Baby Einstein is a line of multimedia products and toys that specializes in interactive activities for children aged 3 months to 3 years old. Subjects such as classical music, art, and poetry are prominently explored. These products are currently made by a division of the Walt Disney Company, marketed under the slogan, Where Discovery Begins . The Baby Einstein Company pays a significant amount of money to Corbis, on behalf of the estate of renowned physicist Albert Einstein, for the use of the Einstein name, though the products have virtually nothing to do with Einstein or his work (however, Disney uses a disclaimer that Einstein is a trademark of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem[1]).
The Baby Einstein Company was founded in 1996 by stay-at-home mom and former teacher Julie Aigner-Clark at her home in suburban Alpharetta, Georgia.[2] Aigner-Clark and her husband, Bill Clark, invested $18,000 of their savings to produce the initial product, a VHS video called Baby Einstein, later sold as Language Nursery.
Baby Einstein became a multi-million dollar franchise; its revenue grew from $1 million in 1998[3] to around $10 million in 2000.[4] Aigner-Clark sold a 20% stake in the company to Artisan Entertainment in February 2000 and sold the rest to The Walt Disney Company for an undisclosed amount in November 2001.[5] The franchise is named after and pays significant royalties to the estate of deceased physicist Albert Einstein, putting him in the top 5 of most earning dead celebrities, according to Forbes.[6]
At one point in 2009, the brand was estimated to be worth nearly 400 million dollars base on revenues. Julie was named Entrepreneur of the Year and won various awards for her products, which are the number one selling brand (1 in three households with babies in the US own at least one Baby Einstein product) of videos for very young children. Julie has appeared in many media outlets, including Oprah, GMA, The Today Show and USA Today. In 2007 she was personally honored at them President George Bush's inaugural address.
