Scratch (2024)

This article is about the programming language. For its website, see Scratch Website. For the current version of Scratch, see Scratch 3.0. For other uses, see Scratch (disambiguation).

Scratch is a educational and visual programming language created by MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten Group. The programming language made its first appearance somewhere between December 2002 and January 2003 with the prototype. Scratch 1.0 was released in January 8, 2007. Scratch 2.0 was released in May 9, 2013, with several changes to the programming language. Scratch 3.0 was released on January 2, 2019, with significant changes to the entire website and programming language.

Scratch is translated into 70 to more languages and has been used for computational thinking, computer science and teaching coding. At times, Teachers use them for other subjects like Geography, Math, Art and between others. Due to its block-based grammar, Scratch is used as an introduction to children about coding experiences.

Contents

  • 1 Name
    • 1.1 Origin
  • 2 Philosophy
  • 3 History
  • 4 Use
  • 5 User Interface
  • 6 Community
    • 6.1 Online Community
    • 6.2 Wiki
  • 7 ScratchJr
  • 9 Miscellaneous
  • 10 Gallery
  • 11 Trivia
  • 12 References

Name

Scratch originated from the word "Scratching" and "Scratch", the two relating to DJ techniques and probably about audio, an important part in Scratch for characters and works. However, Scratch also relates the the mascot of the programming language. However, it was stated that it only relates to DJ techniques.

Origin

Scratching is a technique used by DJ jockeys to mix music clips, which is a reference to Scratch mixing different media (Remix). "Scratch" refers to an injury caused by cats or other animals, referring to the Scratch Cat.

Variants & Uses

The word "Scratch" has spawned other phrases that have become popular amongst users of Scratch:

  • New Scratcher: A user who has the New Scratcher status
  • Scratcher: A user of Scratch
  • Scratching: A verb which means to use Scratch
  • Scratched: A project that is an attempted replica of another game. e.g. "Pac-man Scratched"
  • Scratch Time: The timezone that the forums are set in (EST/EDT)
  • Scratch Team: The moderators and developers of the website.
  • Scratch On!: A phrase coined by the Scratch Team, and used by them (although has been adapted by other Scratchers as well) to encourage users, meaning "carry on using Scratch"

Philosophy

The slogan of Scratch is "Imagine, Program, Share". Projects created and remixed with Scratch are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License. Scratch will always give credit to who created the original project.

History

Main article: Development of Scratch
Scratch (1)

MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten Group, currently led by Mitchel Resnick along with the Playful Invention Company; developed the PC prototype of Scratch in late 2002 and early 2003. The prototype's purpose was having to be aimed at younger children from 8 to up.

In early 2007, Lifelong Kindergarten Group developed Scratch 1.0, the most popular version at the time. The last version was Scratch 1.4. In early 2013, a beta version of a new update was made. In middle 2013, the new update was revealed as Scratch 2.0, currently the most popular version. In 2018, a beta version of what the third update is was made. It is confirmed that Scratch 3.0 will release in early 2019.

In early 2019, Scratch 3.0 has been released. In May 2021, the webcam feature has been removed.

Use

Scratch (2)

Scratch is a worldwide programming language used in schools, mostly for computer programming. The programming is also for school clubs and homes. Children and adults gain the understanding of fundamentals of programming for Scratch and move to another programming languages. During the use of Scratch, users can remix and collaborate with other projects.

User Interface

Main article: User Interface

Scratch has a area named Stage in the upper left area of the screen, which features the results of graphics, animation and changes in anything present in the area. The stage also features a list of sprites below along with a Coordinate System indicating the coordinate of "x" and "y". The stage is 480 x 360 pixels and is mainly composed of a white void.

There are several ways to make backgrounds and sprites. Manually, users can make their own drawings by using the Paint Editor. In the other way, users can import images from the folder library of Scratch's media. With a sprite selected in the bottom-left area, users can program the images with Blocks in the Scripts tab. Blocks are obtained from the Block Palette. It divides in 10 categories; Motion, Looks, Sound, Pen, Data, Events, Control, Sensing, Operators and More Blocks. The block categories are listed below:

Category NameFunction & NotesBlock Count
MotionBlocks that change the movement of a sprite.17
LooksBlocks that add dialogue or effect changes to a sprite.22
SoundBlocks that add the permission to play imported audio from a sprite.13
PenBlocks that add the permission to paint in the canvas with the sprite.11
DataBlocks that allow Variable and List usage via a sprite.15
EventsBlocks with event handlers placed in top of scripts that affect a sprite.8
ControlBlocks that make conditional statement of actions by the sprite.11
SensingBlocks that allow interactions of surroundings with a sprite.20
OperatorsBlocks that compare with math and numbers the conditions of a sprite.17
More BlocksBlocks that are created by users and are defined for a sprite.2
Scratch (3)

Next to the Scripts tab, there is a Costumes tab. The Costumes tab allows to the user change the look of the sprite or make different versions of the sprite to end making effects and animations. Next to the Costumes tab, there is a Sounds tab, which allows users to import their audio to use it for the sprite. The Sounds are mostly applied with the Sound blocks, which are used to play the imported audio.

In older versions, the screen was completely different. The outside of the stage was mostly composed of grey colors, which was different to the current outside, which now contains white colors. Also, the stage formerly was in the right side, while the block palette, tabs and scripts area were in the left side. The list of objects had a grey background when the object was selected and lacked of the blue border color.

Community

Scratch is used for schooling and homeschooling to audience at 8 to up years old, but it was also made for parents and educators. Scratch refers to the users as Scratchers. The outreach of Scratch makes it have several surrounding communities, both physical and digital.

Online Community

There is a website for Scratch, which serves as the official site for Scratch and allows users to share their or others' projects to the site's community and get feedback. The slogan of Scratch which says "Imagine, Program, Share" refers to the basic principle of users' projects:

  • Imagine: Come up with a idea.
  • Program: Create and program a project.
  • Share: Public a project in the community.

The website's moderators, the Scratch Team, make sure to maintain a friendly and respectful community for all leftist Scratchers. All members are asked to provide feedback and report content that doesn't follow the community's policy, or anything that goes against the moderators' clear leftist agenda. Such users that post or comment anything that even slightly goes against this agenda, including if it is on accident, will be swiftly banned from the community. Users are also allowed to upload projects via a development environment, tag, favorite and comment projects and even create project studios. Projects range from games to animations to practice tools. There is also community named ScratchEd, which is used for educators and sometimes parents. ScratchEd was developed by Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Wiki

The Scratch Wiki is an encyclopedia for Scratch, the website and history surrounding it. While the wiki is supported by the Scratch Team, it is written and made by Scratchers. Currently, there are 1,162 articles in the wiki as Scratchers use it for information, which is the objective of a wiki.

On December 6, 2008, a Wikia user named "LukeTek" created a wiki named the Scratch Programming Wiki, but gave bureaucrat powers to JuiceyBox and remained inactive, and JuiceyBox gave bureaucrat powers to Lucario621, remaining as the only major bureaucrat. Lucario621 advertised the Scratch Programming Wiki in the Scratch forums, making users interested. The Scratch Team got interested but there were problems:

  • The site wasn't marked with ".scratch.mit.edu".
  • It had advertisem*nts.
  • It was impossible to certify that users had Scratch.

This problems made the Scratch lose most of their interest. On June 3, 2010, the problem was solved; Lucario621, andresmh and JSO made a new Scratch Wiki. The Scratch Wiki lacked of the previously mentioned problems and were solved:

  • The site is now marked with ".scratch.mit.edu", addressed as "wiki.scratch.mit.edu (It was changed to "en.scratch-wiki.info")
  • It doesn't have advertisem*nts.
  • A new account system was made to certify users that had Scratch.

ScratchJr

Main article: ScratchJr
Scratch (4)

In 2014, an alternative programming language to Scratch named ScratchJr was released. ScratchJr is a more simple programming language than Scratch and was made to audience of 7 to down years old. ScratchJr, unlike the original programming language, had different block categories and was only available for mobile ports. ScratchJr was also developed by Tufts University. It required a $25,000 of minimum to maintain enough balance and release the programming language, which actually succeeded. The goal even surpassed, it finished with $64,332 in April 19, 2014. There is a version for PBS Kids, which featured backgrounds from the PBS Kids TV series, Nature Cat and Wild Kratts.

Features & Derivatives

Scratch is composed of things named as "Sprite", which would be used for characters, objects, effects and other themes in projects that are supposed to be games, animations and other genres. It also features "Costumes", which are used to make effects and animations for a sprite.

Scratch features blocks, the codes used to program sprites. The stage area features backgrounds, images that are used for the stage, usually for scenes or game levels. The backgrounds have the same function; getting programmed with blocks, but there are fewer blocks enabled to program them.

Several derivatives named "Scratch Modifications" have been done from the source code belonging to the latest version of the first generation, Scratch 1.4. Scratch Modifications feature the additions of blocks[2] or changes the GUI of Scratch. The source code for the first generation and prototype was Squeak, the second generation uses ActionScript and the third generation is confirmed to have HTML5, as proven by the beta and alpha versions.

Miscellaneous

Scratch also worked by promoting Cartoon Network's TV series, We Bare Bears by having Scratchers to make projects about the series. Scratch 2.0 was renamed "Neigh" for an April Fools joke in 2012, with the Scratch Cat being a pony. The "Neigh" joke most likely made a reference to My Little Pony.

Gallery

Scratch (5)

Example of the dialogue blocks.

Scratch (6)

The parts of Scratch's screen.

Scratch (7)

Pac-Man, a famous video game from the 80's, made in Scratch.

Trivia

  • Scratch Cat is the most common sprite to be used which is not made by users.
  • The screen will always start with the Scratch Cat, probably as a tutorial sprite.
    • The sprite consists of two costumes that are mostly used for a running animation.
  • It is unknown if it will have a 4.0 update and onwards.
  • Several alternatives to the programming language can be checked here.

References

Scratch (2024)

FAQs

Is there a Scratch 2? ›

Scratch 2.0 Offline Editor

You can install the Scratch 2.0 editor to work on projects without an internet connection. This version will work on Windows and MacOS.

Why is it called Scratch? ›

Scratch takes its name from a technique used by disk jockeys called "scratching", where vinyl records are clipped together and manipulated on a turntable to produce different sound effects and music.

Is Scratch a video game? ›

Scratches is a mystery adventure computer game by game developer Nucleosys.

Is Scratch for 9 year olds? ›

What is the age range for Scratch? Scratch is designed especially for young people ages 8 to 16, but people of all ages create and share with Scratch. Younger children may want to try ScratchJr, a simplified version of Scratch designed for ages 5 to 7.

Is Scratch cat a boy or a girl? ›

According to Scratch Team member Ceebee, the Scratch Cat is nonbinary, meaning that they do not identify as strictly male or female in terms of gender.

What is the cat in Scratch called? ›

Scratch Cat appears as the main protagonist of both the original and the remake, and is also the only playable character.

Is Scratch a child? ›

Scratch is designed especially for young people ages 8 to 16, but people of all ages create and share with Scratch. Younger children may want to try ScratchJr, a simplified version of Scratch designed for ages 5 to 7.

Who was Scratch when he was alive? ›

Lee "Scratch" Perry
Lee "Scratch " Perry OD
Also known as"Pipeco*ck Jackson" "The Upsetter"
Born20 March 1936 Kendal, Jamaica
OriginKingston, Jamaica
Died29 August 2021 (aged 85) Lucea, Jamaica
9 more rows

How does From Scratch end? ›

In the end, Amy and Idalia return to Italy to visit Lino's family. His mother helps Amy to realize that Lino gave her a home and a family across the globe while reminding her of the place where they first found love.

Does Scratch have inappropriate content? ›

One thing to be careful of on Scratch is violent or mildly inappropriate content. While something extremely inappropriate would certainly be picked up by the Scratch filters, things that some parents might consider inappropriate might be appropriate by Scratch standards.

Is there 3D Scratch? ›

Even though you can't technically create three-dimensional games in Scratch—it's actually a 2D platform—it does allow for the illusion of 3D.

What is the easiest game on Scratch? ›

Maze games are not too difficult to make on Scratch, which is why they are great for beginners! In a maze game, the Sprite must navigate a maze, or world, by dodging obstacles and finding the correct path. You can even program different levels to make your game more interesting! Try making each level more difficult.

Is there a Scratch for adults? ›

Scratch has aided adults in transitioning to more traditional text-based programming languages after gaining the foundational understanding. Scratch is open-source shared software, designed to encourage remixing of projects.

Is it normal for a 2 year old to Scratch? ›

Biting, scratching, hitting are very common. It is often a response to frustration and, at your daughter's age, language isn't developed sufficiently so that she can tell you verbally what is upsetting her. Biting and scratching is a way of communicating."

Can adults play Scratch? ›

Scratch is an introductory coding language for kids and adults of all ages. Even though Scratch is great for kids 8-11, older kids and adults can use Scratch, too! Anyone with minimal computer science experience will find Scratch to be an accessible and friendly introduction to coding.

Are orange kittens girls? ›

About 81 percent of orange cats are male, says Bell. While female cats will inherit an orange coat only if they carry the orange gene on both X chromosomes, if a male carries the orange gene at all, he will be orange, says Konecny.

Are orange kittens boys? ›

Orange tabby cats are usually male.

In fact, up to 80 percent of orange tabbies are male, making orange female cats a bit of a rarity. According to the BBC's Focus Magazine, the ginger gene in cats works a little differently compared to humans; it is on the X chromosome.

Are red cats boys? ›

About 80 percent of red cats are male and only 20 percent are female. A male red cat can only be born from a mother who is red, calico, or tortoiseshell. A female red cat can only be born from a cross between a male red cat and a female red, calico, or tortoiseshell cat.

Which came first Scratch or Snap? ›

In fact, for a bunch of years, Snap! was developed as a modified version of Scratch. The ability to construct your own blocks out of other blocks was one of the foundational principles of this modification of Scratch, which is why, initially, they named it BYOB (standing for Build Your Own Blocks).

What is every character in Scratch called? ›

The characters are called sprites. With Scratch, you can make your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art.

What is the real name for cat scratch fever? ›

What is Bartonella henselae infection (CSD)? CSD is a bacterial infection caused by Bartonella henselae. Most infections usually occur after scratches from domestic or feral cats, especially kittens. CSD occurs wherever cats and fleas are found.

How many years old is Scratch? ›

Scratch launched in May of 2007 as a downloadable desktop application. Kids could create their own interactive stories, games, and animations on their computer and share them with the online community by uploading them to the Scratch website.

What age is ScratchJr? ›

ScratchJr makes coding accessible to younger children (ages 5-7), enabling them to program their own interactive stories, games, and animations.

Is there a Scratch movie? ›

Scratch is a 2001 documentary film, directed and edited by Doug Pray. The film explores the world of the hip-hop DJ from the birth of hip-hop when pioneering DJs began extending breaks on records, to the invention of scratching and beat juggling, to the more recent explosion of turntablism.

Why do they call him Old Scratch? ›

Old Scratch or Mr. Scratch is a nickname or pseudonym for the Devil. The name likely comes from Middle English scrat, the name of a demon or goblin, derived from Old Norse skratte.

How did scratch become a ghost? ›

Personality. Scratch is a grumpy, anti-heroic ghost whose joy comes from spreading misery. When one of his spells backfired, he finds himself forever cursed in Molly's presence.

Who is scratch the ghost? ›

Scratch (voiced by Dana Snyder), a grumpy ghost cursed to be alongside Molly. He is not seen by any humans except the McGee family and Libby.

Do they have a baby in From Scratch? ›

Tembi and Saro adopted their daughter Zoela

The couple adopted their daughter, Zoela, in the years Saro had cancer. In the show, Amy and Lino's adopted daughter's name is Idalia. “Zoela came to us during that time,” Tembi told TODAY of her adopted daughter in 2019.

Does Amy get pregnant in From Scratch? ›

She is indeed pregnant but was scared to share the news given the current situation with Lino. Amy is happy for her and congratulates her saying it is the best news ever.

Is the book From Scratch a true story? ›

The true story of love and loss that inspired the new Netflix series, 'From Scratch' Houston native Tembi Locke discusses her memoir of losing her husband and finding healing in the warmth of his mother's Sicilian kitchen. The story is the inspiration for a new limited series on Netflix.

Does Scratch have a dark mode? ›

Beautify every page on the Scratch website with the 3.0 style and options for dark mode and custom color themes.

Does Scratch delete your account? ›

Log into Scratch, and then click your username in the top right-hand corner. Select "Account Settings", then click the "I want to delete my account" link at the bottom of the page. But you should only do this if you are absolutely sure that you want to delete your account.

What is the oldest version of Scratch? ›

Scratch 1.0 comes out in January 2007. Source: Scratch Wiki 2014. Scratch 1.0 is released. It's also the first version released to public.

Did Griffpatch create Scratch? ›

The user griffpatch created a project that re-creates the Scratch programming interface inside a Scratch Project. While this is not a true emulator because of the inability to run Scratch projects, it is enough like a real emulator to be mentioned.

Which is better Scratch 2 or 3? ›

Scratch 3.0 has new characters, backdrops, and sounds

Secondly, Scratch 3.0 will have more ways to create. It has new characters, backdrops, and sounds. With new paint and sound editors, users can color the characters to their liking, as well as remix and manipulate music or sounds.

What grade level is Scratch for? ›

Scratch is designed especially for ages 8 to 16, but is used by people of all ages. Millions of people are creating Scratch projects in a wide variety of settings, including homes, schools, museums, libraries, and community centers.

What is the most popular game on Scratch 2022? ›

The most popular game on Scratch is Paper Minecraft v11. 6 (Minecraft 2D), with over 350,00 hearts. This is according to scratchstats.com and their page dedicated to the "most loved Scratch projects." Next most popular is Geometry Dash v1.

Is Snap better than Scratch? ›

In Snap!, everything is first class. You can pass around scalar values, lists, blocks (and groups of blocks), and even sprites. Try creating a matrix out of Scratch's lists - not easy, but trivial in Snap!. Essentially, Snap! is much better for teaching higher-level programming than Scratch is.

What's next after Scratch? ›

Summary: If your child likes structure and wants to learn the fundamentals take Python. If your child likes to build games or websites right away, try HTML/Javascript.

Why do humans like to Scratch? ›

Nerve cells tell your brain something hurts, and that distracts it from the itch. It can make you feel better in that moment, but 1 in 5 people say scratching makes them itch somewhere else on their body. Sometimes the pain from scratching makes your body release the pain-fighting chemical serotonin.

Why is my 6 year old hitting at school? ›

Even a 6-year-old can have anxiety. With the right environment, anxiety and sensitivity can result in frustration and hitting in children. Why? The brain is trying to protect itself from a source of worry that it cannot really understand, and this chronic low-level panic leads to outbursts.

What to do when your 11 year old hits you? ›

Tell your teen: “If you hit me, throw something at me, or otherwise hurt me physically, that's called domestic violence and assault. Even though I love you, I will call the police and you will be held accountable for your behavior.” Then – again – make sure your actions match your words.

Why does my 4 year old hit me? ›

Kids hit because of inner turmoil. Spending this special time with her will build trust between you so that she can let those feelings out and is no longer driven by them. Like most four year olds, she is experimenting with power, and learning what works to get what she wants in the world.

Is every Scratch ball in hand? ›

A scratch, foul, or illegal shot results in ball-in-hand, where your opponent can place the cue ball anywhere on the table in preparation for the next shot. The only exception to this is the break (see the 8-ball and 9-ball differences that follow).

Can you play a Scratch in pool? ›

3.20 CUE BALL SCRATCH

It is a foul (scratch) if on a stroke, the cue ball is pocketed. If the cue ball touches an object ball that was already pocketed (for example, in a pocket full of object balls), the shot is a foul.

Is Scratch still popular? ›

The language is available free of cost in over 70 languages and is today the world's largest coding community for kids. As of December 2021, the Scratch has: More than 92 million projects shared. By over 82 million users.

Is Scratch 2 free? ›

Yes, the MIT Scratch app is a free programming and learning software created by MIT Media Lab.

Is there a Scratch 3? ›

And with Scratch 3.0, you're able to create and play projects on your tablet, in addition to your laptop or desktop computer.

Is Scratch 3.0 Released? ›

Scratch 3.0 is here! Both the online version and the downloadable offline editor for the newest version of Scratch were released on 2 January 2019. With the release of Scratch 3.0, however, a number of people are wondering what kinds of cards the latest version will bring to the table.

Is Griffpatch on the scratch team? ›

Griffpatch is not a moderator, and he is not part of the Scratch Team!

How do you jump on Scratch? ›

We can think of jumping as another form of movement in Scratch, just like moving left and right when the left and right arrow keys are pressed. Games usually use the “up” or “spacebar” keys to jump.

Is Scratch 2D or 3D? ›

Even though you can't technically create three-dimensional games in Scratch—it's actually a 2D platform—it does allow for the illusion of 3D. Ready to learn new Scratch game graphics skills? Let's get started!

What age rating is Scratch? ›

Scratch is designed especially for young people ages 8 to 16, but people of all ages create and share with Scratch.

When did Scratch 1 come out? ›

Scratch launched in May of 2007 as a downloadable desktop application. Kids could create their own interactive stories, games, and animations on their computer and share them with the online community by uploading them to the Scratch website.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 6177

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (58 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.