I’m no kid, but I gotta confess I love this program. It’s entertaining for all ages, easy to learn, and combines graphics and sounds for a really fun result. And, it can be used as a relatively practical paint program too!
To give you an idea of why I am so hyped up about this program, I haven’t found anyone who hasn’t gotten a blast out of it. My husband isn’t a computer user. He rarely uses our Mac. But I had to peel him away from playing with KidPix. A lawyer I know who has it loves it. I love it.
We’re adults. Hmmm. It’s called KidPix... so what about the kids? Kids love this program too. Take my niece and nephew who often come to visit. Their visits here would often result in “Daddy when are we going? There’s no toys here. Now they say: “Do we have to go already?” I was amazed. They have a PC so I bought them the DOS version for their computer for Christmas. I’ve never been hugged and thanked so much by children for a gift before.
Background
KidPix is a paint program designed especially for kids (of all ages). Besides the traditional paint tools found in paint programs, there are countless other tools and variations. Sounds are added to give more effect to what you’re doing. The pencil sounds like a pencil when you’re drawing. When you’re painting, it sounds like paint oozing out of a paint tube, etc. KidPix version 1.2 is even in both Spanish and English. With a simple menu selection, all menus, sounds, and commands, are in Spanish. If you have a Mac that’s equipped to record sounds, you can even record sounds for playback when your child opens a favorite picture made with KidPix. There’s even a menu command selection to choose “Kiddie Mode” so children cannot accidentally access anything other than the KidPix tools and menus. KidPix is System 7.0 compatible and runs on both color and B&W Macs.
The Tools
KidPix has the similar pencil, line, rectangle, and oval tools as all paint programs have. Unlike other paint programs, these have nifty sounds and the choice of drawing with a rainbow effect.
The KidPix paintbrush is named the Wacky Brush. It has a whopping 28 different options including a leaky pen, zig-zag, magnifying glass, spray paint, 3-D, kaleidoscope, drippy paint, connect the dots, alphabet line, trees, and splatter paint.
KidPix has a mixer tool. With it and its 14 different options, you can modify your picture in many different ways. You can invert colors, add splashes of colors, add snowflakes, and much more.
KidPix doesn’t just have one eraser; it has 14. The erasers are a lot of fun. I’ve found the funniest one for the kids is the “firecracker”. Select this one, and it looks and sounds like your picture is exploding.
With the text tool, the kid at heart can type using different fonts, or actually stamp letters onto the screen as if using a rubber stamp. When selecting a letter, the sound of the letter is spoken in a child’s voice. The letter is spoken in Spanish if the Spanish setting is on.
Rubber stamps. KidPix has around 40-50 (I didn’t really count) different pictures that kids can “stamp” onto the screen as if using a rubber stamp. It even sounds as if a rubber stamp is in use.
With KidPix, you don’t just select and drag a picture to move it. You use the Moving Van!
Especially necessary with kids is the Undo command often found in the Edit Menu. KidPix has the “Undo Guy”. He’s a guy that you click on and he wipes out the last change done. He even says “oops" or "Oh, no!”.
To Conclude
This program gets 9 out of 10 points.
Availability
KidPix is a product of Broderbund Software and is available for around $35 from the discount mailorder houses. Version 1.2 was reviewed.
MUG NEWS SERVICE, 1992
Copyright (c) 1992 by Wendy Marchuck, Motor City Macintosh User Group. Permission to reprint this article is given to MNS user groups. Please send a copy of the newsletter in which this article appears to MCMUG, P.O. Box 2513, Dearborn, MI 48123.
