Do you remember the heyday of electronic toys?
, by Quentin
If you've been reading our weekly columns for a while now, you'll know just how much we love a healthy dose of nostalgia. Who doesn't love a blast from the past? We are going to take a slight break from pure gaming today to focus on a closely related universe: that of electronic toys. Many companies have tried their luck on this market, and some are sure to sound familiar: Nintendo, Tiger Electronics, Casio or Bandai.
Game & Watch: when Nintendo took the market by storm!
If there's one player in the industry that has left its mark on this field, it's Nintendo. The Japanese company gave it their all, producing 60 games across 10 different products.
There was something for everyone, from single to dual-screen consoles, and even special shapes. The idea was to offer a simple, engaging concept, but there were a lot of technical limitations, so designers didn't have much choice. They either had monochrome screens, or just a few colors.
Gamers who were lucky enough to own one as a child will mainly remember those with Mario or Donkey Kong, but there were some for other characters, such as Octopus, Mickey Mouse or even Snoopy. The list is truly something, so we'll leave it here for you to check it up.
Tiger Electronics, yet another company making an effort in the market
It's not like Nintendo had a free hand in this sector, as there was another company fighting for the consumer's attention: Tiger Electronics. Unable to obtain licenses from the House of Mario, they turned to Sonic, SEGA's mascot.
They adopted a rather different vision in their choice of IPs, going for cult characters from the films of the time, such as Robocop, James Bond, Back to the Future, Independence Day and Jurassic Park.
But that's not all: the company also took an interes in a number of comic books, like Spider-Man, Batman, The Flash and Judge Dredd. While Tiger Electronics faced the same technical limitations, it was on the licensing front that they chose to battle.
Casio also tried its hand at this adventure, although to no success...
If there were a third player to mention, it would perhaps be Casio. This company, too, wanted to test the waters on its own. Unwilling to go for large licenses, they decided to try its hand on original characters.
Sadly, it didn't go too well. There were lots of games such as Lunepark, Circus Jumbo, Hungry Dragon and many others... But does anyone remember them?
##... Just like Lansay
Lansay is a large company specializing in children's toys that also took an interest in the electronic games sector and developed a number of consoles, notably the LCD Pocket Jeu. This one offered a variety of experiences, such as soccer and tennis games, as well as titles like Earthquak, Pooyan and Escape.
However, it was difficult to stand out against the behemoths in the field, and Lansay didn't really leave a mark.
1996: The advent of a new juggernaut... Bandai and the Tamagotchi
If you were born in the 90s, you sure remember this phenomenon, as it conquered school playgrounds for years. The Tamagotchi was a veritable tidal wave, yet it was based on a simple concept.
You had just three buttons to interact with a strange but cute animal. You'd follow it from its egg hatching to death. If you wanted it to live long enough, you had to take care of it by feeding it, cleaning it and playing with it. This little tool was very easy to grasp, and could be carried in a pocket or attached to your jeans. Over the years, plenty of versions were made, and the brand continues still strong today, even if the craze is clearly not the same as it was back then. In over 25 years, more than 83 million units have been sold worldwide.
And what about you? Tell us in the comments if electronic games left an impression on you during your childhood or adolescence. What memories do you have of them and, with which brand did you discover them?