Maniac Electronic Game, 1979

Description:

Ralph Baer is best known for developing the first video games, but he has accomplished more than that.

In 1975, Baer, an engineer and inventor, started an independent consulting business and began to work in association with Marvin Glass & Associates in Chicago, the toy design firm responsible for some of the most successful American toys of the 20th century. Baer’s job was to develop electronic toys and games. The best-known result of this partnership was Simon.

In light of Simon’s success, Baer was asked by Marvin Glass to create another electronic game that was similar in nature. The result was Maniac, which was released by Ideal Toy Company in 1979. It was a multiple-player, sound-based game that required quick reflexes and the ability to identify and recall tonal sequences (rather than merely repeating them as they had with Simon). In an oral history interview (audio copies available in the National Museum of American History’s Archives Center), Baer admitted that the game was “really hard to play. You have to want to play games to want to play Maniac.” This could be the reason that Maniac never matched the popularity of Simon.

Date Made: 1979

Inventor: Baer, Ralph H.Manufacturer: Ideal Toy Company

Location: Currently not on view

See more items in: Medicine and Science: Computers, Popular Entertainment, Baer, Family & Social Life, Computers & Business Machines

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Related Publication: Baer, Ralph H.. Videogames: In The Beginning

Credit Line: Ralph H. Baer

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 2006.0102.10Catalog Number: 2006.0102.10Accession Number: 2006.0102

Object Name: microprocessor-control game

Physical Description: plastic (overall material)Measurements: overall: 2 1/2 in x 10 1/2 in x 10 1/2 in; 6.35 cm x 26.67 cm x 26.67 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-e7b4-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_1302006

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.