DEC. 12, 2010 • A decade after toy maker LeapFrog saw enormous success with its LeapPad reading platform, the company has scored another major hit with its latest Leapster Explorer handheld educational gaming console. Geared for kids under nine years old, content is available on cartridges or via downloads through a computer. Thirty titles are currently available. Games focused on creativity incorporate art, music, and imaginative play. School-themed games integrate activities for math, reading, writing, and spelling. Benefiting from extensive word-of-mouth between parents, and generous placement on pre-holiday press coverage, the under-$100 system has been selling out at many retailers. Available in green and pink versions, some retailers report higher demand of the pink model.

Impact: DFC used to provide more coverage of what we called edutainment products.  In recent years, DFC’s coverage of these products has admittedly been limited.  Much of this was due to the fact that the edutainment market has really struggled with finding a solid business model.  However, the Leapster Explorer is a true example of how an edutainment system can work with both a physical retail and online distribution model.  The Explorer has game cartridges sold at retail just like traditional game systems such as the Nintendo DS.  In addition, consumers can buy digital download credits, either directly online or via cards sold at retail.  These allow users to download much lower cost products such as simple games or interactive books.  Most all of the major retail games are educational based but also feature a major entertainment license like Toy Story, SpongeBob SquarePants or Star Wars.