| Revision as of 16:44, 20 August 2013 edit208.102.145.81 (talk) →Baby Einstein Videos and DVDs← Previous edit | Revision as of 00:15, 21 August 2013 edit undo66.143.34.131 (talk) ←Replaced content with 'File:Hitler.jpg'Tag: blankingNext edit → | ||
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| {{Infobox company | |||
| |name = Disney's Baby Einstein Company | |||
| |logo = ] | |||
| |foundation = ] (1996) | |||
| |slogan = "Great minds start little" (1996-2003)<br>"Where Discovery Begins" (2003-) | |||
| |location = ], ], ] | |||
| |key_people = | |||
| ''''''Julie Clark''', Founder''' | |||
| ''''''Susan McLain''', Manager''' | |||
| ''''''Nadeem Zaidi''', Graphics''' | |||
| </small> | |||
| |industry = Infant Entertainment | |||
| |parent = ] | |||
| |homepage = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Baby Einstein''' is a line of ] products and ]s that specialize in interactive activities for ] aged 3 months to 3 years old. Subjects music, art, language, science, and mathematics are prominently explored. These products are currently made by a division of the ], marketed under the ], "Where Discovery Begins". The Baby Einstein Company pays a significant amount of money to ], on behalf of the estate of renowned physicist ], for the use of the Einstein name, though the products have virtually nothing to do with Einstein or his work (however, Disney uses a disclaimer that Einstein is a trademark of ]<ref name="Httpbabyeinsteincomhome">http://babyeinstein.com/home/</ref>). | |||
| ==History== | |||
| The Baby Einstein Company was founded in 1996 by stay-at-home mom and former teacher ] at her home in suburban ], as '''Julie Aigner-Clark Films'''.<ref>http://www.babyeinstein.com/en/our_story/history/</ref> Aigner-Clark and her husband, Bill Clark, invested $18,000 of their savings to produce the initial product, a ], a VHS entitled ''Baby Einstein,'' later sold as ''Language Nursery''. | |||
| The original video shows a variety of toys and visuals interspersed with music, stories, numbers, and words of many languages. Eventually, the video was marketed across the ], ], ] and ]. Other videos followed, some featuring the Clarks' two ]s, ] & ], among other children. Also featuring toys by Ambi, Brio, Folkmanis, Dakin, Chimes, Battat, Tomy, Legends and Lore, among others. | |||
| Baby Einstein became a multi-million dollar ]; its revenue grew from $1 million in 1998<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Denver Post| title=Baby videos spell big money Mom turns 'Einstein' into million- dollar enterprise| author=Eric Hubler| date=1999-03-12}}</ref> to around $10 million in 2000.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Nurturing a 'Baby' boom Littleton woman's line of videos, CDs a hit with children| journal=Denver Post| date=2001-05-30|author=Daisy Whitney}}</ref> Aigner-Clark renamed the company to '''The Baby Einstein Company''' in January 1998, and sold a 20% stake in the company to ] and ] in February 2000 and sold the rest to ] for an undisclosed amount in November 2001.<ref>{{cite news|title=Artisan Entertainment Acquires Rights to Distribute Branded Developmental Series From The Baby Einstein Company| date=2000-02-10| publisher=Business Wire}}</ref> The franchise is named after and pays significant ] to the estate of deceased physicist ], putting him in the top 5 of most earning dead celebrities, according to ].<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/cobain-is-the-new-elvis/2006/10/25/1161699375968.html |title=Cobain is the new Elvis (Most earning dead celebrities)| publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|date=2006-10-25|accessdate=2008-08-13|author=(Reuters)| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080905014203/http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/cobain-is-the-new-elvis/2006/10/25/1161699375968.html| archivedate= 5 September 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> | |||
| At one point in 2009, the brand was estimated to be worth nearly 400 million dollars based on revenues. Julie was named Entrepreneur of the Year and won various awards for her products, which are the number one selling brand (1 in three households with babies in the US own at least one Baby Einstein product) of videos for very young children.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} Julie has appeared in many media outlets, including Oprah, GMA, The Today Show and USA Today. On January 23, 2007 The Baby Einstein Company was mentioned in the ] address by President ]. Aigner-Clark, along with other notable U.S. citizens, was invited to sit in the gallery during the speech, and was recognized by Bush during his presentation to the nation. | |||
| As a ] of Disney, the production budgets were increased and the concept was expanded to include a wide range of themes. A line of educational toys were also developed. In 2005, the franchise inspired a ] ] called '']''. | |||
| The official ''Baby Einstein'' website is available in English and en Español, with specific content for more than 30 different countries. | |||
| Julie Aigner-Clark no longer owns or operates the company she founded. She has since been involved in several start ups, including The Safe Side and Baby Bytes. She is a notable speaker and has a web site that can be found at http://www.mommymade.com. | |||
| ==Complaint to FTC== | |||
| In May 2006, the ] (CCFC) filed a complaint with the U.S. ] (FTC) against the Baby Einstein Company and the Brainy Baby Company, a producer of similar videos;<ref name=FTCcomplaint>, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood website, retrieved Dec. 15, 2008</ref> the following month the CCFC amended the complaint to include another producer, BabyFirstTV.<ref name="FTCcomplaint"/> The CCFC alleged ] by these companies, citing the ]' recommendation that children under two should be discouraged from watching television at all,<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;107/2/423 |author= ], Committee on Public Education |title=Children, Adolescents, and Television (policy statement)| journal=]|volume=107|month=February | year=2001|pages=423–426 |doi=10.1542/peds.107.2.423 |pmid=11158483 |issue=2}}</ref> and a study showing that only six percent of parents are aware of that recommendation,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mothering.com/guest_editors/kids_commercialism/kids_commercialism.html| title=Putting the Book Back in Book Fair| publisher=]|month=January | year=2007| accessdate=2007-08-13| author=Josh Golin |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070812174744/http://www.mothering.com/guest_editors/kids_commercialism/kids_commercialism.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia121405pkg.cfm |title=New Report on Educational Media for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers|author=Michelle M. Garrison and Dimitri A. Christakis| publisher=]|accessdate=2007-08-13 | archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070902235706/http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia121405pkg.cfm| archivedate= 2 September 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> while 49 percent of parents think educational videos like these are very important in the intellectual development of children. | |||
| In December 2007, the FTC closed the complaint, determining not to recommend any enforcement action against the company. In so doing, the FTC noted that certain of the claims that were the subject of the CCFC’s complaint did not raise issues under the FTC’s substantiation rules.<ref name=FTCClosingLetter> to counsel for the Baby Einstein Company, December 5, 2007, retrieved July 9, 2008</ref> Other factors considered by the FTC in making its determination included the redesign of the Baby Einstein website, which removed certain product testimonials and product descriptions, as well as the company's representations that it would take steps to ensure that any advertising claims with respect to educational and developmental value would be properly substantiated.<ref name=FTCClosingLetter/> However, the websites of Baby Einstein in languages other than English are not all modified in the same way. For example, its official Chinese website still contains the product effect statement as "For example, the ''Baby Van Gogh'' released by us can initiate your baby's interest and recognition of colors."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.babyeinstein.com/cn/OurProducts.shtml|title=产品介绍 ("Product Introduction")|accessdate=2008-08-22}} ("例如我们已经发行的《小小梵高－色彩的世界》影片DVD，就能启发宝宝们对颜色的兴趣和认识。" ("For example, the ''Baby Van Gogh'' released by us can initiate your baby's interest and recognition of colors."))</ref> | |||
| As with all of its products, Disney offers refunds to any customers who are unhappy with the quality of its merchandise.<ref>{{cite web |title=CCFC Victory: Disney Offers Refunds on Baby Einstein Videos|url=http://commercialfreechildhood.org//babyeinsteinrefund.html|accessdate=2009-10-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Baby Einstein DVD Upgrade / Moneyback Guarantee|url=http://www.babyeinstein.com/(S(3qnoffi1whnnnt55h2ljk355))/parentsguide/satisfaction/upgrade_us.html|accessdate=2009-10-23}}</ref> | |||
| ==Controversy over effects on language development== | |||
| In 1993, a study was published which showed listening to Mozart produced an increase in spatial reasoning skills for approximately ten minutes in college students, a phenomenon dubbed ''The Mozart Effect''. The authors of the paper later complained that their research had been misunderstood in popular culture to imply a permanent increase in general intelligence. | |||
| In August 2007, the '']'' published a ] version of the results of a study by researchers at the ] on the effects of television and DVD/video viewing on language development in children under two years of age. The study, the second conducted by the same researchers as part of a larger project, was a correlational study based on telephone interviews with parents of children aged 2 to 24 months. The parents were asked about time spent interacting with adults, how much time was spent watching television and DVDs/videos, and what kind of media the children watched. | |||
| The study's authors, Drs. Frederick Zimmerman, Dimitri Christakis, and ], concluded that, among infants aged 8 to 16 months, exposure to "baby DVDs/videos" — such as ''Baby Einstein'' and ''Brainy Baby'' — was strongly ] with lower scores on a Communicative Development Inventory - a standard ] test. This result was specific to baby-oriented educational videos and did not hold for other types of media, and was not related to shared parental viewing. Among toddlers aged 17 to 24 months, the study found no ] effects, either negative or positive, for any of the forms of media that were viewed. Daily reading and storytelling, however, were found to be associated with somewhat higher language scores, especially for toddlers. Listening to music, on the other hand, had no significant effect.<ref>{{cite journal|author=F. J. Zimmerman, D.A. Christakis, and A.N. Meltzoff| title=Associations between Media Viewing and Language Development in Children under Age 2 Years| journal=Journal of Pediatrics| date= online 2007-08-07| url=http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2007/0817/20070817_071817_Zimmermanetal__Associations_JPed07.pdf| doi=10.1016/j.jpeds.2007.04.071|format=PDF|volume=151|pages=364|pmid=17889070|issue=4}}</ref> | |||
| The University of Washington press release announcing the study explained that for each hour-per-day spent watching baby DVDs/videos, infants understood on average six to eight fewer words than infants who did not watch them, and recommended that parents limit their use. "There is no clear evidence of a benefit coming from baby DVDs and videos and there is some suggestion of harm," said lead author Frederick Zimmerman. "We don't know for sure that baby DVDs and videos are harmful, but the best policy is safety first. Parents should limit their exposure as much as possible."<ref name="Joel Schwartz">{{cite web|url=http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=35898|author=Joel Schwartz|date=2007-08-07|title=Baby DVDs, videos may hinder, not help, infants' language development |publisher=University of Washington (press release)}}</ref> In his study, Zimmerman states that the association between television-watching was only observed in the younger children, and that this could disappear by the time the children become toddlers. | |||
| Christakis, a pediatrician, said that he is "frequently asked by parents what the value of these products is," and stated, "The evidence is mounting that they are of no value and may in fact be harmful. Given what we now know, I believe the onus is on the manufacturers to prove their claims that watching these programs can positively impact children's cognitive development."<ref name="Joel Schwartz"/><!-- <ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-babyeinstein7aug07,0,3932608.story?coll=la-home-center|title= Baby Einstein: a bright idea?|author=Amber Dance|accessdate=2007-08-07 |publisher=''The Los Angeles Times''|date= 2007-08-07}}</ref> | |||
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://health.yahoo.com/news/178150;_ylt=AjrDv3d57zoQLUl3afGzMfFLvs8F|title=DVDs Don't Produce Brainy Babies|accessdate=2007-08-09|publisher=''Yahoo.com''|date=2007-08-09}}</ref> --> | |||
| In response to the negative media reports generated by the study and the press release, the Baby Einstein Company issued the following statement: | |||
| <blockquote>Baby Einstein is committed to maintaining the highest standards in the development of all of our products. After thoroughly analyzing the University of Washington study, we have serious concerns about the many contradictions between the study's conclusions and the content of its press release that created publicity which incorrectly suggests that this study focused on Baby Einstein products. In fact, the report concludes by stating “The analysis presented here is not a direct test of the developmental impact of viewing baby DVDs/videos. We did not test through experimental manipulation whether viewing baby DVDs/videos has a positive or negative impact on vocabulary acquisition.”<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/13853586/detail.html | title=Study Targets Infant Videos Finds Too Much TV, Too Few Words | publisher=TheDenverChannel.com | author=Theresa Marchetta| date=2007-08-08|accessdate=2007-08-13| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070926235429/http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/13853586/detail.html| archivedate= 26 September 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
| On August 13, 2007, ], president and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, the owner of Baby Einstein, demanded that the University of Washington retract the press release, asserting that the study itself doesn’t support the claims made by the University’s public relations department.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.babyeinstein.com/Common/Documents/BobIgerPressRelease.pdf|title=The Walt Disney Company demands retraction from the University of Washington for misleading press release| date=2007-08-13|publisher=Baby Einstein press release|author=Robert A. Iger|format=PDF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://consumerist.com/consumer/take-it-back/walt-disney-demands-retraction-from-university-of-washington-over-baby-einstein-video-press-release-289008.php|title=Walt Disney Demands Retraction From University of Washington Over Baby Einstein Video Press Release|accessdate=2007-08-13|publisher=Consumerist.com|date=2007-08-13|author=Meg Marco}}</ref> On August 16, University of Washington President Mark A. Emmert rejected Disney's complaints, saying that the university stands behind the research and that the press release accurately reflected the paper's conclusions and the scientists' commentary.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=36148 |title=UW President rejects Disney complaints|publisher=University of Washington press release|date=2007-08-16}}</ref> | |||
| In March 2008, The Journal of Pediatrics released a study by the researchers at the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital in Boston, and Harvard University, showing that television viewing is, “neither beneficial nor deleterious to child cognitive and language abilities” for children under 2, although the study looked at all types of television, not specifically baby DVDs.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2009/03/tvs_not_the_big_bad_wolf.html | work=The Washington Post | title=TV's Not the Big Bad Wolf}}</ref> | |||
| On September 4, 2009, the Walt Disney Company announced that it would offer a refund for all Baby Einstein DVDs/videos purchased between June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2012, extending a refund policy already in place.<ref name=Refund>{{cite news|title=No Einstein in Your Crib? Get a Refund|last=Lewin|first=Tamar|date=27 October 2009|work=The ]|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html?_r=1&em}}</ref> The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which had been pushing for a recall of the videos, sees the refund offer as "an acknowledgement by the leading baby video company that baby videos are not educational". | |||
| In January 2010, William and Julie Clark asked a judge to order the University of Washington to release records from the 2007 effects of television viewing study, citing, “Given that other research studies have not shown the same outcomes, we would like the raw data and analytical methods from the Washington studies so we can audit their methodology, and perhaps duplicate the studies, to see if the outcomes are the same."<ref name=Refund>{{cite news|title='Baby Einstein' Founder Goes to Court|last=Lewin|first=Tamar|date=12 January 2010|work=The ]|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/education/13einstein.html?_r=0}}</ref> | |||
| Soon after, The University of Washington settled with the Clarks, paying out nearly $200,000 in back legal fees. | |||
| ===Baby Einstein Videos and DVDs=== | |||
| * Language Nursery (1998) | |||
| * Baby Mozart: Music Festival (1999) | |||
| * Baby Bach: Musical Adventure (1999) | |||
| * Baby Shakespeare: World of Poetry (2000) | |||
| * Baby Van Gogh: World of Colors (2000) | |||
| * Baby Santa's Music Box (2000) | |||
| * Baby Dolittle: Neighborhood Animals (2001) | |||
| * Baby Dolittle: World Animals (2001) | |||
| * Baby Newton: All About Shapes (2002) | |||
| * Baby Beethoven: Symphony of Fun (2002) | |||
| * Baby Neptune: Discovering Water (2003) | |||
| * Baby Galileo: Discovering the Sky (2003) | |||
| * Numbers Nursery (2003) | |||
| * Baby MacDonald: A Day on the Farm (2004) | |||
| * Baby Noah: Animal Expedition (2004) | |||
| * Baby da Vinci: From Head to Toe (2004) | |||
| * Baby Monet: Discovering the Seasons (2005) | |||
| * Baby Wordsworth: First Words-Around the House (2005) | |||
| * On the Go: Riding, Sailing and Soaring (2005) | |||
| * Meet the Orchestra: First Instruments (2006) | |||
| * Baby's Favorite Places: First Words-Around Town (2006) | |||
| * Baby's First Moves: Get Up and Go! (2006) | |||
| * My First Signs: See and Sign with Baby (2007) | |||
| * Discovering Shapes: Circles, Squares and More! (2007) | |||
| * Lullaby Time: Soothing Sounds for Baby (2007) | |||
| * Baby's First Sounds: Discovering for Little Ears (2008) | |||
| * World Music (2009) | |||
| * World Animal Adventure (2009) | |||
| ===Discovery Kits=== | |||
| * Baby Mozart (2010) | |||
| * Baby Beethoven (2010) | |||
| * Animals Around Me (2010) | |||
| * Wild Animal Safari (2010) | |||
| * World of Words (2010) | |||
| * World of Colors (2010) | |||
| * Baby Lullaby (2011) | |||
| * Neptune's Oceans (2011) | |||
| * World of Rhythm (2011) | |||
| == CDs == | |||
| Baby Einstein also produces CDs. Some titles are available on iTunes. | |||
| * Animal Friends* | |||
| * Baby Bach* | |||
| * Baby Bach 2* | |||
| * Baby Beethoven* | |||
| * Baby Beethoven 2* | |||
| * Baby Galileo* | |||
| * Baby Dolittle* | |||
| * Baby Mozart* | |||
| * Baby Mozart 2* | |||
| * Baby Neptune* | |||
| * Baby Noah* | |||
| * Baby Newton* | |||
| * Baby Santa* | |||
| * Baby Shakespeare* | |||
| * Baby Vivaldi* | |||
| * Baby Van Gogh* | |||
| * Baby Tchaikovsky* | |||
| * Baby Chopin* | |||
| * Bedtime Classics | |||
| * Language Nursery | |||
| * Playtime Classics | |||
| * Classical Collection | |||
| * Art Time Classics | |||
| * Holiday Classics | |||
| * Classical Animals | |||
| * Lullaby Classics* | |||
| * Lullaby Classics Volume 2 | |||
| * Meet the Orchestra* | |||
| * Music Box Orchestra, Highlights from the B. E. Orchestra* | |||
| * Naptime Melodies* | |||
| * On the Go* | |||
| * Playdate Fun* | |||
| * Holiday Melodies* | |||
| * Classical Favorites* | |||
| * Playtime Music Box* | |||
| * Sing and Play* | |||
| * Traveling Melodies* | |||
| * Wake Up and Goodnight* | |||
| * World Music* | |||
| * World of Rhythm* | |||
| The symbol '*' denotes titles available on iTunes. | |||
| == See also == | |||
| * ] | |||
| Symphony #6, 1st Movement (Beethoven) | |||
| Divertimento K136, 1st Movement (Mozart) | |||
| Symphony #7, 3rd Movement (Beethoven) | |||
| BINGO (Traditional) | |||
| Divertimento K213, 3rd Movement (Mozart) | |||
| Symphony #1, 1st Movement (Bizet) | |||
| Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus Variation (Handel) | |||
| Piano Sonata K330, 3rd Movement (Mozart) | |||
| la Toupie From Jeux D' Enfants (Bizet) | |||
| Figaro Polka (Strauss) | |||
| Orchestral Suite #3 Gigue (Bach) | |||
| Symphony #6, 1st Movement (Beethoven) | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| *{Baby Einstein website|http://www.babyeinstein.com} | |||
| *{Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood|http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org} | |||
| * | |||
| * Disney's Official Baby Einstein DVD listing | |||
| *{{cite journal| url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12437-educational-dvds-slow-infant-learning.html| title=Educational DVDs 'slow infant learning'| journal=NewScientist.com|date=2007-08-07|author=Roxanne Khamsi}} | |||
| *{{cite journal|url=http://ilabs.washington.edu/news/TIME_BrainierBaby_Jan_06.pdf |title=Want a Brainier Baby? Loading up on tapes, games and videos may not be a smart move | author=]| journal=Time | date=2006-01-08 | accessdate=2007-08-14|format=PDF}} | |||
| * | |||
| * by Tamar Lewin, '']'', October 23, 2009 | |||
| {{DisneyConsumer}} | |||
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