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LeapPad: Book smarts

October 11, 2026 · 1 h 6 min

Show notes

 For multiple years, the hottest toy in the United States was a book. But not just any book: a smart book, which could play sounds and respond to taps and help kids learn to read. David Pierce is joined by The Verge’s Andru Marino and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy to explain how the LeapPad worked, why it was so enticing to both kids and adults, and why the company that made it could never quite follow it up.


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