Barbie Storymaker

Barbie Storymaker
Publisher	Mattel Media
Platform	Microsoft Windows
Release	October 1996
Genre	Educational

Barbie Storymaker is a 1996 video game by Mattel Media for Microsoft Windows. It is a Barbie-licensed game that players to create animated movies starring virtual dolls of Barbie and her friends by using an editor to select, edit and sequence scenes featuring animated props and characters. Alongside Barbie Fashion Designer and Barbie Print 'n Play, the game was released by Mattel Media in 1996 as an entry by the division into the software market. Upon release, critics praised Storymaker for its educational and creative potential for girls, although some reviewers found its features and documentation to be complex for younger children without parental assistance.

Storymaker allows In the Scenes Studio, players select a background and props for scenes, such as a beach, ballet studio, nightclub, house or shopping mall. They can place up to seven characters, including Barbie, her friends, family, and animals, and adjusting their clothes and position.¹²³⁴ The path of movement of characters in a scene can be set by players using click and drag controls to draw an invisible track to move across.⁵⁶ In the Scenes Studio, players can also add additional text, speech bubbles, animation, sound, and effects,³⁷¹ and players with a microphone can add narration to scenes.⁸⁴ The Paint Studio allows for the creation or modification of custom backgrounds.³⁷¹ In the Editing Studio, players sequence up to twelve scenes, and add opening and end credits to complete the story.³⁹ The Screening Room allows players to see the finished film.⁷ Players can save the stories to view and edit later, and design coloring book pages featuring created stories to print on their computer printer.¹⁴⁹

Storymaker was one of several Barbie-licensed titles released by publisher Mattel Media, a division of Mattel that entered the software market in 1996.¹⁰ It accompanied the release of other titles, including Barbie Fashion Designer and Barbie Print 'n Play.^{11 1213} Nancie Martin, who served as executive producer for the three titles, described Storymaker as centred on reflecting girls' play patterns of inventing dialogue and scenarios between Barbie dolls to tell their own stories, likening the process to "creating a little movie".¹⁴ Storymaker was announced and showcased at E3 in April 1996,¹⁵¹¹ and released in October of that year.¹⁶ The software was distributed in toy stores alongside Barbie displays.¹⁷

Allgame wrote that Storymaker was "potentially educational",¹ and several critics expressed that the game could teach younger players how to write or develop computer skills,¹⁸¹⁷ with The Ledger stating it may encourage writing skills in younger players, although other titles "do a much better job".¹⁹ Reviewers viewed the game featured a large amount of content and could support a child's imagination,⁷¹⁸ with the Childrens' Software Review considering it offered "plenty of open-ended creativity options",¹⁸ and the Evening Mail writing that the game offered a "wide range" of characters, scenes and effects to provide players with creative possibilities.⁴

Critics were divided on the ease of use of the software. Some felt it was easy to use,¹⁸ with the Cedar Rapids Gazette praised Storymaker for being "remarkably easy" for younger players and having "intuitive, icon based controls".⁸ Other critics found it less user-friendly for younger players.² The Sydney Morning Herald considered it "not quite as intuitive as it should be", writing that it was not obvious what the purpose of the game's tools were.⁶ Superkids also felt the game's appeal was impacted by difficult and time-consuming features younger players may not understand, critiquing its "skimpy" instruction manual and need for "significant instruction" from a parent.³ Allgame wrote that whilst the instructions were only "adequate", the instruction from a parent to help direct a child with the software could help "bring a parent and child together".¹