Using Fisher-Price Digital Arts & Crafts Studio: Review of New Children's Software and Educational Toy

One of the most popular holiday gifts this year was the Fisher-Price Digital Arts & Crafts Studio, an easy to use program that features a variety of applications to encourage kids’ creativity. The studio is designed for children ages 4 to 9 years old. It has a digital drawing pad with attached stylus and a variety of utilities that allows kids to paint, type, stamp, draw, spray paint, and erase with ease.

System Requirements for the Digital Arts & Crafts Studio

The user’s manual warns that computers built before 2003 may have a hard time running this software. Older computers could run the program more slowly and be forced to shut down frequently due to errors. The Studio itself plugs into a USB port on the computer. Here are the basic system requirements:

How to Install the Digital Arts & Crafts Studio Software

Installation is both easy and automatic. Users simply insert the installation CD-ROM into the computer, and the installation program should begin automatically. There are on-screen instructions to guide users through the process. Users should not plug the Studio into the USB port on the computer until the on-screen instructions prompt them to do so.

The first time the software is launched, the user will be asked to set a password. This password is designed to protect access to the computer’s hard drive and desktop.

Using the Digital Arts & Crafts Studio

The on/off button is a yellow button located on the back of the Studio. When the software launches, users will be taken to the main screen which features a menu with voice prompts. Once the Studio is turned on, the computer mouse is no longer operable. Users simply move the tip of the stylus over the digital drawing tablet to scroll over the choices. Users can choose from the following selections:

To make a selection, users push down on the tip of the stylus. This feature takes some getting used to because some children want to “tap” the stylus rather than press down on the tip, but once kids figure out how to make the stylus work they have little trouble navigating the system.

Additional Features on the Digital Arts & Crafts Studio

Users can add their own pictures from their computer or a digital camera to the Studio using the “Digital Arts and Crafts Studio Share or Add Pictures” feature. The pictures can then be used in the Backgrounds or Stamper Design Tools. To share pictures via email, users can save their pictures to the “Share” folder.

The Fisher-Price Digital Arts & Crafts Studio is a great choice for children who love to draw and create crafts. It is easy to install, easy to use, and works just like a real drawing pad. Users can even expand the Studio by purchasing additional software CD-ROMs with themes such as Barbie, Dora the Explorer and dinosaurs.

The copyright of the article Using Fisher-Price Digital Arts & Crafts Studio in Kids' Software is owned by Kari Lomanno. Permission to republish Using Fisher-Price Digital Arts & Crafts Studio in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Jan 13, 2009 3:31 PM

Guest :

Bought this for my 7y.o., installed it on his computer and he loves it. Worked fine initially but after a couple hours it became "buggy" and needed to be restarted several times.

The next day it does not run at all. I've reinstalled it 3x's and still nothing. I can run the test feature o.k. but that's it. I can't figure out why it won't work now when it did before? The Fisher-Price site offers no support beyond basic installation. Need to email them for support.GGrrrr

Apr 5, 2009 6:20 AM

Guest :

My 7-year-old got this yesterday as a birthday gift- she has been wanting this product for awhile and could not wait to get up this morning and try it! I installed the software last night and decided to try it out. It worked for about a minute and then froze. My husband double-checked the computer and downloaded the version of DirectX that was needed. We definitely have everything that Fisher-Price states is required (Windows Vista, 64MB or more of video ram, etc.). To say the least, our daughter was extremely upset this morning when I told her. I let her try it, and again it froze after a minute or so. The only thing that I can think of is that although Fisher-Price states that it is Vista-compatible, it actually is not. There are multiple forums with complaints about the same issue and that Fisher Price blames the consumer and Microsoft without offering solutions. I am currently online searching for possible Vista drivers to get the DACS to work, but I have a feeling that I will not find anything. Good luck to anyone who purchases this product...

Jul 22, 2009 5:13 PM

Guest :

Pure JUNK! does not install, dead end instruction... no web support, no explaination of options> This is the type of software that should be illegal to sell. The producers should be ashames; fisher-price should recall the product and appologize to every victem who paid real money for it

Oct 28, 2009 3:30 PM

Guest :

Guest:
I would have to agree with the previous guest, especially No.1&3. I purchased this for my granddaghter and used it for a short duration of time. Tried to use it later and nothing happened.Many different web sites have similar complaints. I have tried different drivers downloaded and ect. Still no luck. I am thankful to find I am not the only one out there with these situtions. Thank you.