Kool-Aid Man is an Atari 2600

Atari 2600

The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...

 and Intellivision

Intellivision

The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...

 video game based upon the television commercial character Kool-Aid Man

Kool-Aid Man

Kool-Aid Man is the mascot for Kool-Aid, a popular drink mix. The character has appeared on television and print advertising as a fun-loving gigantic pitcher, filled with red Kool-Aid and marked with a fingerpainted smiley face...

. A second, unique video game cartridge was also made for the Intellivision

Intellivision

The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...

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Overview

Kool-Aid Man is centered around the Kool-Aid Man

Kool-Aid Man

Kool-Aid Man is the mascot for Kool-Aid, a popular drink mix. The character has appeared on television and print advertising as a fun-loving gigantic pitcher, filled with red Kool-Aid and marked with a fingerpainted smiley face...

, the long time television mascot of the popular beverage Kool-Aid

Kool-Aid

Kool-Aid is a brand of flavored drink mix owned by the Kraft Foods Company.-History:Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska, United States. All of his experiments took place in his mother's kitchen. Its predecessor was a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack...

. The target audience of the beverage has always been young people, and as a result the beverage has always made an attempt to keep up with the interests of its target audience. The Kool-Aid Man has appeared in commercials breaking through walls and riding skateboards, always attempting to stay cool in the eyes of children. In the 1980s, video games were the fresh new thing, and in 1983, Kool-Aid Man was released for the Atari 2600. A second, unique version of the game was later released for the Intellvision. The game remains as one of the most obvious product placements in video game history, and in a further attempt at marketing the beverage, the game could be obtained for free by mailing in 125 “proof of purchase points.”

Gameplay

The game is two-dimensional, with very simple graphics. The setting of the game is a simple pool of water, and the object of the game is to quench the “thirsties”. Thirsties are round creatures that try to drink up all of the water in the pool. Hitting a thirsty who is not drinking water causes the player to be bumped back and lose time. However, when a thirsty is drinking from the pool (an action indicated by a straw extending from the thirsty to the pool), he is vulnerable. Hitting him will supposedly use Kool-Aid to quench his thirst, and thus saving the pool. Winning a level usually requires quenching around 30 thirsties, which will take the player to a faster level. The game is lost either by running out of time, or by losing all of the water in the pool. The Kool-Aid Man can obtain power-ups, giving him temporary invincibility.