Frequently Asked Questions

F R E Q U E N T L Y
A S K E D
Q U E S T I O N S

What is The Cartoon Toolbox?

The Cartoon Toolbox gives kids the power to create high-quality cartoons of their own, packed with music, effects and a cast of familiar characters. It provides backgrounds, props--both animated and static, sound effects, visual effects, soundtracks, the ability to loop and edit, and a score to shift the spatial relationship between props and characters. It is the most thorough animation package yet, with a professional look and feel. The Cartoon Toolbox encourages children's creativity as they experience the joy of creating their own entertainment.
The Cartoon Toolbox is the next generation in multimedia. All too often with multimedia CD-ROMs, video games and certainly television, children are passive observers. At Big Top, we think kids should be creating as they learn, directing the action, determining the next step. We're not creating point, click and snore programs, but "user-driven software" that enables people to create and have a new experience every time.

How do children learn to use it?

The Cartoon Toolbox opens with a simple demonstration showing exactly how to use it, step-by-step. And, we're finishing a narrated, animated tutorial to include as well. Most kids grasp the fundamentals of both animation and the program after completing their first cartoon.Our tech support people are on-site and prepared to walk any young artist through their questions.

Can children add their own audio or text to their cartoons?

Not with this first edition. Our goal was to leave the user with the highest sense of accomplishment by having produced a real cartoon. We packed the program with high quality content to give kids all the tools they need to make Saturday morning cartoons.
Future versions of Big Top's Cartoon Toolbox will allow audio and text input.

What makes Big Top's Cartoon Toolbox different from other animation programs?

1) The Cartoon Toolbox is the only animation program that allows you to create real cartoons like you see on Saturday morning TV. The creation/reward process is accelerated with the Cartoon Toolbox because the options are plentiful, and the images allow you to readily create a good cartoon. From the very beginning, your cartoons have a professional look and feel.
2) We put a great deal of emphasis on our graphic quality. Each background, each animation, each prop is a work of art in its own right. This is the most beautiful animation program available. Notice the quality of each image, the richness of color, the smoothness of the animation. It's this attention to detail that gives this title its edge over others.
3) The Cartoon Toolbox is also more robust than other programs. We offer dozens of songs, hundreds of animations, props and sound effects. Our editing process is simple and logical.
4) The Cartoon Toolbox allows you to save and store your cartoon on floppy disk. It can be played back by anyone, even without the Cartoon Toolbox.
5) We're the only animation program starring Felix the Cat!
The Cartoon Toolbox is not difficult to use. However, it does require the basic instructions we've provided. We're proud that we're teaching children sophisticated spatial and organizational concepts so simply.

There seem to be a lot of choices and options in the program. Doesn't this get confusing?

This question is asked only by adults. We wanted to give kids as many options as possible so the program remains fascinating longer. There is no reason to impose limitations on a child's creativity. Let's have as much music, as many props, as much animation and as many backgrounds as the disc will hold. This is the palette from which our masterpieces will emerge.

B I G T O P W E L C O M E

	What is The Cartoon Toolbox?
	The Cartoon Toolbox gives kids the power to create high-quality cartoons of their own, packed with music, effects and a cast of familiar characters. It provides backgrounds, props--both animated and static, sound effects, visual effects, soundtracks, the ability to loop and edit, and a score to shift the spatial relationship between props and characters. It is the most thorough animation package yet, with a professional look and feel. The Cartoon Toolbox encourages children's creativity as they experience the joy of creating their own entertainment. The Cartoon Toolbox is the next generation in multimedia. All too often with multimedia CD-ROMs, video games and certainly television, children are passive observers. At Big Top, we think kids should be creating as they learn, directing the action, determining the next step. We're not creating point, click and snore programs, but "user-driven software" that enables people to create and have a new experience every time.
	How do children learn to use it?
	The Cartoon Toolbox opens with a simple demonstration showing exactly how to use it, step-by-step. And, we're finishing a narrated, animated tutorial to include as well. Most kids grasp the fundamentals of both animation and the program after completing their first cartoon.Our tech support people are on-site and prepared to walk any young artist through their questions.
	Can children add their own audio or text to their cartoons?
	Not with this first edition. Our goal was to leave the user with the highest sense of accomplishment by having produced a real cartoon. We packed the program with high quality content to give kids all the tools they need to make Saturday morning cartoons. Future versions of Big Top's Cartoon Toolbox will allow audio and text input.
	What makes Big Top's Cartoon Toolbox different from other animation programs?
	1) The Cartoon Toolbox is the only animation program that allows you to create real cartoons like you see on Saturday morning TV. The creation/reward process is accelerated with the Cartoon Toolbox because the options are plentiful, and the images allow you to readily create a good cartoon. From the very beginning, your cartoons have a professional look and feel. 2) We put a great deal of emphasis on our graphic quality. Each background, each animation, each prop is a work of art in its own right. This is the most beautiful animation program available. Notice the quality of each image, the richness of color, the smoothness of the animation. It's this attention to detail that gives this title its edge over others. 3) The Cartoon Toolbox is also more robust than other programs. We offer dozens of songs, hundreds of animations, props and sound effects. Our editing process is simple and logical. 4) The Cartoon Toolbox allows you to save and store your cartoon on floppy disk. It can be played back by anyone, even without the Cartoon Toolbox. 5) We're the only animation program starring Felix the Cat! The Cartoon Toolbox is not difficult to use. However, it does require the basic instructions we've provided. We're proud that we're teaching children sophisticated spatial and organizational concepts so simply.
	There seem to be a lot of choices and options in the program. Doesn't this get confusing?
	This question is asked only by adults. We wanted to give kids as many options as possible so the program remains fascinating longer. There is no reason to impose limitations on a child's creativity. Let's have as much music, as many props, as much animation and as many backgrounds as the disc will hold. This is the palette from which our masterpieces will emerge.