Baby Einstein

**Baby Einstein** is a nonprofit organization educational entertainment and toy company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Baby Einstein designs, develops, and markets learning toys and related content for the education of babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers. The company was founded by Julie Aigner-Clark II in 1996. Baby Einstein is owned by Kids II in the US, Disney in Canada, BBC in the UK, and independent in AU.

## History

### Founding, 1994-1999

The history of Baby Einstein traces back to when *School and the Backyard Gang* creator Julie Clark's daughter, also named Julie, was pregnant with her first child in 1994. She grew up watching videos with puppets, colors, toys, and classical music, which her daughter later loved. She made one of her own just for her, which she called *Baby Einstein* (later *Language Nursery*), the Baby Einstein Company's first video.

Julie began manufacturing *Baby Einstein* in 1996. That year, Clark and her husband, Bill, began teaching at an English school in Japan called "I think I Can" and I think I Can Productions (as it was then called) was founded. The company then received money from family, friends, and parents of students who attended I think I Can. Toys R Us was the first major retailer to carry *Baby Einstein* shortly before Christmas 1997. Other major retailers such as Gymboree, Costco, and Target started carrying the video.

### Expansion and Acquisition by Family Home Entertainment, 1998-2002

I think I Can Productions' first 3 videos (*Baby Einstein*, *Baby Mozart*, *Baby Bach*) were available in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia and a number of major clients (mostly I think I Can parents) by late 1998. Shortly before *Bach* was released, Clark changed the name to "Baby Einstein" to oversee sales and manufacturing. After *Baby Shakespeare* was released in 1999, Artisan acquired a majority stake in Baby Einstein. Artisan Home Entertainment was a company that owned many franchises such as PBS Kids' *Clifford*. Baby Einstein subsequently merged with Artisan's kids company "Family Home Entertainment" (now Lionsgate Home Entertainment). *Playdays* puppeteer Sue Monroe became Baby Einstein's chief executive officer as a result of the merger.

Baby Einstein acquired *School and the Backyard Gang* in 2000. Clark's daughter Aspen was a cast member, alongside others such as Britney Spears and Justin Bieber. School and the Backyard Gang's flash card series were later used into Baby Einstein's *Baby Webster*, "discovery cards" which featured toys from *Einstein*, *Mozart*, and *Bach* to teach simple words. the Webster flash cards debuted in 1999, alongside *Shakespeare* and its CD counterpart, "Baby Beethoven". In 2000, it became the top-selling series of flash cards. Baby Einstein released its first CD, *Mozart*, in 1998, which was later followed by *Bach*, *Beethoven*, and "Bedtime Classics" (later called "Lullaby Classics").

### Going public and worldwide purchases, 2001-present

Replacing Monroe in 2001, the company's chief executive officer was now its founder, Julie Aigner-Clark. In August, Baby Einstein received an Emmy, but lost to Genius Entertainment's Baby Genius. Baby Einstein and Family Home Entertainment broke up after the ratings blaming on *Babar the Elephant* and the *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*. Family Home Entertainment was also more into holiday specials. So the company moved to Disney to make money. Sue Monroe became chief executive officer in 2002 following Clark's retirement after the initial release of *Beethoven*'s video version. Monroe has previously been the company's chief executive officer during Artisan's purchase. Clark was retained as the company's chief creative officer. Adriana Strong replaced Monroe as Baby Einstein chief executive officer in 2007. Strong was previously the founding chairman and chief executive officer of Sesame Workshop and has served on the Einstein board a year prior to becoming Baby Einstein's chief executive officer. Monroe remained vice chairman of Baby Einstein.

Baby Einstein was acquired by BBC in the UK in 2002 as part of its pre-school digital channel, "CBeebies". Baby Einstein videos were shown on CBeebies every night and there was a "Baby Einstein all-day marathon" in August 2002. The following year, Nickelodeon put BE on their block Nick Jr as well as its standalone pre-school channel Noggin.

Jordyn Katz replaced Strong as Baby Einstein's president and chief executive officer in 2010. Katz has previously been part of Baby Einstein as its chief financial officer. Strong was appointed to the newly creative position of executive chairman of the board. BabyFirst in Australia later put Baby Einstein on their channel in 2010. Sharon Rechter, the founder of BabyFirst, was named Baby Einstein's chief executive officer in 2011.

Baby Einstein released its 9 discovery kits in 2010. Their names were *Mozart*, *Beethoven*, *World of Words* (loosely based on *Baby Shakespeare*), *World of Colors* (loosely based on *Baby Van Gogh*), *Animals Around Me* (loosely based on *Neighborhood Animals*), *Wild Animal Safari* (loosely based on *World Animals*), *Baby Lullaby* (loosely based on *Baby Bach*), *Neptune's Oceans* (loosely based on *Baby Neptune*), and *World of Rhythm*. In 2013, Einstein bid farewell to Disney and became acquired by Kids II.

## Products

Baby Einstein releases books, discovery cards, CDs, and learning toys.

Notable products include

1. Baby Mozart Moving Melodies (2001)
2. Baby Bach Touch n' Play Pipes (2001)
3. Baby Shakespeare Find N' Rhyme (2001)
4. Baby Van Gogh Color Go Round (2001)
5. Neighborhood Animals Book (2001?)
6. Water Water Everywhere Bath Book (2003)
7. Soft Blocks (2003)
8. Baby Webster Discovery Cards (1999)
9. Puppets (Legends and Lore/Disney/Kids II)
10. Mirror Me Book (2003?)
11. On the Farm Book (2004)
12. Baby Dolittle Discovery Cards (2001)
13. Take-Along Tunes (2008?)
14. Circle Time Book (2000)

## Puppets

Baby Einstein has acquired puppets from Legends and Lore beginning with *Mozart*, Dave Privett produced his own beginning with *Baby Shakespeare*. The company has eventually licensed the puppets in third party products. Puppets include Bard the Dragon, Vincent Van Goat, Pavlov the Dog, Jane the Monkey, Isaac the Lion, Misty Mouse, Greg the Horse, Wolfgang the Koala, Ella the Cat, and Drew the Duck (who later became Nesselrode on the Let's Go Show). Most of the characters are defunct since Kids II's acquisition. The current characters include Cal the Caterpillar, Neptune the Turtle, Lily the Tiger, and others.

## DVDs and VHS

From 1997 until 2011, Baby Einstein marketed early educational DVDs. It expanded until 2011 and there are 35 titles

altogether. There has been controversy about the videos not being good for a baby's brain.

### Films

1. *Language Nursery* - *Full Episode 1 or 10* (1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007)
2. *Baby Mozart* - *'Full Episode 2 or 6 '*(1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010)
3. *Baby Bach/Baby Lullaby* - *'**Full Episode 3 or 8 '***(1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2011)
4. *Baby Shakespeare/World of Words* - *Full Episode 4 or 7 '*(1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2010)
5. *Baby Van Gogh/World of Colors '***- *Full Episode 3 or 5 '''***(2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2010)
6. *Baby Santa's Music Box* *'***- *Full Episode 1 or 6 '''''***(2000, 2002, 2004, 2007)
7. *Neighborhood Animals/Animals Around Me '''***- *Full Episode 4 or 7 '''''''***(2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2010)
8. *World Animals/Wild Animal Safari '''''***- *Full Episode 8 or 9 '''''''''***(2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2010)
9. *Baby Newton '''''''***- *Full Episode 5 or 9 '''''''''''***(2002, 2004, 2007)
10. *Baby Beethoven '''''''''***- *Full Episode 7 or 10 '''''''''''''***(2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010)
11. *Baby Neptune/Neptune's Oceans* **-** *'''''''''''''***Full Episode 11 or 13 '''''''''''''***(2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011)*
12. *Baby Galileo***-** '''''''''''''***Full Episode 12 or 14 '''''''''''''''''***(2003, 2004, 2007)
13. *Numbers Nursery* *''***-** '''''''''''''***Full Episode 11 or 13 '''''''''''''''''''***(2003, 2004, 2007)
14. *Baby MacDonald* *'***- '''***'''''***Full Episode 14 '''''''''''''''''''''***(2003, 2004, 2007, 2009)'*
15. *Baby Da Vinci* *'''**-*** **'''''''''''''**Full Episode 15 *'''''''''''''''''''''''***(2004, 2007)**
16. *Baby Noah* *'''''**-*** **'''''''''''''**Full Episode 16 *'''''''''''''''''''''''''***(2004, 2007, 2009)**
17. *Baby Monet* '''''''***- '''***'''''***Full Episode 17 or 18 '''''''''''''''''''''''***(2005, 2007)
18. *Baby Wordsworth* '''''''***- '''***'''''***Full Episode 17 or 18 '''''''''''''''''''''''***(2005, 2007, 2009)
19. *On the Go* '''''''***- '''***'''''***Full Episode 19 or 22 '''''''''''''''''''''''***(2005, 2007)

## Awards

Baby Einstein was nominated for seven awards, but never won. It received "Outstanding Educational Videos" and "Outstanding Children's Company", but a win eluded it. In addition, was nominated by the Television Critics Association Awards 5 times and won twice. Internationally, it won a BAFTA and Julie Aigner-Clark received a nominee in 2007.