togglethis was a company founded in 1996 by Paul Maya and Marc Singer. It merged the concepts of

MOO A MOO (" MUD, object-oriented") is a text-based online virtual reality system to which multiple users (players) are connected at the same time. The term MOO is used in two distinct, but related, senses. One is to refer to those programs descen ...

MUD A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...

and

Choose Your Own Adventure ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actio ...

to create some of the earliest, consumer-facing graphic avatars on the internet. Their interactive character technology laid the groundwork for later virtual reality companies like ''

There There may refer to: * ''There'' (film), a 2009 Turkish film (Turkish title: ''Orada'') * ''There'' (virtual world) *''there'', a deictic adverb in English *''there'', an English pronoun used in phrases such as ''there is English grammar is the se ...

'' and ''

Second Life ''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fra ...

''. The company was part of the NYC Silicon Alley community, being named one of '@NY's 25' companies in 1997 and 1998. The founders were named one of the Silicon Alley Reporter's 100 Internet Industry Executives in 1997–1999. togglethis was primarily known for its original animated character, Bozlo Beaver. Bozlo was created to showcase togglethis' Interactive Character technology (IC Technology). Bozlo was sent via weekly emails to subscribers' computers. In every episode Bozlo came onto the desktop and insisted that the user was invading HIS desktop. Bozlo devised ways to get you to leave your computer. In one episode Bozlo brought with him angry document files that chased your cursor around the screen. In other episodes, Bozlo brought you a gift that turned out to be a bomb; you and Bozlo played a game of hot potato until one of you exploded. In 1997

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

licensed Bozlo and the IC Technology. Bozlo was distributed at Warner Bros. Online. In addition to Bozlo Beaver, togglethis had promoted film, television and brand advertisers using its IC Technology. Clients included

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

New Line Cinemas New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...

, NBC, BMW, and

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

. The campaign for Austin Powers,

The Spy Who Shagged Me ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' is a 1999 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the second installment in the ''Austin Powers'' film series, after '' International Man of Mystery''. It stars franchise co-producer and wr ...

was seen by over 750,000 people and featured an interactive Austin powers that trained the user on how to be a successful international man of mystery. Many of the togglethis characters were animated by

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

based artist Gwenda Kaczor.Gwenda Kaczor's Homepage
/ref>

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Archived version of togglethis
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Archived version of Bozlo Beaver's website

at Gewnda Kaczor's Homepage Companies based in New York City

See also

References

External links