Pooh and Friends Introduce Kids to Spanish and French in ``Disney's Winnie the Pooh Toddler,'' ``Preschool'' and ``Kindergarten Plus'' CD-ROMs

Business Wire, July 23, 2001

Business/Entertainment Editors & High-Tech/Education Writers

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 23, 2001

Disney Interactive continues its commitment to reinforcing children's early learning development with the release of "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Toddler," "Preschool" and "Kindergarten Plus" CD-ROM titles.

The three products, which comprise "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Learning Series," each feature an exciting new foreign language component that introduces kids to Spanish and French vocabulary.

In "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Toddler Plus," humor and surprise are incorporated into Owl's Magnificent Machine activity to teach children object-identification skills and the Spanish or French equivalent of the objects. For preschoolers, "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Preschool Plus" features Pooh's Echo Tree. Here, kids listen in as Pooh speaks into a tree knothole, and his echo is returned in a different language. "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Kindergarten Plus" also gives kids the opportunity to develop their Spanish and French vocabulary, while sharpening their memory and matching skills, through Owl's Memory Match-Up.

To ensure long-lasting value and learning opportunities, parents who register their purchased titles can unlock add-on packs from Disney Interactive. The updates include two additional words for Owl's Magnificent Machine in "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Toddler," three more words and objects for The Echo Tree in "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Preschool," and five additional words and objects for Owl's Memory Match-Up in "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Kindergarten."

"Disney's Winnie the Pooh Learning Series" also helps kids develop and maintain important educational and imaginative skills in an interactive and entertaining environment. Children join Pooh and friends in the Hundred Acre Wood as they participate in activities that emphasize creativity, discovery, exploration and achievement.

In addition to teaching children foreign language, kids can learn essential skills, such as recognizing colors and shapes, music appreciation, letter and number recognition, object identification, and friendship and consideration principles.

Key features in each product in "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Learning Series" include:

"Disney's Winnie the Pooh Toddler Plus" (Ages 18 months-3 years)

Pooh and friends gather together as they decide what they want to do. Toddlers can join in six different activities with the gang and have fun learning concepts, such as opposites, in Pooh's house. Thoughtfulness and the seasons are taught through sing-alongs with Pooh, Christopher Robin, Kanga, Roo and Piglet. Toddlers can also learn how to identify letters, numbers, shapes and colors as they help Pooh and his friends land from an awfully high place by popping balloons.

"Disney's Winnie the Pooh Preschool Plus" (Ages 2-4)

It's Eeyore's birthday, and Pooh is gathering the gang for a surprise birthday party in the Hundred Acre Wood. There's so much to do as Pooh takes preschoolers along to spread the word and learn valuable skills through fun activities like helping Kanga and Roo make alphabet soup or categorizing and sorting Owl's family photos. Kids are also taught counting- and number-recognition skills by helping Rabbit identify and store a variety of fruits and vegetables from his harvest. A new activity teaches preschoolers identification and reasoning skills as kids give Pooh a hand by placing toys into their proper trunks based on the matching image on each trunk lid. There are a total of 10 fun locations for preschoolers (eight activities), six of which include three adjustable levels that enhance individual skill capabilities and allow parents to track their children's progress.

"Disney's Winnie The Pooh Kindergarten Plus" (Ages 4-6)

When Christopher Robin heads to school, Pooh and friends join in the curriculum. Through activities like Tigger's Action Theater, kids help Tigger put on a Tiggerific show by completing sentences that he can act out. Children can also learn simple arithmetic by taking a trip to the fair with Roo and helping him count, subtract and add balloons in his booth. Kids can learn important observational, directional and thinking skills as they help Tigger read his compass in a hunt for buried treasure. Kindergartners can also create their own thoughtful spot with Pooh's help. Ten locations (eight activities) are available for kids to play, five of which include three adjustable levels to coincide with kids' age and skill levels.

Each title in "Disney's Winnie the Pooh Learning Series" also features activities that parents can print out from the computer to extend their children's learning experience. The printable activities include coloring book pages, cutouts, name tags, bookmarks and flashcards.

"Disney's Winnie the Pooh Toddler," "Preschool" and "Kindergarten Plus" CD-ROM titles are Windows(R) 95/98/Me and Macintosh compatible and are available today for a suggested retail price of $19.99 each.

About Disney Interactive

Disney Interactive, part of the Disney Consumer Products division of The Walt Disney Company, develops, markets and globally distributes a wide variety of interactive entertainment, educational and sports CD-ROMs and video games. For more information on Disney Interactive's products, visit www.disneyinteractive.com.