Mike Wood, Rest in Play September 1st 1952 - April 10th, 2025   Scott Traylor reached out to me following Mike’s passing, and I asked if he would consider putting together a tribute in Mike’s honor. He graciously and immediately agreed. The outpouring of reflections Scott gathered in just a few days is a powerful testament to the impact Mike Wood had on so many of us in the toy industry. Thank you, Scott, and if anyone would like me to add your reflections, send me a note. -Mary   Scott Traylor Former CEO and Founder of 360KID  Current Master's of Education candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education Current Advisor, multiple children's technology companies   Mike Wood transformed how children learn to read through his vision and dedication to education. As founder of LeapFrog and later SmartyAnts, Mike saw opportunities where others saw challenges. When his young son struggled with reading, Mike didn't just help him personally, he created learning solutions that would eventually help millions of children worldwide.   With his background as a Stanford graduate and successful attorney, Mike could have continued his legal career. Instead, he followed his passion for education, bringing together talented teams and building companies that revolutionized educational technology. What Joan Ganz Cooney was to children's literacy through television with Sesame Street, Mike Wood became that children's literacy advocate through educational toys with LeapFrog.   In the early 2000s I attended a launch party at the big Toys R Us showcase store in midtown Manhattan. LeapFrog's newest learning product, a handheld gaming device for preschoolers called the Leapster was being debuted. I was walking around this amazing store, looking at all the shiny fanfare, not paying attention where I was walking, when I bumped into someone. A man maybe in his early forties, wearing a brown dress jacket, with a mustache and hair that was standing up just a bit. We faced each other, and I said "My apologies, you look familiar." This is how Mike and I first met, and it started a series of amazing conversations together over the years. At that time I was running a children's software company outside of Boston, building informal learning products, and I had just started working for LeapFrog as a vendor on the very first Leapster titles. I flew to the Bay Area every six weeks for years, and would always stop in to Mike's office to say hello.   After Mike left LeapFrog we reconnected when he started his next reading venture, SmartyAnts, which my company helped to define a number of reading games for him. Working with Mike out of his office outside of San Francisco with a team of developers it was amazing to watch how he thought about what was important to engage a child. As others will tell you he would often say things like, "that sounds like a 'B+' idea. We need an A+ idea." And Mike would continue to push for what we could do to create that A+ idea.   Shortly after starting to work with Mike at SmartyAnts, I asked him if he would be my mentor and help me make better learning products for kids. I'll never forget, he said "I would be happy to be your mentor, if you would be my mentor in exchange." It was an honor that surprised me, that someone so accomplished would be interested in what I might teach him. It was the beginning of many conversations together, most over the phone, but he would visit my office outside of Boston, and invite me to meet with him when he was on a family vacation on Cape Cod. We would talk about the state of the education industry, who was doing admirable work, the challenges of being a CEO and the toll it would take on one's personal life.   Over our many conversations Mike helped me navigate business considerations. I remember one time when a company wanted to acquire my own. Mike first wanted to know what the acquiring company's commitment to children was, and who the players were so he could determine each player's commitment. Funding sources were important as well to make sure that commitment could be sustainable. He helped me in so many ways to think about the business of learning, and how to build amazing products and hire amazing people, all laser focused on one big and important goal, to help children learn, whatever the learning focus.   We talked about how difficult it was to engage children in meaningful ways, especially with learning content, in the classroom or the consumer market. Exploring every way possible, even with the overused approach of selling blue toys to boys and pink toys to girls. While we were both aware this was the common trend in the toy business and were not fans of such a technique, at the end of the day we would say whatever honey you can use to engage a child in learning, if it works, then that is the end goal. It doesn't matter as much how you get there as long as children love the learning journey. And that was the focus of everything Mike did.   We last saw each other in person at Bob Calfee's memorial service, professor emeritus of education at Stanford, and a very important collaborator in Mike's journey, as well as my own. We caught up with each other over the phone a handful of times thereafter. He had recently sold his SmartyAnts business. Most people don't know this but after selling SmartyAnts, Mike began volunteering his time, three hours a day, four or five days a week teaching kindergarten through second grade children how to read at a school north of San Francisco, often using the products his companies had made. I asked him if this was his way of unwinding from the demands of founding and growing companies. He said he was excited to teach children how to read "for the goosebumps." He said "there's no greater moment than seeing children reach an aha moment when they first learn how to read. It's all about the goosebumps."   In more recent years our communication with each other started to wane, and I could tell something was up, that Mike's health was not in a good place. And then I saw a TikTok video  of Mike teaching his granddaughter how to read on a prototype LeapFrog product. It brought tears to my eyes that Mike was still doing what he loved to do, teach children how to read.   Thank you Mike for the goosebumps. I cherish every conversation we had together. You helped me find my own special way to engage children and make them better learners. I greatly miss our conversations together, your counsel, your commitment to children, and your friendship. If there is a heaven, I am positive you are helping to teach children how to read there as well. Rest well my friend.     Bob Lally Former President, SchoolHouse Division, LeapFrog Current Chief Financial Officer, Bigge Crane and Rigging   It’s with grave sadness that I am reporting that our founder Mike Wood passed away today after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s. Mike was the genius, creator, inventor, driver, and inspiration for LeapFrog.   I met Mike in 1988. He was an attorney in Oakland, and I was a CPA at PWC. We were both hustling up new clients in the East Bay and I knew I wanted to follow his lead. One day I visited his office, and noticed his walls were covered in colorful drawings of a toy concept. He explained to me what he was working on. His son Matt was 2, and Mike was trying to teach him the names and sounds of our alphabet with a simple wooden puzzle. Couple that with a client he had making talking greeting cards, and the light went on. "Let’s use these small chips to sound out the letters." His first concept was 26 squeezable letters that made sounds that he called “Talking letters”. However, the cost was prohibitive with 26 speakers, chips, batteries, etc. He almost threw in the towel until driving back from a horseback riding trip with a brilliant chemist from Sandia National labs named Dave Chandler in the truck. Dave inquired about the toy project, and Mike explained his dilemma. Dave explained that Sandia had grants available to entrepreneurs trying to solve technological challenges. Mike applied, received the grant, and the concept of the first Phonics Desk was born. One set of electronics programmed by a set of paper cards that could speak both the 26 names and most importantly the 44 phonemes of our crazy alphabet. Mike then went to his alma mater Stanford and met with Professor Bob Calfee on how the product should work. Dr. Calfee gave Mike some thoughts and probably thought he would never see this guy again. A few weeks later, Mike came back and kept coming until it was right. Mike was determined to have the design and pedagogy of his product perfect and credible with the world’s leading educators. I can still see the gleam on his face when he showed me the clear Silent E. k-AY-t "KITE." Brilliant!   In the fall of 1994 Mike left his law firm and we opened our first 1,000 sq. foot office in Berkeley. Mike had recruited a team of sales reps based on his vision and a working prototype and they secured orders from Toys R Us, Service Merchandise, Zany Brany, Noodle Kidoodle and others. With those orders we started manufacturing. Every order was late, we had to beg for extensions, the customers were worried we would ever deliver, and we spent most of our initial capital on air freight. Mike’s friends, family, clients, and law partners chipped in more money in the fall of 1995 to keep the coffers full. By November, products were on the shelves and the sale data was coming in strong. Mike befriended the manager in Emeryville Toys R Us so he could look at the store’s computers to see how sales were doing across the country. Year 1, we sold through and were given another year of life.    For the first few years new product ideation was done at Wente Vineyards where Mike brought in reps, educators, buyers, and industry veterans to throw out ideas, narrow them down, and perfect them. The product line expanded, and our retail presence grew.    In 1998 Mike called me one Saturday and asked if I could join him to meet with the founders of Explore Technology the following day. They had invented the Odyssey Atlas-sphere and were looking for a partner. I asked Mike how many more $300 globes could be sold, and he said, "It's not the globe, Bob, they have a talking book." So off we went.   His vision of how this technology and his relentless drive to get the retail cost below $50 was the key to LeapFrog’s success as the LeapPad launched the following year to amazing success. Mike’s drive and commitment is best exhibited when he joined other CEOs on the annual Walmart bus tour. When it was time to leave a store and move on, Mike was always the last on as he was still in the store pulling boxes from the storeroom and restocking the shelves. Or, the time he hitchhiked a ride on a snowplow to make a Buffalo, NY morning TV show, or, or, or. The list goes on.    Post Leapfrog, Mike continued his commitment to early childhood education by founding yet another company, SmartyAnts. He also bought up a supply of the original Phonics Desks on eBay using them to tutor children in Marin City for years.    Mike’s athletic interest was focused on two sports: wrestling and rugby. If you ever know someone who played either, especially wrestling, they are tenacious. They never give up. They fight to the end. Losing is not an option. Mike brought that to his law practice and LeapFrog.    Mike’s other passion was cowboy poetry and playing and singing cowboy songs. His favorites were Deportee, Seven Spanish Angels, and Three Wooden Crosses. I encourage you to listen to them, close your eyes, and picture Mike singing them.    Heavenly trails to our beloved friend. You improved the lives of millions.     Tom Kalinske Former CEO, Vice Chairman, LeapFrog Current Investor, Stitched Insights Current Venture Partner at Alsop Louie VC   I met Mike through his brother-in-law while I was at Sega. He wanted advice on the toy industry and his toy ideas to help children like his son Matty learn to read.    As a Stanford grad, he initially worked with education professors there on the sequence kids needed to go through in learning to read. Dr. Bob Calfee was a big part of that, but Mike knew to keep a child's interest, the content had to be fun, involving, and exciting.    He used some chips and electronics provided by a friend at Lawrence Livermore Labs to develop the first product, the Phonics Desk. It worked well, helped users learn phonics and CVC words. It was a modest market success with limited distribution, Toys R Us supported it the most. The famous Howard Moore, EVP of TRU, liked Mike and encouraged me to help him.   By then I was CEO of Knowledge Universe, and we were in the business of investing in Ed Tech companies. I was so impressed by Mike's enthusiasm, dedication to making children really learned while having fun, that we invested when I think the company was only doing $3M. We encouraged more R&D and staff development.   One day I reviewed a Talking Globe developed by Jim Marggraff (which when touched with a pen would say the country, capital, highest mountain, river, anthem) and his team in Silicon Valley. I loved the Globe but asked Jim if they could get this kind of content out of a talking book. He opened a drawer and pulled out a prototype of what became the first LeapPad. I was very impressed, called Mike and said "We've got to do a deal for this." His comment was we probably can't afford a large license deal. I said no, we are going to buy Jim's company, which we did.    Mike made the content, the stories, the pictures very interactive and fun, and he made everyone strive to improve everything. Up to this point, educational toys were not a large priority, or belief in Ed by toy retailers, analysts, or the market. Mike changed all that through great products and force of personality. By 2000, the LeapFrog LeapPad was the best-selling toy in the industry, outselling the hot licenses, Star Wars, Barbie, and was the Toy of the Year.   None of this could have occurred without Mike. And on top of all the business impact, he was a great dad, wrote emotional poems, and played a mean guitar. Truly a renaissance man. I miss him every day.     John Barbour Former CEO, LeapFrog Current Managing Partner at Volta Capital   Mike Wood’s life and my life intersected many times over 20+ years. I first met Mike in the early 1990’s when he was still an attorney at Cooley in San Francisco. He drove down to OddzOn to discuss his plans to launch an educational toy company. I was very impressed with his vision for wanting to create engaging and effective educational experiences for children.    We stayed in touch during the early years of Leapfrog and when I joined Toys’R’Us, we were big supporters of the company, both domestically and across our vast international retail distribution. Many years later when I joined LeapFrog, he was one of the first people to call me to wish us much success.   Mike was a very special individual. He was tenacious, thoughtful and caring. Everyone loved working with him and he was very well respected across the industry. Over the years, he built LeapFrog into a global leader in educational solutions for children.   Whenever I see Jackie Robinson’s quote “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives” I always think of Mike. His passion for early education has had a positive impact on millions of children around the world.    I fondly remember our first meeting and his vibrant enthusiasm for a more fun and effective ways to teach children how to read. Thousands of letters of thanks from grateful parents over the years clearly demonstrate that he achieved that and so much more!     Andy Hartzell Former Advanced Concepts Team member, LeapFrog Independent Design Consultant   In the Spring of 2006, I was walking to the coffeeshop when a car pulled alongside me. The window rolled down, and I heard a familiar voice call my name. I hadn’t seen Mike since both he and I had left our positions at LeapFrog a year and a half earlier. He asked what I was up to, and I told him I was freelancing and working on personal projects.   “Tell you what,” Mike responded. “I’m going to send you to Provo Utah next week. I’ve got a project going out there, and I think you’re right for it.”   It was phrased as a statement, not a request. For anyone else in the universe, I would have had questions. But Mike was hard to say “no” to. He had the sort of personality that projected confidence and enthusiasm. If he was involved in a project, you knew that it was rooted in a deep commitment to learning, and you knew that he’d see it through to the end.    When Mike founded LeapFrog, the toy industry was a deeply conservative space, resistant to new entrants. Conventional wisdom ruled the day; among other rules, the color green was supposed to be the kiss of death. It was also understood that most responsible parents were hesitant to give electronic devices to young children. Yet within a few short years, entire aisles in Target and Walmart toy departments had gone green, and the “Electronic Learning Appliance” was a new term of art.   Mike spun up his company from a couple key insights. He saw that the “whole language” approach was failing many kids, and that phonics held the key to unlocking reading success. And he intuited that supportive and encouraging game-based challenges could foster a life-long love of learning. The culture he created was composed of three distinct strands: whiz-kid engineers, toy industry veterans and idealistic educators. We all had different ideas, and we often clashed. Mike kept us grounded by continuously pointing us back to the fundamentals. As everyone who knew him will tell you, he had the uncanny ability to inhabit the mind of a preschooler with complete sincerity. His eyes would widen, and his voice would grow higher and take on a tremulous, tentative quality as he took on the persona of a young learner struggling to decode a word: “Kuh-Ah-Tuh. Kuh-Ah-Tuh. Kuh-At…CAT!” No matter how many times you heard it, you always felt the impact of that breakthrough moment, the essence of our mission.   I once had the privilege of staying at a lodge that Mike co-owned with his brothers. I was there with a small contingent of colleagues for a design offsite, and we got to experience Mike in “host” mode: cooking salmon on the barbeque and showing off his Western art. Toward the end of our stay, Mike shepherded us through a sort of rite-of-passage. On the grounds there was a very deep and rocky ravine; next to the ravine, he had erected a tall scaffold with a dangling rope. One at time, each of us climbed the scaffold and swung out over the ravine. My hands are growing sweaty just typing these words; had my grip slipped, I would have been dashed to pieces. But it held, and I came away a little stronger for having faced down my fears.   That’s how I like to think of Mike. He was a risk-taker, a man who learned to master his own fears and, in the process, made the world a better place.     Carolyn Jaynes Current Senior Manager, Learning & Curriculum, LeapFrog   In 2025, we celebrate 30 years of LeapFrog—a company founded by a father who wanted to help his child learn to read. Today, the LeapFrog family mourns the loss of Mike Wood, on whose shoulders we stand. Every day, we carry forward the same passion and focus he dedicated to the cause of helping children learn in fun and innovative ways.    Many “Froggers” have been in the Emeryville offices for more than 20 years and have had the opportunity to witness, first-hand, Mike Wood’s unwavering devotion to the educational mission behind a truly beloved brand. It is an honor to work for a company whose very mention brings a smile—often accompanied by, “Oh, I love LeapFrog!”    Mike Wood, thank you for launching a venture that has served countless children and families, and allowed so many of us to enjoy the privilege of participating in your vision and doing work we love.     Christopher Byrne Toy Industry Analyst Current Owner, Byrne Communications   I first met Mike when he came to my office to show me the LeapPad. It was a great and lively meeting. His passion for reading and the product was evident, and I’d never seen anything quite like it. It’s easy to forget what a breakthrough that was at the time. Mike was a combination of “old school,” driven by a passion for a product and the benefit for kids, and “new school,” leveraging technology to engage kids and make reading fun. What I remember most about that first meeting, however, was that it wasn’t the “wow” of what the LeapPad could do that he was so passionate about; it was how the child could benefit from the play. Always keeping the child at the center of the experience and understanding that technology was only relevant when it facilitated that is Mike’s enduring legacy—and what has consistently distinguished the company he created.      Chris D'Angelo Former Executive Director, Entertainment, LeapFrog Current CEO and Founder of Leonardo Learning   It took me a few days to find the words, but I want to share what Mike Wood meant to me. He wasn't just the founder of LeapFrog and SmartyAnts—he was a champion of children's education who changed the world for the better.   Mike started out as a lawyer. When his child struggled to read, he didn't just search for a solution—he created one. That invention ultimately became LeapFrog. What started as one idea grew into a company that helped millions of children learn to read, write, and think.   Mike hired me at LeapFrog, and it was one of the most creatively rich and challenging times of my life. He could be demanding, but he brought out the best in us. I can still hear him say, "This is an A. How can we make it an A+?" We'd all grumble and go back to the drawing board—but always returned with something better. He taught me that extra effort is worth it when you're chasing a huge vision. He helped shape who I am as a creator, a leader, and a person.   Mike's famously fluffy hair still makes me smile. When stressed, he'd unconsciously rub his head--and the higher the hair, the higher the stakes. We (quietly) called them "high-hair days." It was funny, but also telling. He felt everything deeply-our work, our mission, our audience.   We talked often about the "LeapFrog Generation," the children who gained a learning advantage from our work. When I saw Mike not long ago, we talked about them again. They're grown now. He beamed with pride. That generation is his legacy.   Mike was also the first advisor and founding investor in my current company, Leonardo Learning. He saw it as LeapFrog 2.0 and loved that so many of us had come together again with new technology but the same purpose-to help children grow up smarter, stronger, and more confident. He believed in us first, and I'll never forget that.   Mike was brilliant, complex, relentless, and kind. He changed my life. He changed many lives.   Rest well, Mike. You were a visionary who dared to imagine more, and you built something greater than most could ever dare to dream. Your creations inspired a generation to grow up with a lifelong love of learning.     Craig Hendrickson Former SVP Product Marketing - Reading, Toys, Consumer Insights, LeapFrog Current SVP Marketing and Product Development, University Games   Mike Wood was a man on a mission. Everything he did at LeapFrog stemmed from a mission to give his son the tools to learn to read. His journey became a drive like no other, working tirelessly to teach kids in the most innovative and intuitive ways ever seen in the toy category. The Phonics Desk! LeapPad! Leapster! Alphabet Pal! Fridge Phonics! Letter Factory! Millions of kids were impacted by Mike’s mission. Wow.    We were told along the way that green branding would never sell. Boy, was that an outdated notion, as the GREEN MILE and Mike’s mission grew across all major retailers -- thanks to Tom Prichard, Tim Bender and the team.    In every product review with Mike, he willed the experience to be “spectacular” with a constant reminder that “good is the enemy of great.” He would settle for nothing less than GREAT! Mike’s testimony for the LeapFrog brand was embodied in customer letters he read at company meetings that would bring us all to tears. The LeapFrog impact on children’s lives was profound. Thank you, Mike Wood, for inspiring a lifelong love of learning in all of us!     David Perkinson  Former SVP of Global Product Development, LeapFrog  Current SVP of Program Development, Western Governors University   I joined LeapFrog after Mike had departed but felt his presence and impact my very first day and all throughout my tenure. I heard stories from those who worked with Mike highlighting his passion, dedication and commitment to launching the best possible products, and his fearlessness in refining them all the way through their creation. From the quality of the people he hired to the principles he instilled in the organization that guided it through many evolutions, it was clear that Mike was an uncommon leader and inspiration to many.    During John Barbour’s tenure as CEO, Mike was invited to speak at a company meeting and there was genuine excitement amongst the group to have him. His words were, of course, perfectly suited to the occasion; they captured the spirit and purpose of LeapFrog and were galvanizing for everyone. While that was the only time I had the good fortune of being in Mike’s presence, that day has stuck with me as being truly memorable and a real highlight of my time on The Pond.     Matt Brown Former VP Business Dev & VP Internet Division, LeapFrog Current Vice President of Business Development, Kibeam Learning    I'd like to share one story with you. The setting is an ordinary day at LeapFrog.    Mike burst out of his office calling out to everyone that he had something to share. Was this going to be good news? Hard news? What the hell was Mike so eager to tell us?    Mike hurried up to the mezzanine. We came out of our offices, stood up at our desks, gathered where we could.    Mike unfolded a piece of paper and started to read. The grandfather of the letter's author had a terrible stroke. In fact, he lost the ability to speak. Professionals had spent months trying to resuscitate his speech to no avail. In a fit of desperation or inspiration, his daughter handed him her daughter's LeapPad. He liked it. He played with it. And played with it more. And more. And after a while he spoke his first words. Those words were from the first page of our original book. Now, his ability to speak was coming back to life and the prognosis for recovery was excellent. I was in tears. Mike was in tears. We were all in tears.    Mike loved the word "imagine". Imagine a kid could pick up a letter and it would say its name. Imagine a bus with Leap and friends that could teach the alphabet. Imagine how we could make learning math as fun as Bop-It. Imagine a student who is having difficulty learning to read becoming the best reader in their class. Mike had a million of these. But I don't think any of us, especially Mike, ever imagined how far and wide the effect of our commitment to excellence, relentless focus on helping others and love for children and families would spread. Mike was the epicenter of all of that.    I love Mike Wood. He was an incredible friend. A hair-raising boss. And one of the most inspiring people in my life.      Suzanne Barchers EdD Past VP and Editor in Chief, LeapFrog Current Chair, Educational Advisory Board, Lingokids   My time as a colleague of Mike Wood comprises lessons of both writing and love. Before working at LeapFrog, I wrote a 60-word book for the LeapPad. Mike insisted that each subsequent book have the same framework: a story arc, rhythm, rhyme, repetition, and a surprise ending. Once hired as the VP and Editor-in-Chief, I met the man who originally counseled Mike on his original invention: Dr. Robert (Bob) Calfee, who at that time ran Mike's educational advisory board. Many of us recall one key piece of advice from Bob to Mike that other companies have adopted: “Make the vowels red!”   Little did Mike know that he was bringing together two educators who would fall in love and marry. (Ours wasn’t the only love story at LeapFrog!)    Once Mike began his second educational company, SmartyAnts, his search for advice continued through kitchen table conversations. Mike would drive more than an hour each way to discuss his goals, challenges, and visions in his quest to develop new content that would both educate and inspire young learners. I can still hear the quiet rumble of their voices in the kitchen—they were both thoughtful and passionate about ensuring excellence, creativity, and depth of content. Mike’s impact on learners is incalculable and will continue through the ages. And his gifts to me personally and professionally will be echoed by many others who were touched by his humble genius.      Tim Bender Former President, Global Consumer Group, LeapFrog Current Vice President Worldwide Consumer and Business Development, NVIDIA   I'd like to share how Mike operated and some principles that made LeapFrog one of the Toy Industry's top brands in the early 2000s.   The LeapFrog litmus test. A formula for producing a LeapFrog product according to Mike: A teacher looks at a LeapFrog toy and says "this toy has a solid pedagogy for teaching", a child interacts, and says "this is a fun toy" and a parent peeks in on their child playing and sneaks away quietly, satisfied that the child is engaged in healthy playtime.   Retailers saw learning as a niche before LeapFrog and used education within toys as a theme, LeapFrog grew learning into multiple categories beginning with Preschool and expanding into Toddler, Grade school, middle school and college test prep.   LeapFrog was home cooking for children's educational toys. Curriculum developed by the best teachers in America and we employed hundreds of former teachers in our development team. Most people don't know that we designed and developed our own computer chips because the sounds in chips in the late 90s could not produce the quality needed to audibly teach children so we designed our own chips with proprietary sound algorithms Last, most every idea would come from our internal team and friends with Mike leading the development process and counting on everyone to deliver an A+ on every item. Good enough was never enough and while this mandate broke the hearts and sometimes caused tears, the world's toughest grader made everyone better and helped everyone become the best version of themselves.   Mike was the epitome of a player-coach. He sat in a nondescript 10-by-9 office and worked every day getting things done and being the best teacher at LeapFrog. He reviewed scripts, tested products, did packaging reviews, pressure tested production plans, sales forecasts and media campaigns. Despite having no formal experience in his background before LeapFrog, he led the teams to improve upon most everything. A tough task master who never wasted his time dancing around problems. He addressed them immediately and left you to make it happen. LeapFrog was a beehive of creativity and passion and Mike set the standard. Visitors often left our offices amazed at the buzz in the building and potential employees interviewing always wanted the job.   The customers also loved Mike and turned out to be more than buyers. They were cheerleaders, partners who took risks because they believed in Mike and LeapFrog. We would write orders off hand drawn pictures without packaging or prototypes. Only high trust levels and commitment could achieve such a feat.   Bill Berry was the Toys R Us buyer who greenlit the first LeapFrog product, the Phonics Desk and wrote an order for 25,000 if LeapFrog could hit $49 for Christmas 1995. Rich Ryan, Howard Moore, Bob Weinberg of Toys R Us were great at challenging and helping LeapFrog succeed. Paul Dixon at Target and John Gallup at Kmart were instrumental at getting LeapFrog to be a mass market brand. The independent retail and specialty chains played a critical role as well and if not for them the broadening of the brand would never have happened.   QVC represented by T.O. Epps was an emotional breakthrough for LeapFrog and particularly Mike when he received a letter from a mother of six whose youngest child, Pedro suffered self-esteem issues because he could not read and the Phonics Desk changed his life when he discovered how to read through it. Little Pedro's life and his family's happiness was changed forever and the handwritten testimonial would be carried by Mike and read often to motivate him, our team and an audience to the power of reading and helping others.   LeapFrog became the largest segment in Preschool toys in 2004 and according to NPD the third largest toy brand by volume in the USA. The LeapPad was the first TOTY Award winner and was followed by many others for years.   LeapFrog was a family and Mike shared the success with everyone who worked on our team.   Many people in the Toy industry didn't know Mike because he didn't go to parties at Toy Fair, attend TMA or TIA events. He left that up to others in the company.   Mike simply put his time and energy into creating wonderful products that could capture a child's attention and maybe help them become the best version of themselves by learning to read and then reading to learn for life.     Ed Annunziata Former VP of Product Development, SmartyAnts Former Producer, LeapFrog Current President & CEO, PLAYCHEMY     Here Mike is thinking. We were talking about SmartyAnts with a bunch of people. I watched him consider everything we brainstormed. Mike knew how to get the most out of his team in a room.      Helen Fu Thomas Former Senior Business Director, APAC; LeapFrog  Former Founding CEO/General Manager, LeapFrog China Current Co-Founder, AnyQuest   A loving father, visionary leader, and inspirational role model.   I joined LeapFrog Enterprises shortly after its July 25, 2002 IPO on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker LF), stepping into a company that had already captured the imaginations of parents and educators worldwide with its revolutionary Phonics Letters and the LeapPad® system. At the helm was Mike Wood, founder, visionary, and lifelong champion of early literacy, whose passion for helping his son learn to read sparked a movement that would transform educational play.   Mike’s legal background at Cooley Godward taught him how to navigate complex high‑tech financing, but it was his personal quest to help his three‑year‑old master the alphabet that led to the patented Phonics Desk prototype and ultimately to LeapFrog’s first products in 1995. Under his leadership, the company fostered a culture where creativity met rigorous learning science, birthing best‑sellers like the LeapPad® and, later, the Leapster® and Tag™ systems. This “learning through play” ethos became the bedrock of every new product and resonated throughout every team I had the privilege to work with.   David Thomas with Leapster   Spearheading product development with our partners in Japan and working directly under Mike’s creative‑driven leadership during those early years at product line reviews was nothing short of transformative. He encouraged cross‑functional collaboration - marketing teams worked side by side with engineers and child‑development experts - and empowered me to lead initiatives that blended user‑experience research with go‑to‑market strategy. His insistence on grounding decisions in real educational outcomes sharpened my analytical skills. It gave me the confidence to take on progressively larger roles in marketing, product management, and strategy over the past two decades.    Mike Wood instilled passion and expected nothing but spectacular from the LeapFrog team. I vividly remember Mike Wood reading letters from parents at LeapFrog, telling the stories of how we changed so many people's lives. Because of that early impact of his leadership, I created an infomercial featuring parents and grandparents speaking of the AILA Preschool Learning System when I was CEO at DMAI, Inc.      Another personal anecdote demonstrating how Mike always had parents and children at the top of his mind throughout his career is his text messages back in 2013, when I worked with him at SmartyAnts. He asked me to send the video of my son hitting home runs at a Little League all-star tournament because he wanted "to see his mother going crazy with pride." 😭 Mike Wood Text Messages about Helen's Son Hitting Home Runs    Today, as I reflect on over twenty years of career growth - from an international marketing professional to a Founder and CEO in EdTech AI - I am profoundly grateful for the foundation Mike Wood laid. His blend of entrepreneurial grit, educational integrity, and relentless curiosity not only built a global company but also set me - and countless others - on a path of purpose and impact. LeapFrog’s leap into the public markets was just the beginning; Mike’s real legacy is the countless children, including my own David Thomas and Catherine Lily Thomas, who learned to read - and the professionals he inspired to carry forward his mission of joyful learning.   Catherine Lily Thomas with LeapFrog Learning Table  See Helen's LinkedIn post for further reflections.     Jessie Woolley-Wilson Former President, LeapFrog SchoolHouse Current Operating Partner, Owl Ventures Current Senior Advisor, TPG The Rise Fund Current Board Member, Quizlet Current Board Advisor, Class   I met Mike Wood in the early 2000s after selling an EdTech start-up company that I moved to the SF Bay Area to join a few years earlier. What I recall most vividly is Mike’s intensity when he talked about the importance of giving all kids an opportunity to become readers, joyfully. Through tears, he shared an affecting story about his son who was a struggling reader. He worried his son’s entire life trajectory would be thwarted if he didn’t become a reader. This would be a tragedy for his son and a waste for society if we did not find a way to unlock the learning potential of his son as well as every single child.   For years, teachers had been frustrated with this growing problem but had few reliable tools to leverage to help kids like Mike’s son. Beyond 1:1 tutoring, which many students could not access, most educators were left to fend for themselves in classrooms and do the best they could for the kids who languished because they could not hear and understand letters, phonemes and words. I was amazed that this former attorney had sacrificed so much to start this company and while doing so had become such an expert in early reading. Then I learned about the huge investment in time and money Mike spent with university researchers and reading experts to make sure this “toy” was an efficacious reading solution. Equally important, Mike was devoted to engaging young learners so their experience on the LeapPad would be delightful, even if challenging, and brought them joy. I was mid-career in EdTech and had never met a non-educator leader who was so committed to making solutions that actually worked. Mike’s unwavering commitment to delivering high quality products and joyful learning experiences was rare in my experience.    Still, I told Mike I was not sure if I wanted to join LeapFrog SchoolHouse. The schools market was so different than the consumer market and the product would require additional investment for classroom use. Undeterred, Mike asked me to spend 30 minutes in a toy aisle at ToysRus, Walmart, or Kmart (this was way before online retail emerged!). I told him I wasn’t sure why he wanted me to do that since if I joined, I’d be focused on bringing LeapFrog products to schools, not individual homes. My customers would be teachers, principals and administrators, if we successfully scaled and sold district-wide. He pressed me to invest the time visiting a toy aisle and eventually ended up asking me to do it for him, as a favor. How could I say “no”? For those who knew Mike, he was persistent! We all learned to love and cherish his quirkiness, and he often got people to do things we didn’t immediately fully understand the importance of. He was driven by a clear vision and he was willing to spend as long as it took to get what he wanted to make that vision a reality. I asked him what he wanted me to do when I got there. He said just observe for 30 minutes and report back to him what I saw. How odd, I thought. So, rather reluctantly, I went to a local ToysRus to “observe”.    I will not soon forget what I saw in that toy aisle: a small boy, perhaps a kindergartner, sat with his little legs crossed on the floor. He had a LeapPad with a book opened and the attached stylus in his hand. I soon realized that this little boy was Latino and his doting mother was sitting next to him on the floor… listening and observing. This child was reading his book to his mom and explaining the story to her. The character voices seemed to fill him with delight when he pressed on words on the page and they came to life. It was unclear to me if the mother understood English or not. What was clear to me was how proud she was watching her son read and engage with this technology. It was also abundantly clear that this child was enjoying the reading experience on the LeapPad and seemed confident about how it worked, how to make it make sounds and how to share the story he was co-creating with his mom. I was sold.   Mike understood that building confidence was as important as building competence in learning. Further, to cultivate life-long learners, we needed to make learning FUN and EFFECTIVE. We wanted kids to lean into curiosity and challenge and smile while they did. This ethos around “learning can and should be fun” would remain with me for the rest of my career in EdTech and would shape the work we did at DreamBox Learning many years later. I owe Mike Wood for that. Millions of teachers, parents and kids do, too.   When I saw Mike again to report out what I had seen, I could hardly hide my enthusiasm for becoming a part of what he and so many other talented Froggers had built on the consumer side of the business. After hearing my story, Mike revealed that he knew I would join as soon as I saw the power of the product. Mike’s piercing gaze and joy revealed his passion for fixing this reading problem for his son and for millions of kids like him. One thing that impressed me was his unwavering commitment to develop and build a reading solution that WORKED. At the time, EdTech had been riddled with clever technologies that did not work. Skepticism among teachers, tutors and other learning guardians was high and growing. How on earth could we get schools to buy a new platform as well as the content to complement or replace what they were already using? Mike was fearless and determined. No one would or could outwork him on this mission and he was hell-bent on getting this revolutionary technology into the hands of as many deserving kids as he could. His confidence was rooted in the fact that this product worked and it worked for struggling and advanced readers, alike. Mike knew he was onto something significant with the LeapPad that would change the lives of millions of kids and would have generational impact. I had to be a part of that.   I deeply admired Mike’s passion for learning and instilling a love of learning, especially among kids who struggled. He knew that what he set out to achieve as a concerned father would also benefit the least well-served kids in America and the world. I joined LeapFrog SchoolHouse to be a part of something significant and to partner with some of the most creative, courageous and committed professionals I had ever encountered, most of whom were there because they wanted to be on Mike’s team and they wanted to engage in purposeful work that made a difference. My time at LeapFrog would become one of the most rewarding and high-impact chapters of my career. I, like so many others, owe much of my professional impact and trajectory to Mike Wood.   Deeply saddened by his passing, I will continue to search for ways to honor his legacy in learning knowing that I was privileged to know, learn from and be inspired by Mike Wood. May he rest in power and peace.     Madeline Schroeder Former EVP Product Development & Publishing, LeapFrog Currently traveling, mentoring, and volunteering   One belief Mike Wood shared with me that has always stayed close is this: “Give the customer what they expect—and then surprise them with a little more.” That simple idea reflected Mike’s philosophy on learning—it should be meaningful, joyful, and even magical. Mike held an unwavering commitment to quality, not just in the products we built, but in the experiences we created for every child, parent, and teacher. His high standards challenged and inspired us. But more than anything, Mike’s leadership shaped not only the work we did—it shaped who we became. I will deeply miss my mentor and friend.      Jim Marggraff Former Sr VP Worldwide Content, LeapFrog Current CEO, Founder, Kibeam Learning   From his earliest invention—the magnetic phonics desk with its colorful letters and learning cards—to his unyielding commitment to developing hundreds of joyful, effective educational tools, Mike inspired all of us at LeapFrog to pursue what he often called “the art of the possible.”   I first met Mike in 1998 when I showed him a prototype of the LeapPad. True to form, Mike did what every LeapFrog team member—every “Frogger”—came to expect: he challenged the idea, the team, and everyone around him to ensure that the LeapPad would be spectacular.   With Mike’s encouragement and exacting standards, we succeeded—leading to the iconic "green wall" of LeapFrog learning tools at Toys R Us, Walmart, Kmart, and Target.   When Mike joined our Educational Advisory Board meetings, he brought deep respect for world-class educators, paired with an unwavering insistence that every product help children “learn something new every day.”    On a more personal note, Mike and I shared deep conversations about our early childhoods. We wondered whether our  ACES  (a term that did not exist at that time) that we privately shared with one another, through tear-filled stories, impacted our personal commitment to support kids. We discussed the challenge of developing self confidence and self esteem in adverse environments, and breaking the ACES cycle. We never fully answered the question, but bonded in sharing these memories, and took comfort knowing that we had each broken the cycle for ourselves with our own kids.   Mike didn’t just lead LeapFrog. He led a movement. A movement grounded in the belief that every child—anywhere in the world—deserves the chance to learn, to grow, and to find their voice.   Today, his vision and legacy live on in former Froggers who are championing new approaches to literacy and learning—and in the memories of millions of adults whose curiosity and confidence were first sparked, as children, by his work.   Here’s to a brave, generous, and dedicated friend.   Thank you, Mike, for your enduring gifts to our world.     P David Pearson Former Education Advisory Board member, LeapFrog Former Education Advisory Board member, SmartyAnts Current Professor, University of California at Berkeley   I had the privilege of working with Mike Wood in several contexts, each more precious, enlightening, and memorable than its predecessor.    First, as a member of the educational advisory board for LeapFrog, where we helped with the design and evaluation of the content, curriculum design, and technology of LeapFrog projects. It was exciting because we discussed any and everything about learning theory, classroom practice, and toy design–all focused on enhancing students' literacy.    Second, as the Dean of the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley, Mike and I switched roles, where Mike became a member of my GSE advisory board. His contributions to our planning and visioning exercises were, as those of you who know what a creative soul he was, always fresh and focused on real problems of education. And his contributions to our endowment were very special–and unsurprising for those of us who knew about the kindness of his heart.   Third, as a hands-on working partner, along with our dear mutual friend Bob Calfee, in creating and studying the impact of SmartyAnts. For me, this was truly exciting because I entered on the ground floor of the venture soon after I had stepped down from the deanship, and I was able to see the whole learning environment evolve over a 3-year period. Mike was a wizard at integrating our research-based knowledge about young children's literacy development and motivation with solid curriculum design, game theory, and technology design to create a broad-based, balanced approach to learning all aspects of early reading and writing. We visited schools together in several parts of the country to see the program in operation, and we used the feedback from those visits to fine tune a remarkable program.    Fourth, as a friend, after we had both retired. I was privileged to meet him once or twice a year, for a good meal and a bottle of fine wine–sometimes with partners, sometimes just the two of us. We'd talk about progress–and regress–in the field of education, with a clear focus on his first love–early reading and writing development. He was especially fond, in those encounters, of telling me heartwarming tales of the 5- and 6-year old kids from Marin City whom he tutored daily in this period of his life.    Alas, Mike and I lost track of one another over the past 2 or 3 years. Having lost Mike's in person presence, I'm grateful for the memories I can call up to remind of how lucky I was to get to know such a unique human being.  His thinking was as creative...  as his motivation was unrelenting...  as his interactions were exhilarating...  as his smile filled a room with the warmth of human kindness.  We shall not soon see the likes of him,  and we shall not soon forget such a remarkable human being.  

Fontana, CA (April 18, 2025) – “Things are looking up!” Jett, Dizzy and the rest of the Super Wings crew are staying busy in the midst of their exciting 8th season, now playing on YouTube, Amazon Prime and LG TV. With bigger adventures and more challenging deliveries than ever before, Alpha Toys is keeping the fun going with all new offerings from the Super Wings toy line, including new characters for their 5-inch transforming figure line, playsets, and a combination playset and transforming figure, the World Aircraft Robot! Whether you think Golden boy is the G.O.A.T. or Dizzy is dominant, there’s a Super Wings toy out there for any fan.

The MESH-Accredited Toy Company Highlights Urgent Needs—and a Playful, Science-Backed Solution Bernardsville, NJ (April 17, 2025) – This Mental Health Awareness Month, Pause with Panda is bringing attention to the childhood mental health crisis—while delivering real tools to support healing, regulation, and resilience. PAUSE WITH PANDA TEAMS UP WITH SOCAL HONDA AND LOST STUFFY PROJECT FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH IN MAY—The MESH-Accredited Toy Company Highlights Urgent Needs—and a Playful, Science-Backed Solution. More than five years after the pandemic disrupted daily life, the effects are still unfolding. A recent Gallup study found 42% of parents report that their child’s mental health has been negatively affected, with 21% saying the impact still persists.