Janese Swanson facts for kids

Janese Swanson (born 1958) is an American inventor and software developer. She helped create the very first Carmen Sandiego educational games. Janese also started a company called Girl Tech. This company makes cool products that help girls get more interested in technology.

Janese has created many award-winning learning programs, electronic toys, and books. All of these encourage girls to explore technology and inventing. Some of her toy inventions include the Snoop Stopper Keepsake Box and the Me-Mail Message Center. She also wrote books like Tech Girl's Internet Adventures.

About Janese Swanson

Early Life and Education

Janese Swanson grew up in San Diego, California. Her mother raised her after her father passed away in the Vietnam War. She finished high school in 1975. While in high school, she worked part-time at Sears. She was the youngest and only female salesperson in the TV and sound system department. She even won awards for her sales work!

In 1981, Janese earned a bachelor's degree from San Diego State University. After that, she worked as a teacher, a flight attendant, and a model. She even convinced a computer company to give her laptops. She then taught her fellow flight attendants how to use them during their free time.

Janese loved learning and continued her studies. She earned a doctorate degree in 1997 from the University of San Francisco. Her studies focused on how product design and play patterns affect different genders.

Working in Software and Inventions

In the late 1980s, Janese Swanson joined Broderbund Software. There, she helped create popular games like The Treehouse and The Playroom. She also worked on the Macintosh version of Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?.

Janese also invented gadgets for her daughter. One idea was a voice recording device. She wanted to put it in her daughter's daycare cubby and in her own office. She said she missed her daughter so much that she would call her home answering machine to hear her voice. She thought this device would let them talk during the day.

In 1992, Janese left Broderbund. She wanted to develop technology that could change the pitch and sound of a voice. She started her own company, Kid One For Fun. This company developed and licensed products like Yak Bak and Talkboy F/X+.

Founding Girl Tech

By 1995, Janese Swanson wanted to create toys especially for girls. So, she started Girl Tech as her own company. Its main office was near her home in San Rafael, California.

Girl Tech created products like the "Friend Frame" (a talking picture frame) and the Snoop Stopper "Keepsafe" Box. This box had a remote-controlled lock! Other products included the Me-Mail Message Center and the Zap N’ Lock Journal.

Janese found that some toy stores didn't understand her vision. She said, "For two years after I founded the company, toy store buyers would say, 'Can you make it pink?' 'Can't you make it for boys?' And I would say, 'No, this is what girls like to play with.'"

Girl Tech also published books about technology for girls. The company worked with community groups and created a technology learning program for Girl Scout councils. Later, Janese sold Girl Tech to Radica Games, which is now part of Mattel. She has also licensed her technologies to other big companies like Hasbro and Sega.

Current Work

Janese Swanson has also worked as an Education Coordinator at the United States Mint. She was also a founder at The Art Apprentice. Today, she is an art teacher in the Del Mar Union School District. She uses computer technology to help her students create amazing artwork. Her students' work has won awards, and she has been involved in major computer graphics conferences like SIGGRAPH.