After Dark (software)

After Dark

Company type	Software collection
Industry	Computer software
Founded	1989
Founder	Berkeley Systems
Headquarters	United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Screensaver applications
Parent	Berkeley Systems (until 1997), then Sierra On-Line, later Vivendi Games, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft (through acquisitions)

After Dark is a collection of computer screensaver applications initially introduced by Berkeley Systems in 1989 for the Apple Macintosh, with a subsequent expansion to Microsoft Windows platforms in 1991.

Following the debut, Berkeley Systems released several expansions, including More After Dark, Before Dark, and various themed editions that incorporated licensed franchises such as Star Trek, The Simpsons, Looney Tunes, Marvel, and characters from Disney.

The software's compatibility with third-party add-ons spurred the development of hundreds of additional screensavers during its peak commercial success.

Flying Toasters

Among the modules, the most renowned is Flying Toasters, which showcases chrome toasters styled after the 1940s, equipped with wings resembling those of birds, soaring across the screen while delivering slices of toast. The concept was devised by engineer Jack Eastman after encountering a kitchen toaster late at night; however, the design bears similarity to the winged toasters depicted on Jefferson Airplane’s 1973 album Thirty Seconds Over Winterland. Users could adjust the toast’s browning level via a slider, and Flying Toasters Pro introduced musical selections—either Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries or a dedicated flying toaster theme featuring karaoke lyrics. Subsequent editions like Flying Toasters! incorporated bagels, pastries, miniature toasters, and more complex animations. The Flying Toasters module played a significant role in enhancing After Dark’s appeal, prompting Berkeley Systems to produce T-shirts emblazoned with the image and slogans such as "The 51st Flying Toaster Squadron: On a mission to save your screen!"

The toasters were central to two legal disputes. The first, in 1993—Berkeley Systems vs Delrina Corporation—concerned Delrina's screensaver Opus 'N Bill, where Opus the penguin shoots flying toasters. A U.S. District Court judge determined that Delrina's "Death Toasters" infringed upon Berkeley’s intellectual property rights; as a result, Delrina altered the wing designs to propellers. The second lawsuit emerged in 1994 when Jefferson Airplane alleged that their album cover art had been copied; however, this claim was dismissed since the artwork had not been trademarked prior to Berkeley’s screensaver release.

A three-dimensional variant featuring airplane-winged toasters is available within XScreenSaver.

History

In 1997, Sierra On-Line, part of CUC International, acquired Berkeley Systems. Founders Joan Blades and Wes Boyd went on to establish MoveOn.org, while Ed Fries, co-creator of the Fish! screensaver, advanced to become vice president of game publishing at Microsoft.

The Bad Dog screensaver served as inspiration for the television series Bad Dog, produced by CinéGroupe and Saban Entertainment for Teletoon and Fox Family Channel, which premiered on March 1, 1999.

In May 2003, Infinisys Ltd. launched an official After Dark edition compatible with Mac OS X on PowerPC systems. For Apple silicon and Intel-based Macs, remastered versions of popular modules like Flying Toasters, Mowing Man, and Boris are offered as individual screensavers.

Sierra released a Flying Toaster-themed mobile game in 2006. Later, Sierra Entertainment was acquired by Vivendi Games, which merged with Activision to create Activision Blizzard—an entity eventually purchased by Microsoft.

After Dark Games

In 1998, Sierra Attractions together with Berkeley Systems launched After Dark Games for both Macintosh and Windows platforms, featuring titles inspired by their popular screensavers. The collection included Mowin' Maniac, a game reminiscent of Pac-Man; Roof Rats, which shares similarities with SameGame; themed versions of Solitaire; the isometric glider-inspired Toaster Run; the trivia challenge Zapper; the endless runner Hula Girl; word puzzle games such as Bad Dog 911 and Fish Shtick; a dots and boxes variant called Foggy Boxes; the Mahjong-style MooShu Tiles; and Rodger Dodger, modeled after the classic Raimais.

J.C. Herz from The New York Times highlighted that the games’ "sheer simplicity" contributed to their appeal, making them as captivating as more intricate titles. Meanwhile, a review in Computer Gaming World characterized them as efficient distractions for passing time.

Modules

... [Table continues with similarly concise descriptions for additional modules] ...

Module Name	Description
Starry Night	The default screensaver depicting a pixelated city skyline beneath a nighttime sky
Artist	A digital artist progressively enhances images, revealing the creative process
Bad Dog	A fan-favorite featuring a mischievous white dog causing chaos on the desktop; inspired an animated series
Bad Dog!	Follow-up module introducing new animations and sequences
Bogglins	Green slime creatures form and emit annoying sounds
Boris	A well-behaved cat chases butterflies on screen, serving as a foil to Bad Dog
Bouncing Ball	A ball bounces around the screen, including off its edges
Bugs	Animated digital insects crawl across the display
Bulge	Creates a magnified "bulge" effect by expanding parts of the screen
Bungee Roulette	Characters perform bungee jumps from the top, occasionally with snapped cords
Can of Worms	Worms emerge and crawl while seemingly "consuming" screen content
Chameleon	Chameleons traverse the screen, changing colors and eating icons along the way
Clocks	Various objects assemble into clocks that move across the screen
Coming Soon!	A salesperson pitches imaginary products in a humorous manner
Confetti Factory	Confetti cascades onto conveyor belts situated below the top of the screen
Daredevil Dan	A motorcyclist attempts daring jumps over obstacles on screen
Dominoes	A domino game played directly on the display area
Doodles	Sketches doodle-like images on the desktop surface
DOS Shell	Simulates an MS-DOS shell environment reminiscent of early computing experiences
Dots	A game involving connecting dots played on-screen
Down the Drain	Creates an effect where the desktop appears to spiral down a drain
Einstein	Exhibits complex scientific and mathematical formulas
Fade Away	Causes the desktop to fade out in various styles
Fish! (Aquatic Realm)	Displays an underwater scene with fish against a black background
Fish Pro	An enhanced edition of Fish! with improvements
Fish World	The third version featuring prerendered 3D fish models
Floating Suns	Phoenix Suns basketball logos drift across the screen
Flocks	Shows flocks of assorted creatures moving together
Flying Toasters	'Classic' module showcasing flying toasters
Flying Toasters Pro An updated edition offering selectable characters and accompanying music
'Flying Toasters!' Version 4.0 featuring refreshed graphics, soundtrack, and baby toaster characters
'Flying Toilets' A parody replacing toasters with flying toilets

Release timeline

• version 1.0 - 1989
• version 2.0 - 1992 - Marked the initial official release for Windows, introducing features such as digitized audio and wallpaper support, retailing at $49.95.
• version 3.0 - 1994
• version 3.2 - 1995
• version 4.0 - 1996

Authorized products

• Star Trek: The Screen Saver - 1992
• The Disney Collection Screen Saver - 1993
• Marvel Comics Screen Posters - 1993
• X-Men Screen Saver - 1994
• The Simpsons Screen Saver - 1994
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Screen Saver - 1994
• Looney Tunes Screen Saver - 1995
• Toy Story Screen Saver - 1995
• Myst Screen Saver
• Chex Quest Screen Saver - 1997 (an unlicensed add-on inspired by After Dark software)

External links

• After Dark X — official Mac OS X edition developed by Infinisys
• Aggressively Stupid: The Story Behind After Dark, authored by Tommy Thomas - February 9, 2007
• On Mighty Toaster Wings: More After Dark History, written by Tommy Thomas - February 12, 2007
• How After Dark Came to Windows