Little Laureate
Encyclopedia
Little Laureate is an American company that produces developmental, multimedia
products for small children and their caregivers. It was founded in 2001 by Heather Maclean
and Monica Gibson.
and creativity
using great works of art
, architecture
and animals with fully scored classical music
and world music
. The series features animation
, live footage, and a process the company has dubbed "Symphonic Art Animation," wherein onscreen visuals are animated in time to classical music. The series is hosted by an animated star named "Star."
Little Laureate products suggest they are meant to be watched with an adult, and provide adult-only special features to promote that concept. Every piece of art onscreen is identified by a caption, like music videos, that cite the name of the work and its artist. The DVD includes an onscreen written guide called "The Crawl" that resembles VH1
's Pop-up Video
, and is designed to give information, inspiration and humor to adult viewers. Special DVD and CD gift sets also include a 24-page parent booklet.
and Classical Baby
because it uses only art to teach instead of puppets or toys, and frequently cites a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report that early art exposure helps children learn academic and life skills.
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
products for small children and their caregivers. It was founded in 2001 by Heather Maclean
Heather Maclean
-Early life and education:Maclean was born Heather Beach on October 18, 1972 in St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Cor Jesu Academy in St. Louis in 1990...
and Monica Gibson.
Premise
Little Laureate's first products were DVD programs that promote world culture, conservationConservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
and creativity
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
using great works of art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and animals with fully scored classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. The series features animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, live footage, and a process the company has dubbed "Symphonic Art Animation," wherein onscreen visuals are animated in time to classical music. The series is hosted by an animated star named "Star."
Little Laureate products suggest they are meant to be watched with an adult, and provide adult-only special features to promote that concept. Every piece of art onscreen is identified by a caption, like music videos, that cite the name of the work and its artist. The DVD includes an onscreen written guide called "The Crawl" that resembles VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Pop-up Video
Pop-up Video
Pop Up Video is a VH1 television show that "pops up" bubbles — officially called "info nuggets" — containing trivia, witticisms and borderline sexual innuendos throughout music videos. The show was created by Woody Thompson and Tad Low and premiered October 27, 1996. For a time, it was the...
, and is designed to give information, inspiration and humor to adult viewers. Special DVD and CD gift sets also include a 24-page parent booklet.
Baby Video Debate
Little Laureate has largely avoided the babies-and-television debate encountered by competitors Baby EinsteinBaby Einstein
Baby Einstein is a line of multimedia products and toys that specializes in interactive activities for children aged 3 months to 3 years old. Subjects such as classical music, art, and poetry are prominently explored. These products are currently made by a division of the Walt Disney Company,...
and Classical Baby
Classical Baby
Classical Baby is the name of an HBO television series touted as a show for parents to watch with their babies. The show features pieces of classical music played while images of clowns, animals, and works of art are shown....
because it uses only art to teach instead of puppets or toys, and frequently cites a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report that early art exposure helps children learn academic and life skills.
Titles
- My World Gallery
- My World Adventure
- My World Colors
- My World Safari
- For the Love of Art (re-issued as "My World Gallery")
- For the Love of World Travel (re-issued as "My World Adventure")
Awards
- "Best Video Series of All Time," Parents magazine
- "Video of the Year," Parenting magazine
- "Gold Award," National Association of Parenting Publications
- "Media of the Year," Creative Child magazine, November 2007
- "Top 10 Best Audio Products," Dr. Toy
- "Top 100 Best Products," Dr. Toy
Firsts
- Little Laureate is the first toddler home media product optimized for high-definition televisionHigh-definition televisionHigh-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
. - Little Laureate is the first children's series to license a song from the African Children's ChoirAfrican Children's ChoirThe African Children's Choir is a large choir made up of children ages 7 to 12 from several African nations. Since its inception, the choir has included children from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana...
; "Bolingo" appears on My World Safari.