[5] Zowie Intertainment primarily relied on embedding proprietary RF sensors and recognition technologies in physical toys such as plastic figurines to create different game play and interaction experiences that could also be interfaced via a computer screen.
[6] In 1998, Zowie Intertainment was initially spun-off from Interval Research Corporation by Philippe P. Piernot, Allan Alcorn, and Amy Francetic among others.
Zowie Intertainment released smart toy playsets such as Ellie’s Enchanted Garden and Redbeard's Pirate Quest, play-sets that merged playing with plastic figurines with interacting with a computer game.
However, due to the dot-com bubble crash and the ensuing economic difficulties, the KidPad Circus and related programs at Lego were cancelled.
[9] Zowie Intertainment was also one of the companies that organized discussions regarding psychological and developmental concerns of children interacting with smart toys and electronic playthings.