A short entry for an educational game that was advertised at the CES in Chicago in 1984 from Sierra. Donald Duck’s Bakery we assume would have had you completing educational puzzles to try and complete bakery tasks of some kind – but we know little more than this at this stage.
Although Donald Duck’s Playground was released, this particular game wasn’t. We assumed that Al Lowe may have been involved, however – Joachim Froholt checked, and Al confirmed it wasn’t one of his. In the meantime, if you know anything more – please do get in touch.
Tom Roger Skauen made a good suggestion that perhaps Sierra changed their mind and did a different game instead. The game was from the same sort of timeline as Donald Duck’s Playground, and Chuck Benton agreed that the idea was probably dropped to make way for that game instead.
Thanks to Anonymous Contributor, there was a bit more within Commodore Power Play issue 11 from 1984:
“Donald Duck’s Bakery, develops math skills.”
“Donald Duck’s Bakery shows Donald Duck getting his first job at Scrooge McDuck’s factory. Donald has only a few responsibilities at first, but he is expected to learn the business and to follow someday in Uncle Scrooge’s successful web-prints. His success will be determined by the bakery’s efficient and profitable operation. Children will help Donald Duck — beginning with simple tasks and progressing to more responsibility — while learning what it takes to do the job well. From simple counting skills through all the details of running a bakery, children learn and can demonstrate knowledge of counting objects, taking measurements, setting controls such as timers and clocks, computing sales, making changes, taking inventory, ordering supplies and dealing with customers.”
Anonymous Contributor points out that the expression “web-prints” sticks out, seeming to imply the newspaper industry (or some type of clothes?). Also that it sounds like a lot to take in for a toddler. The suggestion is perhaps the game turned out too advanced to suit children, but too trivial for adults. Hence a possible cancellation, with Donald Duck’s Playground taking over as a product better suited for children to learn maths and problem-solving in sort of a business environment.
Contributions: Karl Kuras, Archive.org, Atari Compendium, Joachim Froholt, Tom Roger Skauen, Anonymous Contributor, Stone Oakvalley (Scan)
