Carmen Sandiego, Internationally Known Mistress of Crime, Awards Two Lucky Winners Once-in-a-Lifetime Trips.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 1998--

To Celebrate Her 15th Birthday, Her Majesty of Mischief Carmen Sandiego Reveals Her Sophisticated New 90's Adventure Look to Kids and

Their Parents Over the Internet www.carmensandiego.com

The Learning Company, Inc., www.learningco.com (NYSE:TLC), today announced that 8-year-old Brian Bell from Chula Vista, Calif. and 9-year-old Hannah Stewart of Kearney, Neb. have been selected as Grand Prize and Second Runner-up prize winners in the "Where in the World will Carmen Sandiego(tm) Send You?" online contest.

Along with the trips, Brian and Hannah, as well as the 35 honorable mention winners, will be awarded a complete library of Carmen Sandiego software for their schools and for home. The winners, and the "State Fun Fact" submissions they entered as part of the contest, are posted on the carmensandiego.com Web site.

Brian Bell was pretty excited when he heard he'd won the grand prize, "Wow, I get to go to Europe! Where is Europe? I sure wish my dad could go too, but he has to go out to sea with the Navy." Hannah's mom, told us, "We were so thrilled about getting the software for the school we didn't even think about the trip. The teachers in Hannah's school asked her where she wanted to go on her trip. Her reply, "maybe Baltimore." What's in Baltimore they asked? "I guess I'll find out" was Hannah's reply.

The contest was developed to celebrate world-renowned renegade Carmen Sandiego's 15th birthday. The Broderbund Kids Studio division of The Learning Company, Inc., in conjunction with co-sponsor lowestfare.com, a division of Global Discount Travel Services LLC, challenged online fans to a week of daily online quizzes featuring a Carmen-crafted multiple-choice trivia question designed to test their knowledge. Along with each correct answer, contest participants were asked to send Carmen Sandiego a "State Fun Fact," which is an interesting fact or figure about a state or region: -0-

From Brian of Chula Vista, Calif. (Grand Prize Winner)

State Fun Fact: The Quad Cities, Illinois, is the only place where the
Mississippi River runs east to west.

From Hannah of Kearney, Neb. (Second Runner-up winner)

State Fun Fact: Nebraska is the stopping point for the migration of
the sandhill cranes.

-0-

For the contest grand finale, Carmen Sandiego's new "adventure wardrobe" was unveiled for the first time to online participants on the last day of the contest. Sleek and stylish, the new look reflects her role as a woman of adventure.

Sly young sleuths who logged on to the Carmen Sandiego Web site during the five days of the contest, October 19th through October 23rd, had a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip and other prizes. Winners Bell and Stewart were chosen in a random drawing along with hundreds of kids from the U.S. and Canada. (For a complete list of winners, point your browser at www.carmensandiego.com).

Laurie Strand, vice president and general manager of The Learning Company's Broderbund Kids Studio division, told us a bit about what's happening with kids and parents online, "Parents tell us they are looking for places on the Internet that are educational, entertaining and safe for their kids to go, when surfing the Web. We were very proud to learn that for both Brian and Hannah, entering our Carmen Sandiego online contest was one of the first places they wanted to check out and it was a place they'd go back to. Congratulations to all the winners!"

Carmen Sandiego: 15 Years of Success in the Making

Carmen Sandiego and her thieves have eluded kid detectives for a decade and a half. Developed in 1983 and commercially launched in 1985, the Carmen Sandiego series has sold more than six million copies and won more than 90 awards. The CD-ROM series has been broadened to include a wealth of learning for 4th-6th grade kids. The series is ranked as the No. 1 educational software line for kids ages 9-14 (based on retail sales, January '97 - May '98 SofTrends/NPD Group).

The Carmen Sandiego franchise is growing stronger than ever as toy licensees continue to develop new lines of detective kits, board games, cool gadgets and secret agent devices. Currently, the Carmen Sandiego property is licensed to more than 20 companies. More than one million Carmen products are sold each year, and the Carmen Sandiego character is known in more than 30 countries. In the past eight years, Carmen Sandiego television programs have won eight Emmy awards and received more than 30 Emmy nominations.

About The Learning Company

The Learning Company, Inc. (NYSE:TLC) is one of the country's leading developers of consumer software for the entire family. The company publishes some of the best-known education, reference, personal productivity and family entertainment brands in the U.S., including Reader Rabbit, The Oregon Trail, Sesame Street, Carmen Sandiego, Mavis Beacon, Princeton Review, National Geographic, PrintMaster and Myst. The company's products are sold in more than 23,000 retail stores in North America and through multiple distribution channels, including school sales, online, direct marketing and OEM.

The Learning Company also develops, publishes and distributes products internationally through subsidiaries in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Holland, Japan and Australia, and with distributors throughout Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim. The company's headquarters are located at One Athenaeum Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02142; telephone [phone]; fax [phone]. The corporate Web site is located at www.learningco.com and Customer Service can be reached at 617/761-3000.

Note to Editors: Carmen Sandiego is a registered trademark of The Learning Company, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.