# Putt-Putt (series)

Putt-Putt is a series of children's adventure and puzzle computer games created by Humongous Entertainment. This franchise was Humongous Entertainment's first game series to be developed. They primarily involve clicking to get to a destination, although some sub-quests and mini-games involve the keyboard. The main character, Putt-Putt, an anthropomorphic purple convertible, and his dog, Pep, travel to various locations.

## History

Putt-Putt was originally thought up by Shelley Day as a series of bedtime stories for her son, Travis; the first story involved Putt-Putt saving a cat caught in a tree. Child actor Jason Ellefson did Putt-Putt's voice for the first eight of the games. In the next three games, Nancy Cartwright (of The Simpsons fame) voiced Putt-Putt. Michelle Thorson voiced Putt-Putt in Pep's Birthday Surprise.
The games are supported by ScummVM and thus can be played on other platforms such as handhelds. Humongous has brought several Putt-Putt and other titles to iOS and Android.
In 1997, Humongous made an agreement with Lancit Media Entertainment to create an animated TV series titled Putt-Putt 'n Pals, along with films and home video releases. Ultimately, the deal fell through.
Several games from the original series were later re-released by Humongous on Steam in April 2014, alongside games from the Pajama Sam, Freddi Fish, and Spy Fox series. The first two games used pixel art graphics; starting with the third game, the series uses hand-drawn animation.

## Games

Humongous Entertainment classified the adventure games as Junior Adventures for kids 3-8.
Adventure Games :
| Title | Release date | Platforms | Developer/Publisher |
| Putt-Putt Joins the Parade | November 6, 1992 (MS-DOS) 1993 (3DO)1995 (Macintosh, Microsoft Windows)April 17, 2014 (Linux, Steam) | 3DO, Android, iOS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon | October 1, 1993 (MS-DOS)1994 (3DO)1995 (Macintosh, Microsoft Windows)April 17, 2014 (Steam)May 5, 2014 (Linux) | 3DO, Android, iOS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo | August 10, 1995 (Microsoft Windows)October 18, 1995 (Macintosh)2005 (DVD)November 15, 2011 (iOS)2012 (Android)April 17, 2014 (Steam)July 3, 2014 (Linux)August 13, 2015 (iOS Re-Release)February 10, 2022 (Nintendo Switch)November 3, 2022 (PlayStation 4) | Android, DVD, iOS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt Travels Through Time | June 1, 1997 (Macintosh, Microsoft Windows)August 14, 2012 (iOS)October 4, 2013 (Android)April 17, 2014 (Steam)May 15, 2014 (Linux)January 3, 2022 (Nintendo Switch)November 3, 2022 (PlayStation 4) | Android, iOS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt Enters the Race | January 1, 1999 (Macintosh, Microsoft Windows)April 17, 2014 (Steam)June 27, 2014 (Android, iOS) | Android, iOS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt Joins the Circus | July 11, 2000 (Macintosh, Microsoft Windows)October 14, 2013 (iOS)April 17, 2014 (Steam)May 29, 2014 (Linux) | Android, iOS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt: Pep's Birthday Surprise | September 16, 2003 (Macintosh, Microsoft Windows)April 17, 2014 (Steam) | Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | Humongous Entertainment |
| Junior Arcade ||||
| Title | Release date | Platforms | Developer/Publisher |
| Putt-Putt and Pep's Dog on a Stick | October 15, 1996 (Macintosh, Microsoft Windows)January 6, 2014 (iOS)April 17, 2014 (Steam) | iOS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-o-Rama | October 15, 1996 (Macintosh, Microsoft Windows)1999 (Handheld)April 17, 2014 (Steam) | Handheld, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | Humongous EntertainmentToymax (Handheld) |
| Activity Packs ||||
| Title | Release date | Platforms | Developer/Publisher |
| Putt-Putt's Fun Pack | March 26, 1993 | 3DO, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt and Fatty Bear's Activity Pack | March 25, 1994 (Macintosh, Microsoft Windows)April 17, 2014 (Steam) | Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt's One-Stop Fun Shop | May 23, 2000 | Macintosh, Microsoft Windows | Humongous Entertainment |
| Putt-Putt's Fun House | May 22, 2013 | iOS | Humongous EntertainmentNimbus Games |

### Customization

Players can change Putt-Putt's color to original purple, red, orange, yellow, green or blue. All colors can be painted on again. This also changes the color of the dashboard in Putt-Putt Enters the Race and Putt-Putt Joins the Circus. In Putt-Putt Joins the Parade and Putt-Putt Enters the Race, each color change costs three coins that can be collected in the game world. In Putt-Putt: Pep's Birthday Surprise, Putt-Putt's color can only be changed temporarily before reverting to purple after some traveling. His color can also be changed in certain levels of Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-o-Rama by using Pep to pop certain balloons tied to paint buckets, then catching the bucket containing the desired color as it falls to change Putt-Putt to.

## Availability

* For Steam the games were released as single games, or bundled together in the "Putt-Putt Complete Pack" or came packaged with all Humongous Entertainment games in "Humongous Entertainment Complete Pack".
* Humongous Entertainment released 2 CD-packs titled "Humongous Entertainment Triple Treat" 1 and 2. The first pack included Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo, Pajama Sam's Sock Works and Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds, while the second pack included Putt-Putt Travels Through Time, Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside and Freddi Fish and Luther's Maze Madness.
* Humongous Entertainment released a "Putt-Putt Fun & Learning Kindergarten Edition" package with a Putt-Putt notebook and a CD that included Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo and Big Thinkers Kindergarten.
* Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-O-Rama was released for Windows and Macintosh on a compilation CD titled "Super Duper Arcade 1", along with Spy Fox in: Cheese Chase, Pajama Sam's Sock Works and Freddi Fish and Luther's Water Worries.
* Putt-Putt and Pep's Dog on a Stick was released for Windows and Macintosh on a compilation CD titled "Super Duper Arcade 2", along with Spy Fox in: Hold the Mustard, Pajama Sam's Lost & Found and Freddi Fish and Luther's Maze Madness.
* Putt-Putt Travels Through Time was released on the Nintendo Switch eShop alongside Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell in January 2022. The next month, Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo was released alongside Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside, Pajama Sam: Thunder and Lightning Aren't so Frightening, and Spy Fox in: Dry Cereal.

## Books

Various children's books about Putt-Putt have been published by Lyrick Publishing and Random House. A cassette tape audio adaptation was created for Putt-Putt's Night Before Christmas.
| Title | Date | Writer | Publisher | Illustrator |
| Putt-Putt's Night Before Christmas | December 1995 | Laurie Bauman Arnold | Humongous Entertainment | Derek McCaughan, Edward Pun |
| Putt-Putt and Pep | May 7, 1996 | Del Thompson | Random House Books For Young Readers | |
| Putt-Putt: The Great Pet Chase | July 2000 | Laurie Bauman Arnold, Tricia Legault | Lyrick Publishing | |
| Go, Go, Putt-Putt Go! | 2000 | Laurie Bauman Arnold, N.S. Greenfield | Lyrick Publishing | Darren McKee |
| Putt-Putt: Lost In Time | January 2001 | Nancy Parent | Lyrick Publishing | Josie Yee |
| Putt-Putt: Race Against the Clock | July 2001 | Gayla Amaral | Lyrick Publishing | Sue DiCiccio |
| On the Road With Putt-Putt | July 2001 | | Lyrick Publishing | |

## Reception

The Putt-Putt series received various awards including "All-Star Software Award" from Children's Software Revue, "Reader's Choice Award" from Mac Home Journal and "2000 Best Picks Award" from Choosing Children's Software.