The company was also known for publishing licensed educational titles featuring characters such as Arthur, The Powerpuff Girls, SpongeBob SquarePants or Sesame Street.

The Learning Company was founded on May 8, 1980 by Ann McCormick; Leslie Grimm; Teri Perl; and Warren Robinett, a former Atari, Inc. employee who had programmed the game Adventure.

[2] They saw the Apple II as an opportunity to teach young children concepts of math, reading, science, problem-solving, and thinking skills.

Shortly thereafter, Reece Duca, a founding Partner of the Investment Group of Santa Barbara (IGSB), became a member of the board of directors and purchased shares from several founders and original venture firms.

Note: When The Learning Company purchased Broderbund Software and MECC, they gained the rights to the long-running Carmen Sandiego and Trail series, respectively.