Putt-Putt (series) explained

Putt-Putt
Developer:Humongous Entertainment
Publisher:Humongous Entertainment
Atari
Infogrames
Night Dive Studios
Genre:Adventure, edutainment
Platforms:DOS, Microsoft Windows, 3DO, Macintosh, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
Creator:Shelley Day
First Release Version:Putt-Putt Joins the Parade
First Release Date:September 9, 1992
Latest Release Version:Putt-Putt's Fun House
Latest Release Date:2013

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.[1] 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.[2] [3] 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[4] 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.[5] [6] Ultimately, the deal fell through.

Several games from the original series were later re-released by Humongous on Steam in April 2014,[7] alongside games from the Pajama Sam, Freddi Fish, and Spy Fox series.[8] [9] 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
TitleRelease DatePlatformsDeveloper/Publisher
Putt-Putt Joins the ParadeNovember 6, 1992 (MS-DOS)3DO, Android, iOS, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS, SteamHumongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon
Putt-Putt Saves the ZooAndroid, DVD, iOS, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam
Putt-Putt Travels Through TimeAndroid, iOS, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam
Putt-Putt Enters the Race[10] Android, iOS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Steam
Putt-Putt Joins the Circus[11] Android, iOS, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Steam
Putt-Putt: Pep's Birthday SurpriseMacintosh, Microsoft Windows, Steam
Junior Arcade
TitleRelease DatePlatformsDeveloper/Publisher
Putt-Putt and Pep's Dog on a StickiOS, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, SteamHumongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-o-RamaHandheld, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, Steam
Activity Packs
TitleRelease DatePlatformsDeveloper/Publisher
Putt-Putt's Fun PackMarch 26, 19933DO, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, MS-DOSHumongous Entertainment
Putt-Putt and Fatty Bear's Activity PackMacintosh, Microsoft Windows, Steam
Putt-Putt's One-Stop Fun ShopMay 23, 2000Macintosh, Microsoft Windows
Putt-Putt's Fun HouseMay 22, 2013iOS

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

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[23] December 1995Laurie Bauman ArnoldHumongous Entertainment, Inc.Derek McCaughan, Edward Pun
Putt-Putt and Pep[24] May 7, 1996Del ThompsonRandom House Books For Young Readers
Putt-Putt: The Great Pet Chase[25] July 2000Laurie Bauman Arnold, Tricia LegaultLyrick Publishing
Go, Go, Putt-Putt Go![26] 2000Laurie Bauman Arnold, N.S. GreenfieldDarren McKee
Putt-Putt: Lost In Time[27] January 2001Nancy ParentJosie Yee
Putt-Putt: Race Against the Clock[28] July 2001Gayla AmaralSue DiCiccio
On the Road With Putt-Putt[29]

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.[30]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: There's Humongous Rewards in Entertaining Little Kids . Jacquie Kubin . "Putt-Putt is the flagship title of the company" . October 1, 2000 . July 22, 2016 . October 12, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161012195555/http://www.awn.com/animationworld/theres-humongous-rewards-edutaining-little-kids . live.
  2. News: Shelley Day profile in TIME magazine archive . 2009-05-12 . 2013-12-05 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20090512202808/http://time.com/time/digital/cyberelite/24.html . May 12, 2009.
  3. Web site: H.E. Corp. Profile. 2017-01-18. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/19980210015436/http://www.humongous.com/about/pr/more/corp.html. 1998-02-10.
  4. Web site: Atari Resurrects Putt-Putt on the iPad . Larry McMahon . GamerPops . 2011-11-16 . 2016-04-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151105002850/http://www.gamerpops.com/2011/11/atari-resurrects-putt-putt-on-the-ipad/ . 2015-11-05.
  5. Web site: LANCIT MEDIA AND HUMONGOUS ENTERTAINMENT TO CREATE TV, MOVIE, AND HOME VIDEO PROGRAMMING BASED ON CD-ROM SUPERSTARS "PUTT-PUTT", "FREDDI FISH", AND PAJAMA SAM" . 2023-06-27.
  6. Web site: Lancit and JuniorNet merge in an early-bird convergence effort . 2022-09-30 . 2022-09-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220930154457/https://kidscreen.com/1999/06/01/25645-19990601/ . live.
  7. Web site: Childhood edutainment favorites Putt-Putt and Fatty Bear on Steam is Humongous. Vincent. Brittany. 17 April 2014. Destructoid. 20 April 2014. 20 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140420003335/http://www.destructoid.com/childhood-edutainment-favorites-putt-putt-and-fatty-bear-on-steam-is-humongous-273393.phtml. live.
  8. Web site: Freddi Fish, Pajama Sam and Humongous Entertainment return to PC on Steam. Good. Owen. 19 April 2014. Polygon. 20 April 2014. 13 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160913220751/http://www.polygon.com/2014/4/19/5631520/humongous-games-steam-pc-return. live.
  9. Web site: Putt-Putt and Pajama Sam just as hardcore as Dark Souls according to Steam.com tags. Maiberg. Emanuel. 19 April 2014. GameSpot. 20 April 2014. 11 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141111114904/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/putt-putt-and-pajama-sam-just-as-hardcore-as-dark-souls-according-to-steam-tags/1100-6419092/. live.
  10. Humongous Entertainment Brings a New Perspective to Children's Software; Putt-Putt's Newest Junior Adventure™ Puts Kids in the Driver's Seat Putt-Putt Enters the Race™ Hits Retail Stores This Week; Humongous.com Kicks off Online Launch Party for Putt-Putt on January 14 . . January 5, 1999 . October 2, 1999 . https://web.archive.org/web/19991002163246/http://www.humongous.com/parents/pr/more/News/putt5.html . dead.
  11. Putt-Putt® Joins the Circus™ from Humongous Entertainment® Offers Big Top Fun for Children of All Ages . . July 11, 2000 . November 20, 2000 . https://web.archive.org/web/20001120151400/http://humongous.com/parents/Pr/More/News/putt_putt_circus_contest.html . dead.
  12. Web site: Putt-Putt on Steam . . December 19, 2016 . May 19, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150519183926/http://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Humongous%20Entertainment . live.
  13. Web site: Putt-Putt Complete Pack on Steam. store.steampowered.com. December 19, 2016. December 26, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161226172318/http://store.steampowered.com/sub/42719/. live.
  14. Web site: Humongous Entertainment Complete Pack on Steam. store.steampowered.com. December 19, 2016. December 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161223044910/http://store.steampowered.com/sub/42723/. live.
  15. Web site: Humongous Entertainment Triple Treat (Win95/Win98/Win3.1/Mac) - from CD-ROM Access . www.cdaccess.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20000510092722/http://www.cdaccess.com/html/quick/tripletrdr.htm . 2000-05-10.
  16. Book: Humongous Entertainment triple treat 2 . 42255135.
  17. Web site: UPC 742725165212 – World of Fun & Learning: Kindergarten Edition -. www.upccodesearch.com. en. 2017-04-22. 2017-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20170422214905/https://www.upccodesearch.com/upc/742725165212. live.
  18. Web site: Putt-Putt Fun & Learning Kindergarten Edition . 20 December 2016 . 8 July 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080708233834/http://www.sonic.net/mnitepub/pccafe/reviews/worldoffun_learn_kinderten/worldoffun_kindergarten.html . live.
  19. Web site: UPC 742725178342 – True Enterprise X8 PCI Express to 4Gbps Quad Port. www.upccodesearch.com. en. 2017-04-22. 2017-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20170422215003/https://www.upccodesearch.com/upc/742725178342. live.
  20. Web site: Super Duper Arcade 1 . December 19, 2016 . December 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220222834/http://www.mobygames.com/game/super-duper-arcade-1 . live.
  21. Web site: UPC 742725178373 – SuperDuper Arcade 2 (4 Humongous Titles). www.upccodesearch.com. en. 2017-04-22. 2017-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20170422215615/https://www.upccodesearch.com/upc/742725178373. live.
  22. Web site: Super Duper Arcade 2 . December 19, 2016 . December 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220222853/http://www.mobygames.com/game/super-duper-arcade-2 . live.
  23. Web site: ISBN 1570649448 . Barcode Lookup . August 27, 2016 . August 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160828073141/https://www.barcodelookup.com/1570649448 . live.
  24. Web site: ISBN 0679879587 . Barcode Lookup . August 27, 2016 . August 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160828035438/https://www.barcodelookup.com/0679879587 . live.
  25. Web site: ISBN 1570649448 . Barcode Lookup . August 27, 2016 . August 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160828073141/https://www.barcodelookup.com/1570649448 . live.
  26. Web site: ISBN 1570649456 . Barcode Lookup . August 27, 2016 . August 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160828072200/https://www.barcodelookup.com/1570649456 . live.
  27. Web site: ISBN 1586680609 . Barcode Lookup . August 27, 2016 . August 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160828034751/https://www.barcodelookup.com/1586680609 . live.
  28. Web site: ISBN 1586680676 . Barcode Lookup . August 27, 2016 . August 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160828042713/https://www.barcodelookup.com/1586680676 . live.
  29. Web site: ISBN 1586681494 . Barcode Lookup . August 27, 2016 . August 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160828034748/https://www.barcodelookup.com/1586681494 . live.
  30. Ito . Mizuko . January 27, 2007 . Education V. Entertainment . 12 . 21 April 2015 . 4 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095150/http://www.itofisher.com/mito/edVent.ito.pdf . live.

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