Teacher Stories
The Story of BrainPOP: A Leader in Building Background Knowledge for All

Have you heard? This year, BrainPOP is celebrating its 25th anniversary! We’re sharing this story, and many others, as part of our celebrations all year. Thank you to the millions of educators who have partnered and grown with us for these past 25 years! Here’s to continued growth, and fostering a love for learning in students together.
Let’s start at the beginning: when was BrainPOP made?
BrainPOP’s story begins in a pediatric immunologist’s office. Our founder Dr. Avraham Kadar noticed a simple yet profound truth: when kids have the knowledge to understand complex topics (especially those related to their own bodies), their fear diminishes and their curiosity grows. Dr. Kadar envisioned a digital resource that could empower any child to become a confident learner. The first collection of BrainPOP movies and website launched in 1999, and the response was remarkable.
What were the first days of BrainPOP like? Read about it in “Reflections from our Day One Employees.”
BrainPOP soon found its niche and advantage–teachers loved our engaging approach to building background knowledge and how well the movies explained hard-to-understand concepts. Through storytelling, animation, and relatable humor, BrainPOP connected with students and made learning more interesting and memorable. From there, our reputation as the most engaging and powerful way to build background knowledge in any subject grew quickly and organically.
A defining mission: empowering kids to understand the world around and within them
The simple truth Dr. Kadar saw in kids reflects a key part of learning: building background knowledge is a very powerful thing. When children have a large foundation of background knowledge to pull from, they can approach learning in any subject with greater confidence and enthusiasm. And how you build background knowledge can make the learning process active, engaging, and accessible for every kind of learner, no matter what level they’re at.
Get more background on the power of background knowledge. Explore insights, tips and more here.
For 25 years, BrainPOP has been a leader in equipping kids with the skills and knowledge to succeed, and it’s backed by that simple truth Dr. Kadar saw from the beginning: kids want to learn. They are eager to understand things, and they love feeling the success of accomplishing something new. Helping kids build background knowledge, encouraging their natural curiosity, and doing it in a relatable, age-appropriate way, will always be something BrainPOP does best.
Our vision: becoming the authority that builds and measures the skills needed to thrive in tomorrow’s world
“I have used BrainPOP for at least 20 years and I am so impressed how far you have come. I was the one who advocated for it years ago when I taught Middle School. We have had system wide accounts for a while. It was helpful then and is still helpful now.” – Nancy W., longtime BrainPOP teacher
Plenty has changed in education over the past 25 years, and we’re always growing to meet the shifting challenges of learning. No matter what products are built or improved upon at BrainPOP, our mission and vision have always remained the same.
Learn more about some of our most recent product enhancements:
New ways to strengthen comprehension and vocabulary across the curriculum
New activities added to BrainPOP (3-8) provide auto-graded and differentiated ways to build vocabulary, increase comprehension, and read texts. From Vocab Builder to Leveled Readings, learn more about these new features here.
Investigate and dig deeper into science phenomena
BrainPOP Science, launched in 2019, continues to evolve. Our latest updates include BrainPOP Assisted Grading™ for CER, making it easier than ever for teachers to deliver consistent and clear feedback to students’ written responses. See what else is new for BrainPOP Science here.
Even more evolution in store
We’re on the cusp of exciting changes, ushering in a new era for BrainPOP! Big things are in store for 2025 – stay tuned…
Thank you, educators! We’d love to hear from you
We couldn’t celebrate a milestone 25th anniversary without thanking the educators who have made BrainPOP an integral part of their classrooms. We look forward to continuing to partner with educators like you to shape our future together.
We’d love to hear about your BrainPOP journey! Share your favorite BrainPOP memories, successes, and how you’ve seen your students grow with us.
Jinn Liu is the Creative Manager of Copy and Content at BrainPOP. She has a Bachelor’s in Communications and currently lives in New York City. She is a creator, writer, and lifelong learner.