ActiMates

ActiMates were a series of interactive toys released by Microsoft in February, 1997, which were in the form of licensed dolls which could interact with certain episodes of their respective television series on VHS videocassette which were bundled with the doll or special Actimates-compatible video cassettes. Microsoft released seven characters including Arthur, his sister D.W., the Teletubbies, and Barney. The company discontinued the dolls in 2000. The dolls could interact with the TV and the computer (the Teletubbies could not interact with the PC) and Arthur and D.W. could interact with the Arthur website. The toys were marketed as educational tools and gave positive affirmations for correct answers from the user. They could also be played without the packs for the VCR and computer.