The series began in 1992 as a Broderbund division that started with an adaptation of Mercer Mayer's Just Grandma and Me.[1] In 1994, the Living Books division was spun-off into its own children's multimedia company, jointly owned by Broderbund and Random House. The company continued to publish titles based on popular franchises such as Arthur, Dr. Seuss, and Berenstain Bears.[2]
The next few years saw a saturated market begin to squeeze Living Books company's profits; in 1997 Broderbund agreed to purchase Random House's 50% stake in Living Books and proceeded to dissolve the company. Broderbund was acquired by The Learning Company, Mattel Interactive, and The Gores Group over the following years, and the series was eventually passed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which currently holds the rights. The series was kept dormant for many years[3] until former developers of the series acquired the license to publish updated and enhanced versions of the titles under the Wanderful Interactive Storybook series in 2010.
The series has received acclaim and numerous awards.
