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President and CEO, Humongous Entertainment
AGE 38
ADDRESS 3855
Monte Villa Parkway, Bothell, WA
BIO Once upon a time there was a
Mom named Day who told bedtime stories to her son every night.
After reciting dozens of Superman tales, she invented an entirely
new story about a lovable purple car named Putt-Putt. Her son
liked the first adventure so much (about Putt-Putt saving a cat
from a tree) that she started telling new Putt-Putt tales every
night. Day, who also happened to be a computer-game designer
looking for a change, got so encouraged that in 1992 she quit her
job at Lucas Film and formed a company with former co-worker Ron
Gilbert. Their first release, Putt-Putt Joins the Parade, won
great reviews and has sold more than 300,000 copies. Now
Humongous is the third largest children's educational-software
company, with nearly 30 interactive stories. While Humongous is
now a subsidiary of gaming giant GT Interactive, Day retains
complete creative control. Good thing, since storytelling and
design have always been Humongous' forte. "Every product we do
comes from somebody's heart and not from some research study,"
says Day, who shuns focus groups. Hand-drawn graphics provide the
stunning images, which lend "feature-film quality," says Day. In
addition to the Putt-Putt stories (there are now four) Humongous
has built stories around Pajama Sam, a spunky little boy who
isn't afraid of stormy weather or the dark; Freddi Fish, a female
fish who explores the underwater world; and Spy Fox, a secret
agent who wants to save kids from eating dry cereal every
morning. Of course, every Humongous story has a happy ending, but
the real-life tale of Day and her son Travis (now 11) is still
unfolding.
1998 POWER PLAY Humongous is producing a series of
interactive games based on Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues, the
top-rated children's TV show. The first two titles--Blue's
Birthday Adventure and Blue's ABC Time Activities--are out now,
with two more releases slated for next year.
PLACE YOUR BETS Humongous is on a roll with its own top-selling programs, the new
Blue's Clues titles and plans for a 1999 TV show. If it weren't a
private company, we'd insist that you buy stock.
Credit: ROBERT SORBO--THE NEW YORK TIMES
SHELLEY DAY
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