Bright Star Technology
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Multimedia technology, Educational software |
| Founded | early 1980s |
| Founder | Elon Gasper, Nedra Goedert |
| Fate | Acquired by Sierra On-Line in 1992 |
Key people | Elon Gasper (co-founder) |
| Products | HyperAnimation, Alphabet Blocks, Talking Tutors, Early Math, A.J.'s World series, Spelling Jungle, Spelling Blizzard, Kid's Typing, Beginning Reading, The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain, Discover ABC and 123 with Hickory & Me, Discover Math and Spelling with Monker, Berlitz Live! Spanish, Berlitz Live! Japanese |
| Parent | Sierra On-Line (from 1992) |
Bright Star Technology, Inc. was established in the early 1980s by Elon Gasper and Nedra Goedert, emerging as a significant contributor to the multimedia technology sector. Among its prominent products were HyperAnimation, Alphabet Blocks, and the Talking Tutors collection. In 1992, Bright Star was purchased by Sierra On-Line, subsequently becoming a foundational element of Sierra's educational gaming branch.
Prior to launching the company, Elon Gasper served as a computer science instructor at Caltech and aimed to assist his daughter in learning to read. Drawing inspiration from Disney's lip-sync techniques, he created animated tutors featuring lifelike mouth movements. This approach was further developed with Early Math, which adhered to the curriculum standards set by the National Association of Teachers of Mathematics.
The title A.J.'s World was produced through a partnership between Sierra subsidiaries Coktel Vision and Bright Star Technology.
Bright Star's game titles
- Alphabet Blocks
- AJ's World of Language
- AJ's World of Math
- AJ's World of Discovery
- Spelling Jungle (also marketed as Basic Spelling and Yobi's Basic Spelling Tricks)
- Spelling Blizzard (also distributed under the name Advanced Spelling)
- Kid's Typing
- Early Math
- Beginning Reading
- The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain
- Discover ABC and 123 with Hickory & Me (available separately; created in collaboration with Golden Books Family Entertainment)
- Discover Math and Spelling with Monker (also sold individually; developed alongside Golden Books Family Entertainment)
Language learning products by Bright Star
- Berlitz Live! Spanish (developed in cooperation with Berlitz International, Inc.)
- Berlitz Live! Japanese (created in partnership with Berlitz International, Inc.)