What Playful Invention Company does

Playful Invention Company (PICO) is a privately held, Montreal-based educational technology company founded in approximately 1982 by Paula Bontá and Brian Silverman, with Mitchel Resnick (head of MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten group) serving as Co-Founder and Chairman. The company operates as a small design and invention studio (1–10 employees, effectively the two co-founders plus a network of collaborators) that builds Logo-inspired block-based programming tools for children ages 5–16 and the educators and institutions that serve them. Its core technology stack consists of visual, puzzle-piece programming environments (TurtleArt, ScratchJr, OctoStudio, ArtLogo, Scratch) that let users snap together commands to control a 'turtle' or on-screen character to draw, animate, tell stories, and control physical devices, paired with physical-computing hardware such as the PicoCricket Kit and PicoBoard sensor board.

PICO monetizes through three streams: (1) long-standing design consulting for the LEGO Company, contributing to LEGO MINDSTORMS, LEGO WeDo, LEGO Universe, and LEGO Modular Playware Technology; (2) project grants from the LEGO Foundation and the National Science Foundation for initiatives such as LightPlay and the Beyond Black Boxes / PIE Network; and (3) free-to-end-user distribution of mobile and web apps (OctoStudio launched October 2023 across Android, iOS, and Chromebook in 30+ languages) plus residual demand for the PicoCricket Kit, which was sold commercially from 2006 to early 2012 (~10,000 units) and is no longer an active commercial line. The company's go-to-market is fundamentally partnership-led: products reach users through MIT Media Lab, LEGO, Tufts DevTech, the Exploratorium's Tinkering Studio, the Montreal Science Centre, Kids Code Jeunesse, Google CS First, and app store marketplaces rather than through direct sales infrastructure.

The company has no external institutional investors, no disclosed funding rounds, and no parent company, and it operates as a bootstrapped founder-owned consultancy with global reach via its partners but a deliberately small footprint. Beyond its core educational software, PICO maintains a portfolio of research and side projects — including digital fabrication workflows (TurtleArt to SVG for laser cutters and 3D printers), the T-LogoQube CubeSat that took Logo into orbit in November 2013, cellular automata research, and the SunSlicer TRL7 X-ray spectrometer with potential NASA Artemis applications — which signal continued technical exploration outside its commercial core.

Name

Playful Invention Company

Legal name

Playful Invention Company Inc.

Website

https://playfulinvention.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Playful Invention Company (PICO) is a Montreal-based, founder-owned educational technology studio that designs Logo-inspired block-based programming tools and physical computing kits for children, working in close collaboration with MIT Media Lab and the LEGO Company.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Educational Technology Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Creativity, Art & Music Learning Apps (EDACANAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

3D Printing, CAD & Digital Fabrication Programs (EDAMADAH)

Keywords

• Educational technology
• Block-based programming
• Children's coding apps
• Physical computing kits
• Creative learning tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Physical Product Sales: Sale of PicoCricket Kits - an invention kit integrating art and technology for children ages 8 and older. From 2006 to early 2012, approximately ten thousand kits were sold to schools, museums, and individuals throughout North America, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
2. Free Educational Apps: Free mobile and web applications including TurtleArt, ScratchJr, OctoStudio, ArtLogo, and Scratch. These are offered at no cost to users, likely supported by partnerships and grants.
3. Design Consulting: PICO acts as design consultants for LEGO Company, contributing to LEGO MINDSTORMS, LEGO WeDo, LEGO Universe, and LEGO Modular Playware Technology projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Playful Invention Company (PICO) develops and co-develops Logo-inspired block-based programming software and apps (TurtleArt, OctoStudio, ScratchJr, ArtLogo) that enable children to create images, animations, stories, and games. The company also designs physical computing invention kits (PicoCricket Kit, PicoBoard) that integrate art and technology, and provides design consulting services to LEGO and other educational partners on robotics and creative learning products.

Product overview

The Playful Invention Company (PICO) develops a portfolio of educational technology products centered on creative learning through programming. The core offerings include TurtleArt, OctoStudio, ScratchJr, Scratch, and ArtLogo, all using Logo-inspired block-based or text-based visual programming languages for creating images, animations, stories, and games. The PicoCricket Kit provides physical computing through an invention kit integrating lights, motors, and sensors. PICO collaborates extensively with LEGO (MINDSTORMS, WeDo, Modular Playware), MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten Group, and Tufts University. Additional products include LightPlay, Art:bit, Shadow Coding, and Tivoli Lights. Research projects span Digital Fabrication (translating TurtleArt designs to SVG for 3D printing), History of Computing, Cellular Automata, and space technology (SunSlicer spectrometer, T-LogoQube CubeSat). The company was founded by Paula Bonta and Brian Silverman and is based in Montreal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TurtleArt

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of millions of children have learned programming using Logo and related tools
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MIT Media Lab (Lifelong Kindergarten Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT Media Lab. PICO co-developed ScratchJr with MIT and contributes to Scratch development. The relationship is central to PICO's educational technology approach.
• Tufts University (DevTech Research Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the DevTech Research group at Tufts University on the development of ScratchJr, particularly focusing on making the interface developmentally appropriate for children ages 5-7.
• LEGO CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing relationship with LEGO as design consultants. PICO contributed to LEGO MINDSTORMS, LEGO WeDo, LEGO Universe, and LEGO Modular Playware Technology. The collaboration includes both design work and financial support from LEGO, particularly from Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen and Erik Hansen.
• LCSIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPICO's founders have historical ties to LCSI, the world's leading developer of Logo software, where Brian Silverman served as Director of Research and Paula Bontá worked as Design Director on MicroWorlds products.
• SparkFun ElectronicsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSparkFun Electronics distributes the PicoBoard, a sensor board that works with Scratch programming language, allowing users to connect real-world sensors to on-screen projects.
• Exploratorium (Tinkering Studio)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPICO has collaborated with the Exploratorium's Tinkering Studio on digital fabrication projects using TurtleArt, creating programs that translate images to SVG files for laser cutters and 3D printers.
• Montreal Science CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2019, PICO partnered with the Montreal Science Centre to create the interactive coding exhibit 'Code des Ombres' (Shadow Coding), featuring programmable lights and a turntable with block-based coding.
• Kids Code Jeunesse (KCJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped art:bit app in collaboration with Kids Code Jeunesse, a Chrome OS app designed to help young students learn programming and animation basics using the micro:bit.
• Google CS FirstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Google's CS First program and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen for the 2015 project where Danish students programmed animated light displays using software designed by PICO.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Code.org: Non-profit promoting computer science education for K-12 with Hour of Code and a block-based learning studio. Operates in the same children's coding-for-all market that PICO's Scratch-based tools serve, and benefits from similar global brand recognition.
• Kodable: K-5 kids coding curriculum with a block-based programming environment and teacher tools. Targets the same youngest learners (ages 5-7) as ScratchJr, with a more commercially-oriented school sales motion.
• micro:bit Educational Foundation: Non-profit stewarding the micro:bit microcontroller and its block-based programming environment for classroom use. PICO built the art:bit app on top of micro:bit, making the Foundation a direct peer in physical-computing-for-kids and STEAM education.
• Scratch Foundation: Non-profit that operates and stewards Scratch, the world's most popular block-based coding platform for kids. PICO has been a core design contributor to Scratch and ScratchJr, making the Foundation the closest organizational peer — overlapping product, audience, and technology base.
• Tynker: Commercial kids-coding platform offering block-based and text-based programming courses, with a B2B school sales motion. Targets the same age 5-16 learner segment as PICO's ScratchJr/OctoStudio and competes for the same educator and parent mindshare.
• Hopscotch: Block-based iPad coding app for kids that lets children build games and stories. Targets an almost identical end-user (children 8+) and use case (creative coding via mobile/tablet) as PICO's OctoStudio and TurtleArt.

Emerging players

• Ozobot: Educational STEAM robotics (Evo, Bit) combining screen-free and screen-based block coding for K-12. Comparable to PICO's PicoCricket/art:bit in the physical-computing-for-creative-learning niche, with a stronger commercial product line.
• Khan Academy (Khan Kids): Free educational app platform with Khan Kids covering early-childhood literacy, numeracy, and creative play. Comparable as a free, globally distributed early-childhood learning product, though Khan Kids spans more subjects than PICO's coding/creativity focus.
• Wonder Workshop: Educational robotics company (Dash, Dot, Cue) used in K-12 STEM curricula. Comparable to PICO's PicoCricket heritage — physical-computing kits that teach coding — and competes for the same school and educator budget.

Broad incumbents

• LEGO Education: Division of LEGO selling STEAM/robotics kits (SPIKE, MINDSTORMS Education, WeDo). PICO is a long-time design consultant to LEGO on these exact product lines, making it the most relevant incumbent peer — overlapping audience, complementary rather than competing business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Playful Invention Company