Video Game / JumpStart Preschool

Welcome to JumpStart Preschool
Check out the school that's real cool
Welcome to JumpStart Preschool
Click on the door to enter school
Yeah, click on the door to enter school

JumpStart Preschool is the title of two products in the JumpStart series of Edutainment Games, the first released in 1995 and the second in 1998. A third version, titled JumpStart Advanced Preschool, was released in 2002.

Like with many early JumpStart games, the 1995 and 1998 versions both take place in an interactive schoolhouse filled with Mini-Games. There are four Exposition Fairies this time, consisting of Casey Cat, Eleanor Elephant, Kisha Koala, and Pierre Polar Bear. There's no premise beyond that in the 1995 version, but the 1998 version adds in the goal of winning train tickets.

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The 1995 and 1998 versions of this game provide examples of:

• Anthropomorphic Shift: In the 1995 version, the game's animal cast wear only accessories, but in the 1998 version, they are all, at the very least, half-dressed.
• Alliterative Name: Casey Cat, Eleanor Elephant, Kisha Koala, and Pierre Polar Bear.
• Banana Peel: Referenced in the 1995 version. After you clean up all the banana peels, the trash can congratulates you for getting them off the ground, noting that someone could have slipped on them.
• Cooking Mechanics: The 1998 version has a very basic cooking minigame. It consists of you giving Pierre the number of food items that he's asking for, and he then uses them to create some sort of dish. Strip away the cooking premise, and it's actually identical to the trash can game from the 1995 version.
• "Days of the Week" Song: In the 1995 version, one is triggered by clicking on the day of the week displayed in the classroom.
• Divergent Character Evolution: In the 1995 version, the four main characters may be visually distinct, but they are all basically interchangeable in terms of personality. The 1998 version introduces some differentiation to their personalities — Casey is hyperactive, Eleanor likes to read, Kisha is artistic, and Pierre likes food and jokes. Also, the two female characters, Eleanor and Kisha, seem to be equally feminine in the 1995 version, at least based on their character designs, but in the 1998 version, Eleanor comes off as the more girly of the two, hinting at a Tomboy and Girly Girl dynamic.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Much like the original JumpStart Kindergarten, which was released only a year earlier, the 1995 version of JumpStart Preschool doesn't have any sort of goal. Also like with Kindergarten, this is changed in the remake.
• Educational Song: Both versions feature several of these. In the 1995 version, they're all available for free in the classroom, but in the 1998 version, most of them are a reward for winning a trip on the train.
• Every Proper Lady Should Curtsy: In the 1998 version, Eleanor greets you with a curtsy when you first enter the classroom.
• Gender-Equal Ensemble: The main cast consists of two boys (Casey Cat and Pierre Polar Bear) and two girls (Eleanor Elephant and Kisha Koala).
• Memory Match Mini-Game: The dollhouse game in the 1995 version. The matching items are hidden behind the dollhouse's shutters.
• Video Game Remake: In addition to updated graphics and so forth, the 1998 version adds the goal of winning trips on the train. Each of these trips essentially amount to you being presented with a song. The mouse Cecil is also added to the cast for the 1998 version.