companies around. And it's just followed up a trio of hit programs with a new release: Elroy Hits the Pavement.But first, a history lesson about Headbone.
Susan Lammers started Headbone Interactive in 1993. Her husband, Walter Euyang, is co-founder and also Headbone's chief operating officer.
Lammers formerly worked as Microsoft's director of multimedia publishing. She also worked for Bill Gates at Continuum Productions, another company he started and later sold to Microsoft; she was director of online editorial products.
What this all means is Lammers knows multimedia like Bo knows football.
So she headed off to Seattle's Capitol Hill district and set up her company in the heart of the city's music, art and drama scene. Environments nurture businesses much as they do people, and Lammers wanted her company to be brash, off-beat and creative.
Headbone's formal mission is to be the premier producer of the most original interactive, multimedia software programs in the world for children. The company's informal mission is: have lots of fun.
So they do. They laughed and joked and came up with The GiggleBone Gang and Elroy and his pals.
The Gigglebone Gang and Elroy traipse from one CD-ROM adventure to the next, so kids get to know them. And grow up with them.
It works for Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street, Mario Brothers on video games and Nancy Drew in books, so why not on software?
The GiggleBone Gang series is geared for kids ages 4-8. Headbone came out with "AlphaBonk Farm" in 1994 and "Pantsylvania" last summer. Kids take an alphabet-based trip to Farmer Bonk's farm in AlphaBonk and dip into social studies in the town of Pant-syl-va-nia, the "Kingdom of the Fancy Pants." Each title is loaded with music and activities.
Then the What the Heck will Elroy Do Next series, for kids ages 7-12, took off last year with "Elroy Goes Bugzerk." The comic-style Elroy series uses an interactive story format in which adventures unfold depending on choices a child makes. Each title in the series is packed with sight gags and jokes. And Elroy is always accompanied by his faithful but often sarcastic bloodhound, Blue.
In Bugzerk, Elroy searches for a rare bug (the Technoloptera, which you won't find in the backyard), solving puzzles and learning about insects along the way. Example: which moth can outfly a wasp? Elroy knows. Do you?
The second title in the Elroy series is just out: "Elroy Hits the Pavement." This time, Elroy and Blue are joined by Syd. Elroy and Syd get a science assignment to create a mechanical device that makes life better.
So they invent the Canine Revitalizer, which Elroy says turns any dog into the ultimate companion. But then Blue, who is needed to test the machine, comes up missing. And someone steals the Revitalizer.
Even Elroy's mom, who is busy relaxing by standing on her head at Yoga School, doesn't know who did it. Help!
I made - yes, made - my 12-year-old daughter test the new Elroy adventure for me. She balked at first. And then I couldn't get her off the computer. She loved "Elroy Hits the Pavement."
Much of the fresh look of Headbone titles comes from the company's blending of still photography and jagged-looking animation in its programs. But the clever gags keep parents sitting alongside their children in front of the computer for hours, too.
Headbone must be doing something right. Its games win lots of awards, like the 1995 Parents Choice Gold Award (AlphaBonk) and Multimedia World's All-star Review Award (Pantsylvania) and being named to Mac User Magazine's top 50 CD-ROM list (Bugzerk).
Reviewers say things like "extraordinary delight," "a shining example" and makes learning "hilarious." I say "ditto."
The games teach children cause and effect, problem-solving and decision-making skills. But - here's the good part - it seems like they're just having fun and playing games.
This year, Headbone plans to spin out five other new titles. Due in May is The GiggleBone Gang's "Infinity City" with my favorite multimedia gizmo yet: a wacky machine that lets kids pick animal parts that it spins into designer creatures, like birds with horns that oink like pigs. It's way cool. (Psst! And it teaches counting and other math skills.)
By summer, two versions of "The Apparelizer," one for Elroy and one for the GiggleBone Gang, should be on the market.
You can find Headbone games at most computer retail stores as well as Media Play and Toys R Us. The titles, available for both Macs and PCs, are priced about $25 to $30. The company has a Web site (http://headbone.com) with sneak previews of new products and lots of fun and games.
To reach Headbone for product information, call 1-800-267-4709.