Storybook Weaver Deluxe: More Text-To-Speech Mayhem

An LGR retrospective on the 1994 educational software program from MECC! Weave your own books of stories, fill the pages with sounds and colorful graphics, and read them aloud with a dreadful TTS algorithm.
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● Music credits:
Qualms of Conscience 2, The Ballroom Dance
www.epidemicsound.com

[@BasedCrusades]

Actually, I would rather see more "Giant Space Spider" stories by LGR. Moo-A-HaHa

[@ZilogandMoto]

THIS. You're leaving money on the table, Clint!

[@blondiepianist]

Lol. Love it when text to speech voices botch words.

[@darkinertia2]

Whoa whoa whoa...someone actually registered a game?

[@nytrodioxide]

All of those 1990 DLC mannnn

[@Ale.K7]

I did register Screamer 2 with the local distributor in my country. Never heard back from them.

[@TravisDoomGuide]

🤣🤣🤣

[@tximinoman]

Man, you can't begin to understand the nostalgia burst this video just gave me. I remember getting this being 7 or 8. This is the software which I used to write my first stories. I fucking LOVED this. And I had totally forgotten how much I loved it.

[@tiamarie6719]

Me too. Just the theme song alone brought me back.

[@DasPlayer2]

​The theme hit me hard, I think I was 3 or 4 when I played the hell out of this

[@rad666a]

"May it ride eternal, all shiny and chrome" made me giggle.

[@CanuckGod]

LGR Stories 11/10, would Storybook again.

[@Emppu_T.]

Witness thee

[@4Wilko]

Witnessed.

[@TheLastComa]

MEDIOCRE!

[@hahathatsgreat2]

I witnessed

[@ZorotheGallade]

Fun fact The store names at 4:35 literally translate to "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly"

[@leehaase2588]

I remember having this on my Apple Macintosh IIci. It taught me what the word "dusk" meant because you could choose the time of day for the scene between dawn, day, and dusk. I don't know why but I'll always remember that.

[@KrazyKupo]

The shock! The suspense! I can't wait to see the next episode of "Effin' Space Spiders", only on LGR.

[@Guji198]

I wrote a personal ad for a computer in this program. The text-to-speech was hilarious!!

[@Koutsie]

o wow nice

[@U014B]

But did anyone answer it?

[@Guji198]

no :(

[@EdwardWeissbard]

Haha...nom nom nom...the end!! The text to speech capabilities are amazingly creepy. It gives the story an enjoyably strange quality.

[@EposVox]

"It talks" It's trying to TELL us something but it's hard to SAY

[@aeonicbutterfly9662]

You are seriously hitting all of the edutainment software we had growing up. I forgot about Storybook Weaver til I saw the upload, but then the nostalgia hit me. Ahhh memories. :)

[@benyere]

2:17 "I hope at least one of you finds this information enlightening, because if not I'm just sitting here filming decades-old software alone at midnight and its sad" Always fun to watch

[@AlexTechVideo]

Agreed

[@Dragonfire511]

That Wood word play... it was OAK-ay

[@bredmond812]

nice.

[@AzrialAlaria]

Oh it's you again! ^.=.^

[@Dragonfire511]

ye :D

[@KrazyKupo]

Felt a tad Wooden to me but I won't Willow on it as the rest is Beech-ing good.

[@Chaos89P]

I'm just gonna birch myself right over here and watch the chaos unfold.

[@soli-ethd]

Mew-a-hey-ha!

[@LadyBernkastel92]

>I'm just sitting here filming decades old software alone at midnight and it's sad. But that's what we love you for!

[@CrispyToast]

6:00 I swear, Vinny went back in time to sabotage the damn thing. Now look what happened.

[@aconcerneduser4950]

Crispy Toast I love your videos. Just wanted to say that.

[@troytakesphotos]

FRESH OATS (9:38)

[@moramento22]

*THUD*

[@CrispyToast]

*SNOOOOOOORRRRRRTTT*

[@AgsmaJustAgsma]

[Having a seizure while playing a Roland synthesizer]

[@0002pA]

Clearly LGR is Out Of Touch with modern times. Who would eat fresh oats nowadays? A Maneater and nobody else!

[@MyLittlePwnyta]

*BROTHER, PLEASE. I REQUIRE YOUR OATS.*

[@casey6259]

You should do a video of Kid Pix Studio, that was my childhood

[@ferretyluv]

XxNorthxX OH FUCK YEAH! Kid Pix was my jam!

[@OutOfTheShadows1]

I used to play the shit out of that when i was 5

[@casey6259]

OutOfTheShadows Same, i remember spending hours in elementary school playing it

[@droogette]

Ahhh man I spent hours on this as a young 'un. I also remember me and my friend being yelled at by my mum when she caught us making it swear. That's as rebellious as I got.

[@auntiem0thman]

OH, MY HEART. I looooved Storybook Weaver. Young Me spent way too many hours putting together the perfect scenes.

[@benjamingreenwood7370]

I command you to make a story where the computer just ominously reads "FRESH OATS... FRESH OATS..." while a picture of a black void and unsettling horse inches closer and closer with each page. Kind of like a creepypasta but actually kind of contextually terrifying.

[@user-rn2lj8kz1u]

Thank you, this was my favourite thing to mess around with in the computer lab when I was in elementary school. I wish I had a computer with Windows XP.

[@user-rn2lj8kz1u]

Nevermind, downloading a "legit" copy of VMware right now.

[@Chaos89P]

Virtualbox does just as nicely. You're probably gonna have a time activating XP, though.

[@skeptale]

Man... this game is one of my earliest memories using a PC. I've been writing fiction as long as I can remember, and it's likely largely due to this game. Thanks for the throwback, Clint!

[@AmyraCarter]

'Whine-d', lolz (a lot of artists who create Emergency Alert System mock ups have the same issue with their chosen TTS voice mispronouncing words.) In all due honesty, one could make the same kind of presentation that Storybook Weaver does with a few image tools, Windows Movie Maker, and Balabolka (a TTS reader/recorder tool), all of which are free to grab. Even still, another excellent video on the edutainment topic, and definitely one full of laughs, and great jokes. Woodgrain...WOOOOOOODGRAIN...bass...lolz

[@colinblackmer1109]

Nostalgia overload is real and I'm living it. This was one of my first pc game experiences and I... Uh... I Need a moment.

[@colinblackmer1109]

I used to edit the sprite of the sports car into a space ship... The memories have yet to cease!

[@BATTIS94]

HAHAHAHA That spanish was certainly something. It doesn't even follow the spanish phonetics! Why would you put a spanish story in the presets if you are not gonna build in a proper reader for it?

[@TheRealLumpySpirit]

CONFUNDIEDO COS QUILLAS PIN I ATE A

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

Actually, there is a Spanish setting in Preferences, so when you close the program and open it up, it has a Spanish-speaking voice.

[@gargarfinks]

Sounds like a corrupted Peggy Hill.

[@KendricStern]

Man, I love when you review things I used as a kid. My girlfriend went to the dentist recently and told me they used the NO2, "nostalgia", I didn't correct her.

[@alexprime9055]

I played that game to the absolute death growing up, creating stories every single day. Didn't matter that it was limited, my imagination took hold and I had a blast. And even now, at age 26, I still write every single day; it's my greatest passion! Loved Storybook Weaver, as well as Imagination Express Destination Castle.

[@stephvandykeozzy]

I remember I used to write stories on Storybook Weaver, back when I started writing books when I was eleven. Funny thing is, I haven't been on that game in a long time; I still have a few old stories from it. I'm glad you did a video about it, giving me the nostalgia on my first written stories.

[@donnawinters3587]

Loved playing the Mac version of this game at school in first grade. I remember particularly liking the fact that the backgrounds were customizable halves. Years later I had American Girls Premiere. My sister and I made some pretty weird text-to-speech plays with that one. You could also record your own voices.

[@MsHipple]

We used My Own Stories when I was in elementary school. I remember all the fantasy clip art. In fact, I was so enamored of making beautiful pictures and backgrounds that I never did get around to writing a story like the other kids. I always wondered what program it was and now you've solved the mystery for me!

[@CommodoreFan64]

Damn that text to speech was funny as hell.

[@jamiemarchant]

LOL space spider. Also, reference to the FRESH OATS joke :)

[@Chaos89P]

EFFING space spiders! Get it right!

[@cromorne]

This is great! I remember using a similar program in the early 2000's in school. Had a lot of fun with that program too, whatever it was!

[@katiehamilton7359]

My primary school had a similar program too

[@GlamourCinderella]

Thank you for this video Clint. As a long time viewer, this was my number 1 nostalgic thing for you to analyze.

[@Laurastar2009]

Omg the nostalgia! When the music played I was suddenly 9 years old again, making up silly stories with my brother. We've still got a couple we printed out, and my grandpa used this software to illustrate the stories he made up for us as kids. Thank you for covering it.

[@HeilKromdor]

This is one of the first edutainment games I played on windows as a kid at school! I just used it for making wacky pictures and that was so much fun at the time. Thanks for taking me back in time!

[@minstryl]

Thank you SO much for this video! This brings me back to fond memories of creating a warped version of The Three Little Pigs in my middle school's computer lab. I tried to figure out the name of it since. And wouldn't you know it, a youtube channel that I follow ends up showcasing it. Thanks again!

[@sandbergmachineandtool6226]

I literally watch every video you post since I found your channel over a year ago. I always look forward to the next one

[@OakCityGamers]

With the giant space spider... That story took a serious left turn!!! Your vids are dripping in nostalgia, with a humor not far from tea time. Love it all!!!! Didn’t skip any ads on this video!

[@Pyrometheous]

Literally been waiting all day for your next upload.

[@Alysoncoll]

I wrote a children's book for my college class in 2002 using Storybook Weaver! It was my favorite program.

[@wexoni]

Clint you can make a video aboit a rock. I will look at it regardless. Awesome job. Hi from Berlin Germany

[@for8bitgamers]

The Goodwill rock?

[@Emppu_T.]

How about the usb rock?

[@wexoni]

Any rock is fine.

[@stargamer777]

@for8bitgamers that sounds like a song I WANT TO HEAR THAT clint!!!

[@capuchinosofia4771]

C O S Q U I L L A S

[@ShinyElGhosteo]

Capuchino Sofia M E C C

[@levigr]

"coscuilas"

[@TenneyBox]

I am twenty and we used this software constantly in my elementary school. This was the weirdest flashback, but a pretty great one. Thanks for the great video!

[@Hotrob_J]

I lived with my grandmother when I was a kid in '99. She was a graphic designer, and had just upgraded her computer and set up a little desk for me with her old computer right beside hers. I have a lot of good memories of coming home from school and going to work beside her using this program (I even wore a little tie)... That midi music brought back memories haha

[@EmeraldBlack-up6xi]

You would've been a great writer for Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

[@rommix0]

GENTLEMEN. BEHOLD... CORN!

[@ASGerner]

FOOLS! I'M RICH NOW!

[@viciousservant5151]

God thank you so much for covering this program. I ADORED it back in the day. I still have the way that the text to speech pronounced certain words burned into my brain.

[@stabf2635]

Clint, your voice is so soothing, been a fan for years. I'm so pumped its Edutainment month!

[@tragictrain404]

I would've loved the crap outta this when I was little. I'm actually kinda mad I didn't know about it back then.

[@tomfoolery4598]

That's the best thing i've seen in a while, Thank you Sir.

[@youporkchop]

You kill me. I love your channel. Great stuff.

[@SavestateComic]

I remember playing the demo of this game. It came on a Club Kidsoft CD with our first computer; an AIO Compaq. Actually I still have the computer and the CD. I'll have to try them out at some point.

[@kevnar]

I remember endlessly playing with the 3D Movie Maker (1995) software that came with our computer back in the day. It was a kids' toy, but it had all kinds of 3D animations, and you could record your own dialog with a microphone. We made huge ten-minute long productions that took three days to animate.

[@Audiomancer]

Is it funny that LGR videos are probably the highest video quality content I watch? Really excellent quality:)

[@teaqueque]

My school had this on their computers when I was in grade school. I loved it so much as a kid. Can't believe I forgot about it until now. Great video!

[@zogmorp]

Text to speech stuff was always fun because the voices always sounded sincere and serious no matter what goofy or stupid stuff I would type in. There was some site that let you choose from different voices and then download a mp3 of the text to speech you created. I had so much fun creating skits.

[@kacperw587]

I can't belive someone as great as you can create such quality content, please don't change.

[@mordaciousfilms]

wow, you just sparked some serious memories!!! I'm feeling so nostalgic these days and totally forgot about this one!

[@BabusGameRoom]

This was a big hit of nostalgia. I forgot what it looked like, but instantly remembered every screen. They had this on the computers in my elementary school. Begged my parents to get it for me so I could craft more incredible stories at home! lmao

[@sineadfigiel5946]

I've been trying to remember this game for years!!! Maybe over a decade!!! Played it on my grandpa's computer for hours and hours. Loved it.

[@warrenburger9907]

I've been searching for this program for YEARS. I used to play it all the time in middle school. For some reason, I thought it was called DreamWeaver. I literally asked Roses to cover it like a week ago. Good timing and great video as usual!

[@urbzNspicez]

Beautiful.. spent hours of my time as a kid on this and also Flying Colors 2

[@KieronQuinn]

For the first time ever with an edutainment title on this channel, I HAD THIS Ran on my family's old Windows 98 TIME PC (in the UK), I still have one of the printed "books" from it somewhere

[@The_Letter_W]

your stories had me in tears thank you

[@Mobius89]

Loved it. Finally! :DHuge fan of all of your content!

[@monosaturated]

I LOVED Storybook Weaver! Every computer class, whether in school or summer camp, had a copy. Surprisingly, they were usually on a Mac. Between this, Amazon Trail and Dr. Quandary, my childhood was set.

[@worldcure7883]

Great job as usual LGR! Clint please cover Amazon Trail for the love of all that is antiquated. So. Much. Nostalgia.

[@stranger7968]

IT TALKS!

[@joshuamccutcheonoldchannel4769]

*IT TALKS!*

[@TsukiCondor]

Stranger *I T T A L K S*

[@CultoftheCyberSkull]

Oh man! I spent countless hours in elementary school playing this game (though the original version, not the Deluxe one), usually just plopping down pictures of Robin Hood and Baba Yaga in an endless struggle amid a forest backdrop. Seeing this again was great! Awesome video, as always!

[@benjaminvlz]

I've been following LGR for quite some time, but I'm just now discovering this video. When I was in 3rd grade, we had computer class, and "Storybook Weaver Deluxe" was one of the games we played. The version I remember playing had a different MECC opening at the start, a different background on the title screen, and a completely different menu design that was in 2D. I wonder if the version I played was 1.0 and the one demonstrated here is 1.1. Anyway, I freaking LOVED this game. I never did use any of the story writing or object editing features. I just liked playing around with the different backgrounds, mixing and matching different the different backgrounds and selecting the different objects. I could make some pretty hilarious illustrations. lol Oh, and apparently, you CAN import images. I didn't know about this when I was a kid, as I never delved that far into the game, but Cathode Ray Dude [CRD] did a review on this, and he opened a Story Starter on how to use Storybook Weaver Deluxe, and it explains that if you have a scanner or other digital art, you can paste in images. The images are limited to 256 colors, though.

[@Ephunker89]

I had a blast writing my stories and putting clip art on backgrounds! Loved it

[@rosterdam7198]

Omg, completely forgot about this software until seeing this video. Thanks!

[@TonyGearSolid]

8:35 Ah, the Substitute Spanish Teacher Peggy Hill DLC voice pack.

[@mariecarie1]

Holy crap, I loved this!! First saw it at school and eventual!y got my own copy. I played this for HOURS. Yay memories!

[@MutantAnomaly]

This is truly amazing. I need this game in my life.

[@wesleylantz9491]

This game gives me a weird blend of nostalgia and vague uneasiness. I don’t know why, but this game always gave me the creeps when I played it at my grandma’s house. I think it was the overly cheery MIDI music that then cut to silence when you actually started making a story. Combine that with some of the monster sprites, and 6 year old me had my first encounter with the emotional uncanny valley. I appreciate the tools it offers, but to this day, I can’t hear that theme song without feeling a little twinge of that old fear.

[@Bigolg1975]

Need more of your literary gems spoken by this!!

[@NovemberJoy]

LGR needs an award for his amazing writing skills. I remember something similar to this from my childhood, except it was even more limited.

[@homebody0089]

The music brings me waaaayy back back.

[@PeopleGasm]

I love these software/game reviews!

[@robertpowell7616]

I just acquired a Compaq Armada M700 and am loading Win 98SE back onto it. I've been gathering the early Jumpstart programs on CD-Rom and cannot wait to introduce my kids to them. Thanks for the Goodwill encouragement and all the reminders of what made my childhood fun!

[@sarahfrench113]

I found your channel randomly about 6 months ago and honestly had no real interest in old technology. Since then I've watched all your videos and have a whole new interest. Basically, thank you for making such interesting and informative content! You're awesome!

[@Sosoismyname]

omg used to play this when i was 6, now im 28 time flies really nostalgia

[@benjamingreenwood7370]

Not one "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do" or other such HAL 9000 joke in any of these text-to-speech videos. You have an admirable amount of self-restraint.

[@PercyPumpkinheart]

My elementary school had this installed on its computers. I only ever made one incomplete story on it, but I still remember it to this day. It was called "Brave Lad," and was heavily inspired by Zelda. As primitive as it may have been, the possibilities really fueled my imagination, and got me thinking about making my own stories and games, which is something I do to this day.

[@kathrynradonich3982]

Fantastic video! Kind of want to play with Story Weaver now haha

[@Brhys]

Man takes me back. This was installed on all of my schools computers back in the day. My friends and I spend hours playing around with it.

[@RaccoonHenry]

hilarious! as a native spanish speaker from Mexico (aka Piñataland) I found the creepy robot lady's phrase to be the most perfect and amazing line ever spoken in my colorful language. great job, LGR!!!

[@midgarflowers]

They had this on my school's computers when I was growing up! So many good memories.

[@theshortstack]

I have been wracking my brain trying to remember the name of this. I remember playing the crap out of it in elementary school during comp time. I have other brief flashes of memories about these types of games but its never enough to form a successful search. You keep filling in the gaps of my past, can't wait to see what else you find.

[@Blueoriontiger]

Dangit LGR, I wanted to ready the wood story! Now you know what an upcoming video has to be. :) I do remember this, though. I had it on an old PC years ago. It was quite fun but barely got to use it. >.>;;

[@09klx250t9f]

I love how you review this as if it is current ;) I miss the early 90's and all my old CD-Rom Today demos

[@sovietsanta1]

I Remember playing with this back in the day. Thanks for the throwback

[@AdvancePlays]

Woah, holy crap. I've been looking for the name of this thing for a while, spent countless hours on this. Came straight back to me with that name! Edit: Oh man that opening MIDI!

[@NEScRETRO]

I used to love playing this in elementary school. we used to use it to tell stories and make pictures to go with them. fun stuff!

[@rtlstien]

I didn't even realize I had played this program until I saw all the backgrounds and sprites. I came here out of curiosity and now I'm nostalgic

[@MiloTheMightyDude]

"EFFING SPACE SPIDER, FOOLS! I'M RICH NOW MUAHAHAA!" Art.

[@TempestTemple]

I remember having this as a kid, but I never used it to write stories as intended, instead putting a bunch of characters on the screen and dragging them around like action figures and just playing the story in my head

[@csward53]

I remember playing this in the computer lab in school back in the day writing letters to pen pals lol.