 | |
| Formerly | Computer Learning Connection (1980–1983) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games Animation |
| Founded | May 12, 1980; 45 years ago (1980-05-12)[1] |
| Founder | Tom Snyder |
| Defunct | December 31, 2015; 10 years ago (2015-12-31) |
| Fate | Closed |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Parent | Torstar Corporation (1996–2001) Scholastic Corporation (2001–2015) |
 | |
| Soup2Nuts | |
| Company type | Animation studio |
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | February 2001; 25 years ago (2001-02) |
| Founder | Tom Snyder |
| Defunct | March 27, 2015; 10 years ago (2015-03-27) |
| Fate | Folded intoScholastic |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Parent | Torstar Corporation (2001) Scholastic Corporation (2001–2015) |
Soup2Nuts (sometimes referred to asSoup2Nuts Studios, and formerly part ofTom Snyder Productions) was an Americananimation studio founded byTom Snyder.[citation needed] The studio is known for its animated comedy series, its use ofSquigglevision, a technique ofanimation that reuses frames to make the animation look more kinetic, and for its style ofimprovisation invoice acting.[citation needed]
Tom Snyder, a teacher atShady Hill School, began designing computer programs in the 1970s to enhance his 4th to 8th grade classes' learning environments. In 1980, Jere Dykema, the parent of one of Snyder's Shady Hill students, gave Snyder $30,000 to establish Computer Learning Connection (later renamed Tom Snyder Productions) for a 30% equity stake. Dykema also loaned CLC $100,000, which they paid back.
Tom Snyder Productions created and produced its first TV show,Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist in 1995 forComedy Central.[citation needed] On February 23, 1996, the company announced it would be acquired byTorstar Corporation for more than $10 million. Torstar would provide Tom Snyder with additional cash to expand its education and television operations.[2] Later, the company created and producedHome Movies which aired originally onUPN, but after cancellation, continued onAdult Swim.[citation needed] In 2001, Snyder's television division was renamed Soup2Nuts, named after the company's involvement in the production of programs from beginning to end. Soup2Nuts also produced shorts, book adaptations, commercials, and interactive online series.[citation needed] Tom Snyder Productions and Soup2Nuts were purchased byScholastic Corporation on December 21, 2001. Tom Snyder Productions continued to develop educational products under Scholastic until 2015.
Soup2Nuts began work onWordGirl, a superhero educational show forPBS Kids, in 2007. It had won numerous national awards including Best Direction for an Animated Children's Program and Outstanding Writing in Animation.[citation needed]
On March 13, 2015, Scholastic announced they were closing the studio. According to Kyle Good, the senior vice president of corporate communications for Scholastic, the decision was made to shut down Soup2Nuts as part of an overall restructuring of the parent company. Good commented, "We are restructuring that part of the business closer to our core businesses which are children's publishing and education. We have other options to continue television programming." Scholastic had cut the number of employees to just nine people earlier in 2015.[3]
Astroblast! was Soup2Nuts' final production. Scholastic closed Tom Snyder Productions on December 31, 2015; the company'sFASTT Math product was acquired byHoughton Mifflin Harcourt.
| Title | Creator | Co-produced by | Year(s) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Jonathan Katz | HBO Downtown Productions | 1995–1999; 2002 | Comedy Central |
| Tom Snyder | ||||
| How Do You Spell God? ("The Tale of the Watch" sequence) | 1996 | HBO | ||
| Science Court | Tom Snyder | Burns & Burns Productions | 1997–2000 | ABC |
| Cosby ("A Very Nice Dance" and "War Stories" animated sequences) | 1999 | CBS | ||
| Home Movies | Brendon Small Loren Bouchard | Burns & Burns Productions | 2001–2004 | Adult Swim |
| The Dick & Paula Celebrity Special | Tom Snyder | FX Productions | 1999 | FX |
| The Lewis Lectures | 2000; released in 2002 | Adult Swim | ||
| Pops! An Animated Musical Adventure (pilot) | Candy Altman | Altman/Mugar Productions | 2001 | WGBH-TV |
| Watering Hole (interstitial series) | Williams Street | 2002 | Adult Swim | |
| Hey Monie! | Dorothea Gillim | 2003 | Oxygen | |
| Fridays (Show & Tell segments) | Various | 2004 | Cartoon Network | |
| O'Grady | Tom Snyder Carl W. Adams Holly Schlesinger | Noggin, LLC | 2004–2006 | Noggin (The N) |
| Time Warp Trio | Jon Sciezska | WGBH Boston | 2005–2006 | NBC |
| Discovery Kids | ||||
| Sunday Pants (Thadlow's Driving School segments) | Sven Gordon Stuart Hill | 2005 | Cartoon Network | |
| Assy McGee | Matt Harrigan Carl W. Adams | Williams Street | 2006–2007 (Season 1 only) | Adult Swim |
| WordGirl | Dorothea Gillim | Scholastic Media | 2007–2015 | PBS Kids Go! |
| Weston Woods (various shorts) | Various | Weston Woods | 2009–2015 | |
| Between the Lions (animated sequences) | WGBH-TV Sirius Thinking | 2009–2010 | PBS Kids Go! | |
| SciGirls (replaced by Curious Media) | Twin Cities PBS | 2010–2015 | ||
| Chuck Vanderchuck's Something Something Explosion | 2011–2015 | pbskidsgo.org | ||
| Sesame Street ("4307" and "4504" animated sequences) | Joan Ganz Cooney Lloyd Morrisett | Sesame Workshop | 2012, 2014 | PBS Kids |
| Astroblast! | Bob Kolar | Scholastic Media | 2014–2015 | Sprout NBC |
