Epic Win: Kid Pix
Submitted and Written by Gina W
who didn’t have tons of fun in computer class with this awesome art program?
I had a copy of Kid Pix at home where I spent most of my day placing a lot of stamps, then erasing things with the dynamite. I also recall my parents being pretty angry that I was wasting so much colored printer ink with all of my Kid Pix drawings.
It’s a shame kids don’t get to use Kid Pix anymore, but I think they’re all messing around in Photoshop, which I suppose is more useful to learn, actually.
I must’ve missed that one..but I remember MarioPaint for Super NES. You couldn’t print your MarioPaint pics, but you could save them on a VHS tape..and you could make animated images.
Ahahaha, I had this in my computer class in elementary school. It was so much fun… man. The good ole days.
Yeah, one of the the better games in my childhood.
Me too!
i’ve got a copy of KPD3 on a reader rabbit disc.
holy crap, i totally forgot this one. I’ve spent so much time with it as a kid, that it probably scarred my brain severely. It has been awesome trip though.
“I’m a… slippery slimy slug! With… a hundred hairy toes and a pickle up my nose And… I HATE mayonnaise! UGHHH! Draw me.”
Brilliance.
“I’m a…dizzy daisy getting lazy, with…a bright and bumpy hide, and…I’ve got smoke coming out my ears! Draw me.”
I remember being very disappointed when we got our first PC and finding out that MS Paint didn’t have this “Pick a Draw Me” feature
I had that first version, from ‘91, up until 2005. Then I got addicted to MS Paint. But they have it at my school computers, and I am in middle school! Ah, first love of KidPix. It’s the new version though. Not the same.
Ahh! Classic! It is all coming back to me now! Man, I LOVED this thing!!
I remember that I spent so much time at home drawing those and then making those “movies”. man, the dynamite was fun.
I’m so glad this made it onto onceuponawin! I talk about this program all the time and no one else used it, so I sound like a lunatic. My favorite tool was the one that just drew a ton of different sizes of trees. School projects that involved this program always got extra attention from me, so I hope there is something like it being used today.
nope. i remember using kid pix in pre-K (1999-2000) but never again after that… today childrens computer classes are much more advance along with the programs used…. my entire class had mastered photoshop by 3rd grade and middle school tech classes are more aloong the lines of designing your own programs
actualy, kids still use this! there on version 9.0 now,
at my school once a week all the kids go to the computer lab and thats all they do.
you can make movies and music now too.
whoa weird at my middle school we’d be designing our own programs everyday
Aww hell yeah! It was like photoshop for kids back in the 90’s!
ahh i could only vaguely remember this program until seeing it here. it was epic
I used to do Kid Pix in computer lab when I was in kindergarten!
Epic Win! I had several classes where we would all go to the computer lab and play on this. Imagine an entire computer lab of “Yikes!”, “Oh No!”, “Uh Oh!” and Bombs exploding.
Elementary school computer lab – oh wow. Definitely having a flashback now.
Kid Pix, All the Right Type, Putt Putt’s Fun Pack, and Oregon Trail. That was computer lab for us.
holy schnike, i completely forgot about this untill now! god, we used to spend nearly all after noon on fridays in the computer lab playing with this program! i was more than a little disappointed when i found MS paint, but kid pix is probably why i love photoshop so much now
i remember doning the original kid pix; from the newspaper. we would get to class everyother week our teacher had a stack of newspapers and we would get time to do them. aaahhhhhh good times good times
Aw, I never got to use Kid Pix as a child, but we did have a copy on one of the ancient computers at the daycare where I worked in college! The kids loved it, which blew my mind since we also had newer games like Dora the Explorer on it. Kid Pix almost always won!
Two years after I got my degree the P.C. went on the market. Computer classes were offered only at the Graduate School level. What’s wrong with this picture?
my high school has 22hundred students, a 50 computer eqippped media center, and 12 different computer labs with 30 computers each, 5 comoputer science rooms with 25 computers each, and every classroom has a promethean boarwhich is similar to a whiteboard in appearance but is a touch screen writing board with all of the same applications as a PC. welcome to the 21st century:)
smartboard!!
I had Kid Pix Studio. Not only could I draw cool things, but I used its Slide Show feature to make simple animations out of my drawings.
I am literally right now installing Kid Pix 4 on a machine at work.
At my old elementary school, we used to do kid pix in computer class… if we did our work… and we were quiet… and this was in 2008!
I remember the Undo-Undo noise when you made a mistake. Epic man!
Oh wow. I loved this program. After my parents didnt have it anymore, i always looked for something similar but all we had then was MS paint. i loved it, and no one ever knows what im talking about when i mention it.
I teach 2nd grade and my kids still get to play KidPix – an updated version, of course. They get so excited when I let them play it!
“Oh, wow! I remember this!” is what I said out loud when I saw this. My parents got it for my little brother but I used it too. The tree thing was so cool, and the sound effects are what really made it, I think.
Heck, guys, I own a copy of this! I bought a copy when I saw the kids having so much fun with it. My favorites are the coloring pages, but I almost always end up turning my lines some random color and having to start over. *grr*
I always play it on mute, though. I’m too old to appreciate the bleeps and explosions anymore. *shudders*
Get http://www.tuxpaint.org/ Tux Paint! It’s a free (open source, *and* no cost) version of Kid Pix and more!
I spent hours with my son on my lap either drawing things for him or later on listening to him narrate his stories. Years later he’s gone through many other computer games, several months as a WOW mercenary, and now composes music on his computer hooked up keyboard. Quite a journey (and it’s his birthday today!)
I loved kidpix! I used to make slideshows and charge my parents money to watch them
Kids do still play with kidpix! They’re on computers in some schools. The noises are just as addictive as ever.
KidPix is still available. We have it on all the education computers in college. Still as much fun now as it was then!
Oh my god. I found it.
In 1-4th grades, we’d all pile into the tiny computer lab at our elementary school and do stuff with this kid MS Paint thing. I loved it, but could never find it again. This is more fun then the Photoshop I play with.
WIN
okay i teach elementary school computer classes – we still use all this stuff. Just more up to date versions. I just taught three lessons today using kidpix 3. There’s an updated version of mavis beacon, all the right type, oregon trail – all that. I just wish kids could play the originals just once to appreciate the newer versions they have now. I know that my 4th graders would die if they saw the original Oregon Trail graphics. hahaha
We had this in elementary school, but we couldn’t use the dynamite because the teachers said it’s dangerous.
Same here. Didn’t stop it from being the coolest thing ever and my favorite part of the day, though. I know I used to own a newer version than the one in school, but I had, like, Windows 95 then. XD I highly doubt it’ll work on Vista, even if we still had it.
No way!! I still have my copy of KP Studio Deluxe from 1999! In fact, I got it to install on our new computer and play it ALL THE TIME. I used to use the Paint Splatter tool and then use the zoom until I had two colors on top of each other, one for the sky or walls and one for the ground. Then, it was stamp time. At home, my sister and me used the animated puppets almost daily to record ourselves. We had SO many audios from that, like my sister singing the I Belong song from Hercules, me improvising, and of course catching my dad singing a corny song into the microphone. And now that I’m using it again, I found that if you press&hold shift, ctrl, or ctrl+shift, the tool changes to a different shape or something!
We had it on the ancient, beige Windows 98 school computers, too, and we could play on it if we finished early. I left that school last year (it was K-8) and they had the newest KidPix. It was more of an animation thing, but it was super fancy and just as awesome as the original. they even added more phrases to the “Oops!” guy! Good times…
I saw the latest version of Kid Pix at Target recently. It brought back memories, but I don’t like how they messed with the interface.
They still have Kid Pix. My wife is an art teacher and she uses it all the time with her kids.
I had both KidPix Studio and Mario Paint. (Still do, actually) Good memories.
There’s also some good news you guys seem to not have heard. Apparently a combination of Linux and a free KidPix clone called TuxPaint are becoming a popular thing to run on donated “obsolete” hardware in poorer countries.
I’ve tried TuxPaint and, while the UI could use a little more thematic polish (The author seems obsessed with MacOS-style gumdrop buttons), the only functionality from the original KidPix that it seems to be missing are the “Draw Me” and the animated full-drawing erasers. (I asked about the latter and the author said it was intentional to make creating more fun than erasing)
I had that, it was awesome. I also had (and still do, but I have no idea if it will work on today’s operating systems) a newer version called “KidPix Studio” that had all kinds of other things in there. All I remember is this thing that let you watch bizzare TV shows that came on the install CD though.
Good times!
omg i just found my kidpix deluxe and am about to start playing on it i recall this brick layer thing that i always found interesting
I remember how excited we would get wen they got the new version of Kid Pix at school. -sigh-
There was also Hyperstudio. That was fun too.
I had a pair of these. They were pink. And I remember that one day my Nan took me to a beach the sand was all squelchy and kept sucking our feet in. At one point when I pulled my foot back up I found that one of my shoes had gone. The same happened to my other shoe less than a minute later. I had to walk around the town barefoot until we found somewhere to get me new shoes.
That program was epic!! I remember using it on those old Macintosh LCs’ from 1990 back in the 1st grade. Oregon trail was fun too. I also remember being forced to play “mouse practice” way to much. The mouse only had 1 button!!! why did we need to practice?? Not like it had gestures or anything…
I loved the thing where you erase the screen and reveal another picture behind it. That’s what I always did!
Oh my gosh I have the best childhood memories of Kid Pix. The first time I used it, it was on a tiny black and white Macintosh. Later in elementary school we had Kid Pix Studio Deluxe on the Macs there, and eventually the computer lab wouldn’t let us use the dynamite eraser tool because they thought it was “too violent.” I need to find this program again, TuxPaint comes close, but it’s not the same!
they have newer versions of kid pix out now and my little sister uses it at school. we found one for the home computer and now pictures line the walls.
Probably one of the very few drawing programs that people will say they have “played” instead of “used”.
Kid Pix was and still is a blast, and it’s still a great way to teach kids basic mouse and drawing program skills.
i remember putting a port a john in the middle of the screen, then putting dynamite and bulldozers and a bunch of stuff around it.
What do you mean “It’s a shame kids don’t get to use Kid Pix anymore”? They still make it! http://www.smartkidssoftware.com/ndlec159.htm That’s like saying “It’s a shame we don’t get to use photoshop 1.0 anymore”! Just because there’s a different number at the end, it no longer exists? Research is hard…
i always loved kid pix, but they do still use it, i only graduated from public school 2 years ago and they still had it while i was there
this was the most epic game ever ever. you could make randome nonsensical bullcrap… with instructions! And then you get to explode it all!!!! the sound effects were awesome and were oh so fun to annoy my classmates with.
Kidpix= superultrazomflololololololzchucknorisschnooglyooglyWIN
PS. i’m a dizzy daisy, getting lazy, with 20 foot toes and a pickle in my nose, draw me.
Reading the comments, someone said they played this on a Mac LC. My god…I had/have a Mac LC and I’m 99% sure that Kid Pix 2 was the first computer game I ever played. One of my earliest computer memories was staying up late (which was probably around 8 or 9 PM) with my dad and playing KidPix. I made a picture called “Breaking Rocks”. It was just a bunch of broken black triangles and randomply placed letters. I found that old Mac LC, but it doesn’t work anymore. I guess there are some files that can only really be saved in your own brain…
oh my god, i LOVED kid pix! i played it all the time in like second grade! this is one of the most epic wins on this site
Man! Everyday in Computer class I would look foward to Kid Pix. But, for some reason our teacher would get mad at us for using the dynamiyte…………….what a fun Nazi!
I never had this in school (we only had Oregon Trail), but I had it at home and I loved it! I would spend most of the time customizing the stamps and then using them. I’d make a row of different colored cats and then a row of men with different colored pants.
This is the reason I’m a graphic designer now
They started me in early.
KidPix is still around. My daughter uses it at school all the time. And, yes, they still have the dynamite and the stamps.
omg YES, i used this so much when i was in elementary school ^3^
i remember goofing off and making up my own little stories by placing stamps of animals and such all over a scene i would draw for them such as a swamp or a city O: my gawd, i wonder if i can still find that cd somewhere in my room, i remember flipping out because my friend got it for my birthday in like.. 6th grade =D ~ definitely a nostalgic win!
I only used the program once, and the memory has been with me since grade school. I almost cried when I saw this post up. Truly, this was an epic win.
I remember the old version from around grade 1. But by grade 8 they had a new version.. Kid Pix deluxe 3!! It’s actually still around i think
YEEEEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Loved this
Funny, I just saw a copy of “Kid Pix” at a local thrift store for $2.99! Probably a newer version, but would’ve got it to reminisce on old times deleting useless scribbles of teachers I hated with the dynamite function during computer lab time.
I never had Kid Pix, but my elementary school had Dazzle, which was way cooler!
Didn’t this have a little video post card feature with short movies. One was about Big Foot the monster truck and one was about Jackorabits in texas. I remember watching these 4 minute videos after about 20 minutes of load time.
I used to teach kids in Ewing Elementary last year, and every computer there had Kidpix 6 or 8 or whatever on them. Still have dynamite too.
I had this and Kid-cuts on my computer!!!!! i had a blast with it!!!
what a flashback!
OH. MY GOD. I had forgotten all about this~
Thanks once upon a win~!!
I loved this game!!!!!!
Does anybody have any more screenshots…? Please?!
KidPix is still around and used by a lot of schools. If you’re wanting to take a trip down memory lane you can also check out TuxPaint (at http://www.tuxpaint.org) – an open-source (free) alternative that rocks just as much as KidPix, but doesn’t cost a dime.
i remember this in the computer lab… TONS OF FUN
BTW: i’m wondering if anyone remembers an old (90s) computer game-ish thing where you could create your own neighborhood and build houses and you could have dinosaurs and random stuff strewn about… it’s not the sims… that’s for sure. but it was my FAVORITE game. i made my dreamhouse all the time… any help would be greatly appreciated
saagirlie07@aim.com
Best image manipulator I used before Adobe (Not much of an image editor). Though this thing would bog down any computer after using that magic random color tool for too long, I remember taping all the mouse buttons down for like 6 computers in the lab when the substitute teacher was gone. One of them went as far as a BSOD, the others froze.
Not to worry! until 6th grade my grade school used this brilliant peice of programming! its still my favorite..
i also forgot the draw me’s! they were the best..oh how i miss the wonders of elementary school
YEAH! DUDE! I STILL HAVE KIDPIX!!!!!!
THE ORIGINAL VERISON!
DYNAMITE TOOL KICKS ASS
omg i love kid pix (i have new shiny version at my school it is haxors.) i love the little dynamite thingy.
KID PIIIIIIX! Good god! This game stole so much of my childhood, and I’m damn glad that it did. I sooo want to find some place to download it or something. I miss the “Draw Me” thing so much. ;D
they still have it and its up to version 11.0!
live in canada so we always had indoor recesses in february and such when it got to be like -30, -40 (celsius with wind chill) and we made a game out of who could stare at the screen the longest during lunch recess with the rainbow effect paintbrush on, this game is the reason i found out i’m epileptic
Installing Kid Pix 1.00 right now lol
My brother and I used to turn the stamps into little pictures of X-wings and TIE fighters and stamp them all over the page, then take turns drawing red or green lines from one ship to another. It was almost a game. My brother and his friends also used to make these strange little movies with the amount of swearing and boobies typical of ten- or eleven-year-old boys. Great program.
My preschoolers totally use this program! doesnt look like this anymore, but they absolutely love it!!!
My kids use Kid Pix.
LOL!!! The whole point of this program was to nice and simple. I Always played this program on my dad’s Apple Macintosh Quadra 605 at home.