Latest news with #LeapPad
Buzz Feed
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Tell Us The Most Obscure Thing You Remember From The '00s
Y2K is so back, and with it comes a lot of old memories. While many people are excited for the return of Juicy Couture and Von Dutch, some more obscure things from the '00s have seemingly been lost to time. Like, everybody reminisces about their Nintendo DS, but I've never heard anyone else talk about the LeapPad. It felt like magic – just insert the cartridge, and it would read the book when you touched the words with the pen. And, as a kid who was obsessed with animals, Stanley was my favorite Playhouse Disney show. Getting to meet him IRL at Disney World felt monumental at the time. Or what about Tooth Tunes, the electric toothbrush that played music? Mine sang "Be Good to Me" by Ashley Tisdale! And that scene from The Simple Life where Paris Hilton cooked bacon with an iron is burned into my brain. So, what's something from the '00s you're convinced that only you remember? Or something from the '00s that today's kids wouldn't understand? Share your thoughts in the comments or in the anonymous comments for below, and they may be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post!
NDTV
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Villain Of 'Toy Story 5' To Address Real Issues Faced By Children Nowadays
Some of the children who grew up watching Toy Story movies are now adults, and some are even parents. Hence, they might resonate with the idea behind the antagonist in the latest sequel, Toy Story 5. The movie's release is scheduled for June 19, 2026, but we know who the villain of the next film is going to be: a tablet, similar to LeapPad. At the recent showcase at Annecy's International Animation Film Festival in France, Pixar's Chief Creative Officer, Pete Docter, revealed that Toy Story 5's villain is Lily Pad, which is a frog-themed tablet that grabs eight-year-old Bonnie Anderson's attention. "It's a new tech tablet, which allows Bonnie to chat with their friends and play games and other things too," Docter said at a June 5 presentation in New York City. "But Lily can also be a bit sneaky and prickly to be around. And because, in her mind, it's a lot better to be socialised, and Bonnie needs to move on from toys," he added. Mobile phones, social media impact on children The concept highlights the modern-age problem of children and their excessive use of mobile phones and tablets for gaming, online browsing, social media use, and more. From educational opportunities and access to information, there are positive effects as well, but negative aspects such as mental health concerns, sleep disruption, physical health problems, impaired cognitive development and behavioural issues cause higher risks. Dr Ruchi Golash, Paediatrician - CMRI Hospital, Kolkata, told NDTV, "In recent years, one can observe the alarming surge of excessive social media usage among children and adolescents, especially on Instagram, YouTube, and Gaming apps. This overexposure is more serious than just losing some screen time; it is actively changing the way a child's brain matures, how they perceive reality, and how they grasp their value." "Being so impressionable, children are fed an unending stream of hyper-produced social media content that is pure perfection-in-caricature: flawless beauty regimes, unrealistic lifestyles, and insincere patting on the back with likes and followers. All these lead to impaired self-esteem, anxiety, body image, and sometimes depression," she said. We have recorded instances where young girls have gone on to develop eating disorders because they wanted to look "Instagram-thin," or the others who slip into substance abuse or violent behaviours because they saw 'cool' or 'acceptable' online," Dr Golash added, highlighting the side-effecting of exposing the young mind to mobile phones and ablets with social media. "Furthermore, online games and chatting sessions throw them head-first into a perilous virtual world that is hardly, if at all, tethered to moral and legal bounds," she further said, telling parents that "digital freedom is important, whereas digital discipline is essential!"
Express Tribune
29-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Mike Wood, LeapFrog founder, dies by physician-assisted suicide due to Alzheimer's diagnosis
Mike Wood, founder of the educational toy company LeapFrog Enterprises, has died by physician-assisted suicide following a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. He was 72. Wood passed away earlier this month in Switzerland, where physician-assisted suicide is legal, his brother confirmed. He was reportedly "surrounded by family" at the time of his death. According to family statements, Wood chose to end his life before the Alzheimer's disease progressed significantly, maintaining his desire for dignity and control in the face of a devastating illness. Wood, a California resident, launched LeapFrog in the mid-1990s after noticing his three-year-old son's struggles with reading. The company quickly rose to prominence with the 1999 release of the LeapPad, a groundbreaking educational device that became the best-selling toy during the 2000 holiday season. Wood stepped away from the company in 2004 but remained a respected figure in the educational technology space. LeapFrog Enterprises paid tribute to its founder in a statement posted on Instagram. "We are saddened by the loss of LeapFrog founder, Mike Wood," the company said. "His passion to find a new way to help his child learn led to something remarkable... We loved working with Mike and are honoured to continue what he started." Wood is survived by his son and three grandchildren. His death marks the passing of a visionary entrepreneur whose innovations in early childhood education technology have impacted millions of children worldwide.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Beloved toy company founder who helped millions of kids learn to read dies by assisted suicide, leaving legacy of literacy; who is he and why did he take this step?
Mike Wood , founder of LeapFrog Enterprises , the firm that revolutionized how children learn to read, has died by physician assisted suicide at the age of 72, as per a report. Wood died on April 10 in Dignitas , a nonprofit assisted dying center in Zurich, Switzerland, in the presence of family members, The New York Times reported. Why Mike Wood Chose Physician-Assisted Suicide His brother, Tim shared that Wood was suffering from Alzheimer's and so he had decided to end his life before the disease could progress too far, according to the report. Switzerland permits assisted dying, but only if the person who's making the request is of sound mind and not driven by selfish reasons, like for money, according to Daily Mail. Clinics like Dignitas, the country's most famous clinic where hundreds of people have died in the past 20 years, has strict rules that its clients must be terminally ill, suffering extreme pain or living with an 'unendurable disability', reported Daily Mail. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like When Every Gram Matters Trek Kit India Buy Now Undo LeapFrog's Success and Growth A pioneer of children's learning, Wood's innovation has reached millions of homes, infinite classrooms, and a whole generation of readers. His foray into this industry wasn't an intentional career choice, but it was his experience as a dad, worrying for his young son, that led him to create this global toy company, as per Daily Mail. When Wood noticed that his then three-year-old son, Mat, knew the alphabet but could not pronounce the letter sounds, he was concerned that if his child lagged as a reader, he would forever struggle, as per the report. His concern about his son's learning, led him to make a prototype of an electronic toy that played sounds when children squeezed plastic letters and then he developed the Phonics Desk in 1995, according to Daily Mail. Live Events LeapFrog's success attracted investors such as Michael Milken and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, as per the report. In 1997, their education firm, Knowledge Universe, acquired a majority stake in LeapFrog for millions of dollars, investing in product development, reported Daily Mail. With this capital, Wood bought a company that assisted in developing the LeapPad, which he demanded be no more than $49 for Toys R Us customers, according to the report. Wood's Continued Impact On Children Even though the company was very successful, Wood had decided to step down from his position in the toy company in 2004 at the age of 51, as per Daily Mail. Wood then, founded and sold another reading education company, Smarty Ants , an online learning program, as per the report. Recently, he had volunteered as a reading teacher at a school near his home, where more than half of the students are classified by the state of California as socioeconomically disadvantaged, reported Daily Mail. FAQs Where did Mike Wood die? Wood died at Dignitas, a nonprofit assisted dying clinic in Zurich, Switzerland, as per a report. Why did Mike Wood choose to end his life? Wood chose to end his life before his Alzheimer's progressed further.
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
LeapFrog founder dies by assisted suicide as he's hailed for toy creations that helped millions learn to read
The founder of an innovative toy company that taught millions of children how to read has died by physician assisted suicide. Mike Wood, the founder of LeapFrog Enterprises, was pronounced dead at Dignitas - a nonprofit organization that offers physician assisted suicide in Zurich - surrounded by his family on April 10, according to the New York Times. He was 72 years old and was suffering from Alzheimer's. He had made the decision to end his life before the condition progressed too far, his brother, Tim, told the newspaper. LeapFrog also shared news of Wood's passing, describing him as 'an innovative leader whose passion to find a new way to help children learn led to something remarkable. 'His passion was transformed into a company that has helped millions of children learn to read and so much more. 'We loved working with Mike and are honored to continue what he started,' the company said in a statement. 'We extend our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues and all who were touched by his legacy.' Wood was born on September 1, 1952 in northern California to a Michael Webster Wood, a building contractor, and Anne (Matthewson) Wood, and was raised in Orinda, east of Berkeley. He attended Miramonte High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in 1974. The inventor would then go on to earn a Masters of Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California Hastings Collee of the Law - now known as University of California Law San Francisco). Wood then spent several years working as an attorney. But it was his personal life that inspired him to create the global toy company. He was just a young father when he noticed that his toddler was struggling to read. Wood would later explain that his then three-year-old son, Mat, knew the alphabet but could not pronounce the letter sounds. Wood was concerned that if his child lagged as a reader, he would forever struggle - and set off to create a prototype of an electronic toy that played sounds when children squeezed plastic letters. He based the idea on greeting cards that play music when opened, and worked with engineers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and an education professor at Stanford to eventually develop the Phonics Desk - which was released in 1995. The success of the product attracted the attention of investors Michael R Milken and Larry Ellison - the founder of the software company Oracle. The education company they founded, Knowledge Universe, then bought a majority stake in LeapFrog in 1997 - bringing in millions of dollars to develop new products. With the extra funds, Wood acquired a company that developed the prototype of what became the LeapPad, which he insisted be sold for no more than $49 at Toys R Us stores across the US. It was a blue and green clamshell that held interactive spiral-bound storybooks. Children could then use a pointer to touch a word or an item in the story to hear it spelled or sounded aloud. The LeapPad became the best selling toy of the 2000 holiday season, and soon the company started developing other products to teach children other topics like geography and math. By 2001, the reading devices and programs were in 2,500 schools - and the following year, LeapFrog products were in nine million homes. When the company went public in January of that year with shares at $13, it soared almost 99 percent - becoming the best IPO of the year. Former colleagues of his remembered the innovator as a demanding entrepreneur who was driven by a belief that technology could help the 'LeapFrog generation' gain an educational advantage. Chris D'Angelo, Leapfrog's former executive director of entertainment, for example, described in The Bloom Report - a toy industry news site - how the employees would often joke about Wood's 'famously fluffy hair.' 'When stressed, he'd unconsciously rub his head - and the higher the hair, the higher the stakes,' D'Angelo recounted. 'We (quietly) called them "high hair days." 'It was funny, but also telling,' he continued, saying Wood 'felt everything deeply - our work, our mission, our audience.' Wood ultimately stepped down from his successful company in 2004 at the age of 51. By then, LeapFrog products were available in six languages and more than 25 countries around the world, the San Francisco Gate reported at the time. When the Wall Street Journal asked about his decision to leave LeapFrog years later, Wood explained: 'In 2003, we had 1000 employees, $650 million in revenue, $60 million in earnings and I had a headache every day. 'There would be four or five problems on my desk every day that had no good answer - you had to pick the least worst answer.' Still, Wood's entrepreneurial spirit continued - and he went on to found and sell another reading education company, Smarty Ants, an online learning program. In more recent years, Wood would volunteer as a reading teacher at a school near his home, where more than half of the students are classified by the state of California as socioeconomically disadvantaged. 'He went on eBay and bought a ton of the products he'd developed and brought them into the classrooms,' Bob Lally, cofounder of LeapFrog, told the Times. 'He'd have pizza parties for the kids. He loved going to that school and teaching the kids.' Wood is now survived by his wife, Leslie Harlander, his high school sweetheart whom he married in 2021, along with his brothers, Tim, Denis, his son, Mat, and three grandchildren.
