SoftKey
SoftKey International (originally SoftKey Software Products, Inc.) was a software company founded by Kevin O'Leary in 1986 in Toronto, Ontario. It was known as The Learning Company from 1995 to 1999 after acquiring The Learning Company and taking its name. SoftKey played a major role in the dissolution of the edutainment industry by the turn of the millennium. Contributing factors include its reduction of the market price by releasing shovelware discs of freeware and shareware, hostile takeovers of major edutainment software companies, reduction of these acquisitions to a skeleton staff, and questionable financial practices to maintain its stock price. In 1999, the company was acquired by Mattel in what Businessweek called one of "the Worst Deals of All Time". It was subsequently folded into Mattel Interactive, Riverdeep Interactive Learning, and Software MacKiev.
 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards, as some sections are not fluently written and there is some redundancy between them. (November 2020) |
 | |
| The Learning Company (1995–1999) | |
| Founded | 1986 (as SoftKey Software Products) |
| Founders | Kevin O'Leary |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | Acquired by Mattel and folded into Mattel Interactive |
| Successors | Mattel Interactive Riverdeep Interactive Learning Software MacKiev |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Educational software games |
SoftKey International (originally SoftKey Software Products, Inc.) was a software company founded by Kevin O'Leary in 1986 in Toronto, Ontario.[1] It was known as The Learning Company from 1995 to 1999 after acquiring The Learning Company and taking its name.
SoftKey played a major role in the dissolution of the edutainment industry by the turn of the millennium.[2] Contributing factors include its reduction of the market price by releasing shovelware discs of freeware and shareware,[3] hostile takeovers of major edutainment software companies, reduction of these acquisitions to a skeleton staff, and questionable financial practices to maintain its stock price.[2]
In 1999, the company was acquired by Mattel in what Businessweek called one of "the Worst Deals of All Time".[4] It was subsequently folded into Mattel Interactive,[citation needed] Riverdeep Interactive Learning, and Software MacKiev.
Products
[edit]SoftKey published and distributed CD-ROM-based personal computer software for Windows and Macintosh computers during the late 1980s and 1990s.[5] Its lineup consisted of software intended for home audiences, specifically shovelware discs containing various freeware or shareware game software. The company enjoyed great success by offering "jewel-case only" products, dubbed its "Platinum" line.[citation needed]
As a home and small office software publisher, SoftKey bought the rights to application packages from their authors and distributed them under its own "Key" label. By late 1992, SoftKey was distributing 35 different products in this manner.[6] SoftKey began to develop its own software by 1994, and had branched out to include edutainment games and CD-ROMs in its line of products.[7]
In 1986, SoftKey released specialized graphics package KeyChart for the IBM PC and compatibles, designed to make time-consuming plotting easier.[8] In 1993, it was selling KeyMap, a DOS-only software that offered maps, route planning, and a database tool for annotating maps.[9] Around this time, Computer Associates acquired Easy Tax (DOS) from SoftKey and sold it as Simply Tax.[10]
SoftKey's acquisition of The Learning Company added the Reader Rabbit and Math Rabbit educational video games to its collection. Its acquisition of MECC added The Oregon Trail, Word Munchers, Number Munchers and Storybook Weaver.[11] With the acquisition of Broderbund, it obtained multiple award-winning brands including Carmen Sandiego, The Print Shop, Living Books, Family Tree Maker, Arthur, and KidPix.[12]
Marketing
[edit]According to founder Kevin O'Leary, SoftKey's business model focused on marketing its retail software products similarly to consumer goods.[6] The company was one of the few to rent store space to manage distribution directly.[13] O'Leary emphasized offering retailers a diverse range of titles to mitigate risk and ensure a specific sales volume in exchange for allocated shelf space.[6]
SoftKey introduced innovations such as revolving racks for software packaged in standard CD jewel cases, enabling more efficient product displays.[14] The company expanded software sales from niche markets to general retail locations, including Office Depot, Radio Shack, Willson Stationers, and SmithBooks. Its strategy relied on uniform packaging and visually appealing graphics to attract customers.[6]
By October 1995, SoftKey operated in 10 cities across Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States. Its products were available in over 18,000 retail outlets, including grocery stores and airport gift shops, and distributed in 47 countries.[15]
Pricing
[edit]SoftKey's pricing strategy was to prioritize the number of copies sold over the price per unit. As such, SoftKey listed its titles for lower prices, generally between $40 and $100, with minimum profit.[6] The Christian Science Monitor stated that the move could "transform the industry," leading to lower software prices but more variety in the types of stores that sell software.[16]
The corporate mission of SoftKey International, Inc. was "to be the leading electronic publisher of value-priced consumer software-worldwide."[15] One analyst dubbed its products "coasterware", since they were so cheap that "if you don't like the actual software you can use the CD-ROMs as drink coasters".[17]
O'Leary wanted to "produce products to service that 40 percent of the market that hasn't bought educational software because of pricing issues."[18] He stated, "In the last two years, we've moved from an industry that sells primarily to businesses to an industry that's going through a violent change to become a commodity.''[7]
The company became known for aggressively driving down the development costs of products and laying off employees of the companies it acquired.[19] Casey Dworkin, publisher of Retail Price Week, said that SoftKey appeals to companies that want to "sell software by the pound, appealing to impulse purchases by customers who are intrigued but don't want to drop $40 for a piece of software."[14] They compared SoftKey's practices to a laundry-detergent maker marketing a premium-brand version, a lower-end brand, and a generic version of the same product.[14]
SoftKey built a business by acquiring struggling software companies, repackaging and repricing its products.[20] "SoftKey believes that much consumer software is overpriced and therefore cannot reach a broad market. It's a philosophy that clashes with the artistic sensibilities of many in the multimedia software business—but is nonetheless likely to become increasingly influential in the volatile software world."[21]
Profit
[edit]SoftKey Software Products was the fastest growing company in Canada in 1992, with sales of $36.8 million and profit of $6.1 million. Its most profitable products were its tax-software and processing service.[6] By April 1995, SoftKey's stock was valued at $25.50, about 20 times the year's earnings.[22] A public offering of 2.3 million common shares was priced at $28.875.[23]
SoftKey products were sold in more than 19,000 stores in over 40 countries[24] In June of that year, Montgomery Securities raised more than $60 million for the company. In October, SoftKey raised another $350 million in an unrated private offering.[17] On November 28, 1995, SoftKey rose from 3.2 million to 4.7 million shares, the largest increase in open positions among Nasdaq issues.[25]
In August 1998, the stock exchange halted trading in The Learning Company, as the company issued a statement to clear up questions about its accounting practices.[26] Shares of The Learning Company (NYSE: TLC) fell 1 15/16 to 26 3/8 and Mattel (NYSE: MAT) plunged 20 percent to 23 11/16.[27] The company continued to grow, with revenue of $800 million despite an accumulated deficit of $1.1 billion by the end of 1998.[4]
History
[edit]In 1986, Canadian businessman and investor Kevin O'Leary along with John Freeman[28] started SoftKey Software Products, Inc. in O'Leary's basement with a loan of $10,000 from his mother.[29][30] He convinced other companies to bundle SoftKey's products with their own, later licensing software from other firms, which proved more cost-effective than internal development.[31]
In 1993, SoftKey International was created out of a three-way merger between SoftKey Software Products, WordStar International, and Spinnaker Software.[32][33] Shareholders of Softkey Software represented about 53 percent of the new company's shares.[33] After the merger, the company moved to Spinnaker's offices in Cambridge, Mass.[34]
Acquisitions
[edit]MECC and The Learning Company
[edit]
In October 1995, SoftKey initiated a bidding war against Broderbund for Learning Company, launching a hostile offer valued at $606 million. SoftKey also announced it had agreed to buy the Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation (MECC) for $370 million, throwing a wrench into Broderbund's offer.[13][35] O'Leary commented, "They're working on the economics of yesterday", stating that "Learning's premium-priced products were out of step with trends in the market."[36]
After the acquisition of The Learning Company, SoftKey changed its name to "The Learning Company".[37] A substantial percentage of the staff were let go, reducing it to a skeleton staff.[citation needed] MECC' senior vice president of product development Susan Schilling stated: "[O'Leary] had an interest in earning money. I'm not sure he had a desire to help children learn."[38]
Acquisitions from 1994 to 1998
[edit]On September 14, 1994, SoftKey acquired privately held Software Marketing Corp., Phoenix, for about 600,000 shares of SoftKey common stock and the assumption of $1.6 million in long-term debt.[39]
On November 30, 1995, the original Learning Company announced that it had sued the Tribune Company for violating securities laws as a "strategic partner" of SoftKey International.[40] The next day, SoftKey agreed to acquire Compton's New Media from Tribune for stock valued at $106.5 million.[41] Compton's New Media was a publisher of encyclopedia CD-ROMs, and was originally a unit of Encyclopedia Britannica.[42][43]
In 1996, SoftKey International acquired EduSoft, a French education software developer and publisher, for $14.3M USD.[44]
In March 1998, Softkey, now called The Learning Company, acquired Mindscape Inc. from Pearson PLC for $150 million in cash and stock.[45] Broderbund's Red Orb Entertainment was moved to Mindscape.[46]
In June 1998, Learning Co. agreed to buy rival Broderbund Software Inc., publisher of the blockbuster game Myst, in a stock deal valued at about $416 million.
In December 1998, The Learning Company acquired Palladium Interactive.[47]
According to Information technology consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton, two of SoftKey International's acquisition deals rank among the ten worst U.S. acquisitions during 1994–1996 as measured by shareholder value two years after the deal.[48]
Sale to Mattel
[edit]In the fall of 1998, Mattel agreed to acquire The Learning Company in a stock-for-stock merger valuing the company at approximately $4.2 billion. The merger was finalized and unanimously approved by both companies' boards of directors on December 14.[49] On May 7, 1999, shareholders of both companies voted to approve the merger. The merger was completed on May 13, 1999.[50] Jill E. Barad, Mattel's chairman and chief executive officer stated "This merger gives Mattel a $1 billion software division with an unparalleled portfolio of branded content and profit margins exceeding that of our traditional business,"[51] The company was placed under Mattel's new Mattel Interactive division.[52]
Aftermath
[edit]The sale proved to be fraught. A report from the Center for Financial Research and Analysis a few weeks after the merger highlighted the "lack of proper due diligence by Mattel during the Learning Co. acquisition," and listed numerous systemic problems with The Learning Company.[4][48] A few weeks later O'Leary, who had been hired as president of Mattel's new TLC digital division, sold his stock in the company for $6 million.[4] In the fourth quarter of 1999, Mattel reported a loss of $184 million,[48] reportedly due to poor sales and inventory problems.[53] The stock price valuation of Mattel dropped $2 billion in one day.[4] Michael Perik and Kevin O'Leary, founders and heads of the Learning Co, left the company.[54]
The Telegraph deemed it "one of the worst takeovers in recent history".[55] Toy analyst Margaret Whitfield of Tucker Anthony Cleary Gull called it "a disaster for Mattel".[56] Bloomberg, Businessweek, and CNBC all described it as one of the worst mergers of all time.[57][4][58]
In January 2000, Mattel brought on software executive and former Sega of America president Bernie Stolar to assist with their financial troubles.[59] On February 3, 2000 Chairman and CEO Jill E. Barad resigned from Mattel.[60] The 1999 Annual Report began, "The bad news for 1999 unfortunately has overshadowed the good news. We are all painfully aware of the negative effect the acquisition of The Learning Company and its subsequent performance had on our results for 1999"[52]
The acquisition saw the end of the mid-1990s edutainment boom. Former Learning Company educational design department manager, Toby Levenson, said that edutainment had become "a toxic word". Blake Montgomery of EdSurge wrote, "For many years, people making educational products didn't want them to be entertaining because that could be called "edutainment" and that would hurt your funding.”[61]
Sale to Gores Technology Group
[edit]On April 3, 2000, Mattel announced its plan to dissolve its assets related to the software business. Gores Technology Group acquired The Learning Company for $27.3 million plus a profit-sharing agreement with Mattel, to create their entertainment, productivity and education divisions, which became GAME Studios, The Learning Company, and Broderbund respectively.[4][62] GAME Studios was sold to Ubisoft in 2001. Gores subsequently sold most of the other holdings – including the edutainment series and the brand name The Learning Company – to Irish company Riverdeep Interactive Learning, which later became Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.[63] Harcourt released several book sets under The Learning Company brand umbrella, including Oregon Trail Adventures, The Little Box of Love, and The Little Box of Laughs.[64]
As of April 2018, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has ceased using the Learning Company brand.[citation needed]
List of acquisitions
[edit]- February 1994 – WordStar International and Spinnaker Software
- June 1994 – Aris Multimedia Entertainment
- July 1994 – Compact Publishing
- September 1995 – Software Marketing Corporation
- July 1995 – Tewi Verlag GmbH
- August 1995 – Future Vision Holding
- December 1995 – The Learning Company
- December 1995 – Compton's NewMedia
- Late 1995 – EduSoft
- May 1996 – Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation (MECC)
- October 1997 – Microsystems Software
- December 1997 – Creative Wonders
- March 1998 – Mindscape
- August 1998 – Broderbund
Software titles
[edit]- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea[65]
- Air Power: The US Air Force in Action[66]
- The American Heritage Talking Dictionary[67]
- Angst: Rahz's Revenge
- ArtRageous: The Amazing World of Art[68]
- Arthur's Reading Race[69]
- Astrorock[70]
- The Bible: A Multimedia Experience[71]
- BodyWorks 5.0: the complete multimedia guide to human anatomy[72]
- Comanche CD (Budget CD-ROM Release)
- Design It! 3-D
- DinoPark Tycoon[73]
- Dr. Health'nstein's Body Fun
- Dr. Schueler's Home Medical Advisor Pro[74]
- Dr. Seuss' ABC[69]
- Earthworm Jim
- Explorers of the New World[75]
- Falcon AT
- Flight of the Intruder
- Green Eggs and Ham[69]
- The Hubble Space Telescope[76]
- Infopedia[77]
- JetStrike[78]
- Just Grandma and Me[69]
- KeyAccounting (also known as Painless Accounting)
- KeyCad Complete[79]
- KeyChart[80]
- KeyClipart series[81]
- KeyDatabase Plus
- KeyFonts[82]
- KeyMailer
- KeyPublisher
- The Koshan Conspiracy[83]
- Labels Unlimited[84]
- Lamborghini American Challenge[85]
- Leonardo, the inventor[86]
- Lynn Fischer's Healthy Indulgences[87]
- Me and my world: Multimedia picture dictionary[88]
- Megafortress & Patriot
- MPC Wizard[89]
- Multipedia[90]
- The Muppet Calendar[91]
- The Oregon Trail: Classic Edition[92]
- Oregon Trail II[93]
- The Otter's Adventure[94]
- Pocket and Tails Go Exploring[95]
- PC PaintBrush Clipart Collection For Windows (ISBN 1-56434-687-0 )[95]
- Pocket and Tails Go to Town[96]
- Pro Landscaper 3-D[97]
- Shadows of Cairn[98]
- Shelley Duvall's Tales of Digby the Dog[99]
- Silent Service II[100]
- SoftKey Weekend[101]
- Solitaire Antics
- Spanish to Go![102]
- Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar[103]
- Tom Kite Golf
- Troggle Trouble Math[104]
- The Three Little Pigs[69]
- WriteNow
- Wordstar for Windows 2[105]
- War Wind II: Human Onslaught
References
[edit]- ^ Burgess, Steve. "Kevin O'Leary". NUVO magazine. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b paleotronic (August 20, 2019). "The Family Business: An Interview with Brøderbund Software founder Doug Carlston". Paleotronic Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ "Is the Educational Games Industry Falling Into the Same Trap It Did 20 Years Ago? - EdSurge News". EdSurge. February 7, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kevin O'Leary: He's not a billionaire, he just plays one on TV". Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ O'Leary, Kevin (2011). Cold Hard Truth: On Business, Money & Life. Doubleday Canada. ISBN 978-0-385-67174-3.
- ^ a b c d e f Strategy Staff (November 16, 1992). "The secret of SoftKey's success". Strategy. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Coolidge, Shelley Donald (June 28, 1994). "Competition Drives Software Mergers". The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ Sandberg-Diment, Eirk (April 20, 1986). "The Executive Computer; Putting Plotters To Work In The Office". The New York Times.
- ^ Swislow, William (August 29, 1993). "Just The Facts". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Rosen, Jan M. (October 28, 1993). "COMPANY NEWS; Now Hear This: More Free Software". The New York Times.
- ^ "SoftKey Buys Another Educational-Software Firm". Chicago Tribune. May 17, 1996.
- ^ Dunkin, Alan (April 28, 2000). "Broderbund and The Learning Company Merge". GameSpot.
- ^ a b Pitta, Julie (October 31, 1995). "Bidding War Opens for Learning Co". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b c Choi, Audrey (November 2, 1995). "SoftKey Sells Software Just Like Other Commodities". The Associated Press.
- ^ a b Dunn, Connie (October 1, 1995). "Industry Interview: SoftKey International. Inc". Computer User. Archived from the original on January 19, 2001.
- ^ Belsie, Laurent (May 13, 1994). "Consumer Software Is Expected To Be Next Fast-Growing Segment". The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ a b Greenberg, Herb (October 25, 1995). "Business Insider – Does SoftKey International Have Some Hard Core Problems?". SFGate.
- ^ Fisher, Lawrence M. (December 8, 1995). "SoftKey Reaches Agreement to Buy Learning Company". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ "History of The Learning Company Inc. – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Fisher, Lawrence M. (December 8, 1995). "SoftKey Reaches Agreement to Buy Learning Company". The New York Times.
- ^ Pitta, Julie (December 8, 1995). "Learning Co. to Be Bought by SoftKey for $606 Million: Computers: Friendly suitor Broderbund is outbid. Deal would make SoftKey largest educational software company". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Abelson, Reed (April 9, 1995). "Investing it: The ground floor – Basking in Technology's Glow". The New York Times.
- ^ "Stocks Fall in Volatile Trading, With Dow Off by 8.64". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 28, 1995.
- ^ "SoftKey's Best Sellers Now Available For Windows 95". Bloomberg. September 28, 1995.
- ^ "Uncovered Short Positions Gain 2% on Nasdaq Market". The New York Times. November 28, 1995.
- ^ "The Learning Company Stock Dives Nearly 20%". Los Angeles Times. Reuters. August 20, 1998.
- ^ Dignan, Larry (December 14, 1998). "Mattel/The Learning Co. in $3.8B merger". Znet.
- ^ "How I Made My First Million Dollars Part 1 | Ask Mr. Wonderful Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary". YouTube. June 8, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
- ^ Scipioni, Jade (July 24, 2019). "What Kevin O'Leary would do if he lost everything and had to start over". CNBC. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ "'Shark Tank' investor Kevin O'Leary explains how a $10,000 loan from his mother helped him build a $4 billion company". businessinsider.com. April 17, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^ "A history of Kevin O'Leary's spotty business record, in four deals". Canadian Business - Your Source for Business News. January 19, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ "SoftKey to buy Spinnaker, WordStar". UPI. August 18, 1993. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
- ^ a b "BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY; 3-Way Merger In Software". The New York Times. Reuters. August 18, 1993.
- ^ Slater, Derek (February 14, 1994). "SoftKey: gazelle or lummox". Computerworld.
- ^ Strom, Stephanie (October 31, 1995). "Mergers For Year Approach Record". The New York Times.
- ^ Fisher, Lawrence M. (November 9, 1995). "Learning Accepts New Offer From Broderbund Software". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ Donahue, Sean (July 22, 1998). "Broderbund Acquired". Wired.
- ^ Lussenhop, Jessica (January 19, 2011). "Oregon Trail: How three Minnesotans forged its path". City Pages. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011.
- ^ "Company Briefs". The New York Times. September 14, 1994.
- ^ "Tribune Is Sued By Learning Company". The New York Times. Reuters. December 2, 1995.
- ^ Fisher, Lawrence M. (December 1, 1995). "SoftKey Gets an Ally in Hostile Takeover Bid". The New York Times.
- ^ Rothman, Matt (July 6, 1993). "Tech News; Compton's New Media attracts buyers' attention". Variety.
- ^ "Patent Barred For Compton's". The New York Times. October 31, 1994.
- ^ CBR Staff Writer (August 14, 1996). "SOFTKEY BUYS EDUSOFT IN PARIS". Tech Monitor.
- ^ "Company News; Learning Company Sets Deal For Mindscape". The New York Times. Dow Jones. March 7, 1998.
- ^ Dunkin, Alan (October 2, 1998). "Red Orb Stays With Mindscape". GameSpot.
- ^ "Learning Company Acquires Again / Palladium makes genealogy software". December 1998.
- ^ a b c "Learning from Mattel" (PDF). Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. April 2000.
- ^ "Shareholder News: Cutbacks in Retailer Buying; Mattel and The Learning Company Agree To Merge". Mattel. December 14, 1998. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007.
- ^ "Press Releases: Shareholders Approve Merger of Mattel and The Learning Company". Mattel. May 7, 1999. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007.
- ^ "Press Release: Mattel Completes Merger with The Learning Company". Mattel. May 13, 1999. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007.
- ^ a b "Mattel, Inc. 1999 Annual Report: A Truly Great Company, With The Very Best People, A Compelling Underlying Strategy And Resources For Sustainable Growth" (PDF). Mattel. 2000.
- ^ Mayer, Caroline E. (February 4, 2000). "Ailing Mattel Forces CEO to Resign". The Washington Post.
- ^ Bannon, Lisa (November 11, 1999). "Co-Founders of Learning Co. Unit Leave Mattel After Earnings Surprise". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Cave, Andrew (September 30, 2000). "Mattel sale ends $3.6bn fiasco". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Gores Engineers Rapid Turnaround At Software Maker". The Gores Group. Los Angeles Business Journal. April 16, 2001. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010.
- ^ Rosenbush, Steve (October 4, 2007). "When Big Deals Go Bad—and Why". Bloomberg. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
- ^ "Top 10 Best (and Worst) Mergers of All Time". CNBC. December 29, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ Hays, Constance L. (February 4, 2000). "Chief of Mattel Steps Down After Reporting Loss in 1999". The New York Times.
- ^ "Press Releases: Mattel Reports 1999 Results". Mattel. February 3, 2000. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007.
- ^ "Is the Educational Games Industry Falling Into the Same Trap It Did 20 Years Ago? - EdSurge News". EdSurge. February 7, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ "Gores Technology Group Acquires The Learning Company From Mattel, Inc". The Gores Group. September 29, 2000. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008.
- ^ "Gores Technology group acquires The Learning Company from Mattel, Inc" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2020.
- ^ Ginns, Russell (September 11, 2014). "Book Set Review: "The Little Box of Love"". yeahstub.com.
- ^ Verne, Jules (July 17, 1995). 20,000 leagues under the sea [CD-ROM. OCLC 655891547.
- ^ Air power: The U.S. Air Force in action. July 17, 1995. OCLC 39734008.
- ^ SoftKey International Inc (July 17, 1995). The American Heritage talking dictionary. SoftKey. OCLC 38959902.
- ^ SoftKey International Inc (July 17, 1995). ArtRageous!: the amazing world of art. SoftKey International. OCLC 222224231.
- ^ a b c d e Trim, Mary (January 1, 2004). Growing and Knowing: A Selection Guide for Children's Literature. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783598440076 – via Google Books.
- ^ Astrorock: CD-ROM. SoftKey. July 17, 1997. OCLC 786165091.
- ^ SoftKey International Inc; World Library, Inc (July 17, 1999). The Bible: a multimedia experience. Learning Co. OCLC 43689223.
{{cite book}}:|first2=has generic name (help) - ^ BodyWorks 5.0: the complete multimedia guide to human anatomy. July 17, 1993. OCLC 34314842.
- ^ SoftKey International Inc (July 17, 1995). DinoPark tycoon. SoftKey International Inc. OCLC 35845074.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1997). Dr. Schueler's home medical advisor pro. SoftKey. OCLC 319894925.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1999). Explorers of the New World. SoftKey Multimedia. OCLC 45795055.
- ^ The Hubble Space Telescope. SoftKey Multimedia. July 17, 1995. OCLC 33346900.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1996). Infopedia 2.0. SoftKey Multimedia Inc. OCLC 695597879.
- ^ Jetstrike: the ultimate surprise attack. SoftKey; [Eksp. Indbindingscentralen. July 17, 1995. OCLC 472732146.
- ^ Hard Copy of program's Instruction Manual
- ^ KeyChart. July 17, 1987. OCLC 22456636.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1995). KEY mega ClipArt 15,000. SoftKey. OCLC 42915334.
- ^ Key fonts pro: CD-ROM for Windows & Mac. July 17, 1994. OCLC 34159677.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia (July 17, 1993). The Koshan conspiracy. SoftKey. OCLC 222149768.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1997). Labels unlimited: your total professional labeling system. SoftKey Multimedia Inc. OCLC 39706385.
- ^ SoftKey International (July 17, 1995). Lamborghini: American challenge. SoftKey Multimedia. OCLC 38859412.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1996). Leonardo, the inventor: take a look inside the greatest mind the world has ever known. SoftKey. OCLC 35148711.
- ^ Fischer, Lynn; SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1995). Lynn Fischer's healthy indulgences. SoftKey. OCLC 33482694.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1995). Me and my world: [multimedia picture dictionary. SoftKey. OCLC 38426305.
- ^ SoftKey International Inc (July 17, 1994). MPC wizard: test & tune your manual multimedia PC. SoftKey International. OCLC 32301269.
- ^ SoftKey International Inc (July 17, 1995). Multipedia: the reference library that starts where your encyclopedia leaves off. SoftKey Multimedia. OCLC 37016199.
- ^ The Muppet calendar. SoftKey. July 17, 1995. OCLC 49297435.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1996). The Oregon Trail. SoftKey. OCLC 35923659.
- ^ Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation; SoftKey Multimedia Inc; Learning Company (July 17, 1997). Oregon Trail II. Learning Co. OCLC 47630963.
- ^ The Otter's adventure. SoftKey International. July 17, 1995. OCLC 224956581.
- ^ a b Optical Data Corporation; SoftKey Data Corporation (July 17, 1995). Pocket & Tails go exploring. SoftKey; Optical Data Corp. OCLC 36661217.
- ^ Pocket & Tails go to town. July 17, 1995. OCLC 965562713.
- ^ Pro landscaper 3-D. July 17, 1997. OCLC 222595034.
- ^ Shadows of Cairn. July 17, 1995. OCLC 37488752.
- ^ Duvall, Shelley; Sanctuary Woods Multimedia Corporation; SoftKey International Inc (July 17, 1994). Shelley Duvall's Tales of Digby the dog. Sanctuary Woods Multimedia: SoftKey International. OCLC 35120535.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ Silent service II. SoftKey; [Eksp. Indbindingscentralen. July 17, 1995. OCLC 471332913.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1995). SoftKey weekend. SoftKey Multimedia. OCLC 33986770.
- ^ RXL Pulitzer; SoftKey (July 17, 1996). Spanish to go!. SoftKey. OCLC 39009997.
- ^ Sports illustrated swimsuit calendar. SoftKey International. July 17, 1994. OCLC 47940006.
- ^ SoftKey Multimedia Inc (July 17, 1996). Troggle trouble math. SoftKey Multimedia. OCLC 422695128.
- ^ Box, user manual and license key. No diskette or CD.
External links
[edit]- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 1997-01-01)
