Disney Closes Parenting Website Babble

Walt Disney Co. shut down its website Babble after more than a decade of serving as a resource for parents. The Burbank entertainment and media giant acquired Babble Media Inc. in 2011 for about $40 million and added more than 200 bloggers of family and parenting issues. Babble Media, in New York, was started in 2006 by co-founders Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman. The pair grew the company into a respected website for a new generation of connected parents. Time magazine named Babble one of the best websites of 2010, and Forbes included it as one of the Top 100 Websites for Women. A message from the Babble editors at the website simply stated that Babble would be saying goodbye and gave no reason for the shutdown. “To all the moms, dads, family, friends, writers and readers who supported us – thank you,” the message read. “We are so grateful for the time spent sharing your stories and your lives, through all the ups and downs of raising tiny humans.”