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Simon (game)
Encyclopedia
Simon is an electronic game
of memory skill invented by Ralph H. Baer
and Howard J. Morrison
, with the software programming being done by Lenny Cope and manufactured and distributed by Milton Bradley
. Simon was launched in 1978 at Studio 54
in New York City
and became an immediate success. It became a pop culture symbol of the 1980s.
and Howard J. Morrison
were first introduced to Atari
’s game Touch Me
at the Music Operators of America (MOA) trade show in 1976. Baer said of the product, “Nice gameplay. Terrible execution. Visually boring. Miserable, rasping sounds.” The original prototype, built by Baer, included the Texas Instruments
TMS 1000 microprocessor
chip, which was low-cost and used by many games of the 1970s. Lenny Cope, who was one of Ralph H. Baer’s partners, worked on the programming code for the core of the game, titled Follow Me at the time. Baer developed the tones of the game, inspired by the notes of a bugle
. It was when they pitched the demo, an 8-inch-by-8-inch console, to the Milton Bradley Company
that the name of the game was changed to Simon.
Simon is named for the simple children's game of Simon says
, but the gameplay is based on Atari
's unpopular Touch Me arcade game
from 1974. Simon differs from Touch Me in that the Touch Me buttons were all the same color (black) and the sounds it produced were harsh and grating.
Simon's tones, on the other hand, were designed to always be harmonic, no matter what order they were played in, and consisted of:
Simon was later re-released by Milton Bradley (now owned by Hasbro
), in its original circular form, though with a translucent case rather than plain black. It was also sold as a two-sided "Simon Squared" version, with the reverse side having eight buttons for head-to-head play, and as keychain (officially licensed by Fun4All) with simplified gameplay (only having Game 1, Difficulty 4 available). Other variations of the original game, no longer produced, include Pocket Simon and the eight-button Super Simon, both from 1980. Finally, Nelsonic released an official wristwatch version of Simon.
Later versions of the game being sold include a pocket version of the original game in a smaller, yellow, oval-shaped case; Simon Trickster, which plays the original game as well as variations where the colors shift around from button to button (SIMON Bounce), where the buttons have no colors at all (Simon Surprise), or where the player must repeat the sequence backwards (Simon Rewind); and a pocket version of Simon Trickster.
Most notably, Atari released a handheld version of Touch Me
later in 1978, with multicolored buttons and pleasant musical tones. Despite being named for their older arcade game, the handheld Touch Me contained Simon's three game variations and four difficulty levels, albeit with limits of 8, 16, 32, and 99 instead of 8, 14, 20 and 31. Even its button layout mirrored Simon's, with blue in the upper-left, yellow in the upper-right, red in the lower-left, and green in the lower-right, the same layout as Simon turned upside-down. Its only truly unique features were a LED score display, similar to the one its arcade counterpart had, and its small size, similar to a pocket calculator. For those reasons as well as its late timing, the handheld version of Touch Me was generally derided as a clone of Simon.
Other clones include:
The same gameplay also appears on multi-game handhelds such as:
Yet others can have sound on/off setting, making the game harder by relying just on visual cues.
Electronic game
An electronic game is a game that employs electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. The most common form of electronic game today is the video game, and for this reason the terms are often mistakenly used synonymously. Other common forms of electronic game include...
of memory skill invented by Ralph H. Baer
Ralph H. Baer
Ralph H. Baer is a German-born American video game pioneer, inventor, engineer, known as "The Father of Video Games", who is noted for his many contributions to games and the video game industry...
and Howard J. Morrison
Howard J. Morrison
Howard J. Morrison is noted for his numerous contributions to the toy industry. Most notably is his work with Ralph H. Baer designing the game Simon while working for the legendary Marvin Glass at Marvin Glass and Associates....
, with the software programming being done by Lenny Cope and manufactured and distributed by Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
. Simon was launched in 1978 at Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and became an immediate success. It became a pop culture symbol of the 1980s.
History
Ralph H. BaerRalph H. Baer
Ralph H. Baer is a German-born American video game pioneer, inventor, engineer, known as "The Father of Video Games", who is noted for his many contributions to games and the video game industry...
and Howard J. Morrison
Howard J. Morrison
Howard J. Morrison is noted for his numerous contributions to the toy industry. Most notably is his work with Ralph H. Baer designing the game Simon while working for the legendary Marvin Glass at Marvin Glass and Associates....
were first introduced to Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
’s game Touch Me
Touch Me (arcade game)
Touch Me is an arcade game first released by Atari Inc. in 1974, and later as a handheld game in 1978. It can be described as a Simon-like game that involves touching a series of buttons that light up and produce sounds. The player must observe a sequence of blinking lights and repeat the...
at the Music Operators of America (MOA) trade show in 1976. Baer said of the product, “Nice gameplay. Terrible execution. Visually boring. Miserable, rasping sounds.” The original prototype, built by Baer, included the Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
TMS 1000 microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
chip, which was low-cost and used by many games of the 1970s. Lenny Cope, who was one of Ralph H. Baer’s partners, worked on the programming code for the core of the game, titled Follow Me at the time. Baer developed the tones of the game, inspired by the notes of a bugle
Bugle
Bugle is a brass musical instrument.Bugle may also refer to:* Contrabass bugle, lowest-pitched instrument in the drum and bugle corps hornline* Bugle , common names of flowering plant genus Ajuga...
. It was when they pitched the demo, an 8-inch-by-8-inch console, to the Milton Bradley Company
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
that the name of the game was changed to Simon.
Gameplay
The device has four colored buttons, each producing a particular tone when it is pressed or activated by the device. A round in the game consists of the device lighting up one or more buttons in a random order, after which the player must reproduce that order by pressing the buttons. As the game progresses, the number of buttons to be pressed increases. The US patent for this game, Pat No. 4,207,087 was obtained in 1980 by patent counsel for Marvin Glass and Associates, Robert J. Schneider, a managing partner with the firm of Mason, Kolehmainen, Rathburn and Wyss. Mr. Schneider also procured US Design Pat. No 253,786 for the game housing which was invented by Douglas Montague, a designer at Marvin Glass and Associates.Simon is named for the simple children's game of Simon says
Simon says
Simon says is a children's game for three or more players where one player takes the role of 'Simon' and issues instructions, to the other players, which should only be followed if prefaced with the phrase 'Simon says', for example 'Simon says jump in the air'...
, but the gameplay is based on Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
's unpopular Touch Me arcade game
Touch Me (arcade game)
Touch Me is an arcade game first released by Atari Inc. in 1974, and later as a handheld game in 1978. It can be described as a Simon-like game that involves touching a series of buttons that light up and produce sounds. The player must observe a sequence of blinking lights and repeat the...
from 1974. Simon differs from Touch Me in that the Touch Me buttons were all the same color (black) and the sounds it produced were harsh and grating.
Simon's tones, on the other hand, were designed to always be harmonic, no matter what order they were played in, and consisted of:
- A-noteA (musical note)La or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of...
(red, upper right); - A-noteA (musical note)La or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of...
(green, upper left, an octaveOctaveIn music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
higher than the upper right); - D-noteD (musical note)D is a musical note a whole tone above C, and is known as Re within the solfege system.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of middle D is approximately 293.665 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in...
(blue, lower right, a perfect fourthPerfect fourthIn classical music from Western culture, a fourth is a musical interval encompassing four staff positions , and the perfect fourth is a fourth spanning five semitones. For example, the ascending interval from C to the next F is a perfect fourth, as the note F lies five semitones above C, and there...
higher than the upper right); - G-noteG (musical note)Sol, So, or G is the fifth note of the solfège starting on C. As such it is the dominant, a perfect fifth above C.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle G note is approximately 391.995 Hz...
(yellow, lower left, a perfect fourth higher than the lower right).
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
), in its original circular form, though with a translucent case rather than plain black. It was also sold as a two-sided "Simon Squared" version, with the reverse side having eight buttons for head-to-head play, and as keychain (officially licensed by Fun4All) with simplified gameplay (only having Game 1, Difficulty 4 available). Other variations of the original game, no longer produced, include Pocket Simon and the eight-button Super Simon, both from 1980. Finally, Nelsonic released an official wristwatch version of Simon.
Later versions of the game being sold include a pocket version of the original game in a smaller, yellow, oval-shaped case; Simon Trickster, which plays the original game as well as variations where the colors shift around from button to button (SIMON Bounce), where the buttons have no colors at all (Simon Surprise), or where the player must repeat the sequence backwards (Simon Rewind); and a pocket version of Simon Trickster.
Clones
As a popular game, it inspired many imitators and knockoffs of the basic concept hoping to cash in on the Simon craze.Most notably, Atari released a handheld version of Touch Me
Touch Me (arcade game)
Touch Me is an arcade game first released by Atari Inc. in 1974, and later as a handheld game in 1978. It can be described as a Simon-like game that involves touching a series of buttons that light up and produce sounds. The player must observe a sequence of blinking lights and repeat the...
later in 1978, with multicolored buttons and pleasant musical tones. Despite being named for their older arcade game, the handheld Touch Me contained Simon's three game variations and four difficulty levels, albeit with limits of 8, 16, 32, and 99 instead of 8, 14, 20 and 31. Even its button layout mirrored Simon's, with blue in the upper-left, yellow in the upper-right, red in the lower-left, and green in the lower-right, the same layout as Simon turned upside-down. Its only truly unique features were a LED score display, similar to the one its arcade counterpart had, and its small size, similar to a pocket calculator. For those reasons as well as its late timing, the handheld version of Touch Me was generally derided as a clone of Simon.
Other clones include:
- Tiger ElectronicsTiger ElectronicsTiger Electronics is an American toy manufacturer, best known for its handheld LCD games, the Furby, and Giga Pets. When Tiger was an independent company, Tiger Electronics Inc., its headquarters were in Vernon Hills, Illinois....
' Copy Cat in 1979, and re-released with a transparent case in 1988- Also released as Copy Cat Jr. in 1981
- Copy Cat was re-packaged and released by SearsSears, Roebuck and CompanySears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
as Follow Me - Copy Cat Jr. was similarly released by Radio ShackRadio shackRadio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...
as Pocket Repeat - Castle Toy's Einstein* in 1979
- Space Echo by an unknown company.
- Makezine has a version you can make yourself called gamekit that requires you solder it together.
- The "Game A" mode of the second game in the Game & WatchGame & Watchis a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock and an alarm ....
handheld series, Flagman (Silver, 5th Jun 1980). "Game B" is the same, but doesn't play in a sequence, while the player has a limited time to press the corresponding number lit up. - A Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
version featuring R2D2 sounds (Tiger ElectronicsTiger ElectronicsTiger Electronics is an American toy manufacturer, best known for its handheld LCD games, the Furby, and Giga Pets. When Tiger was an independent company, Tiger Electronics Inc., its headquarters were in Vernon Hills, Illinois....
, 1997).
- Vtech Wizard
The same gameplay also appears on multi-game handhelds such as:
- Mego CorporationMego CorporationThe Mego Corporation was a toy company that dominated the action figure toy market during most of the 1970s. The Mego Corporation was founded in the early 1950s by David Abrams and was mostly known prior to 1971 as a producer of dime store toys.-Golden age:...
's Fabulous Fred (Game 3, The Memory Game) - Parker BrothersParker BrothersParker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
' MerlinMerlin (game)----Merlin was a handheld electronic game first made by Parker Brothers in 1978. Merlin is notable as one of the earliest and most popular handheld games, selling over 5 million units during its initial run, as well as one of the most long-lived, remaining popular throughout the 1980s...
(Game 3, Echo). - Atari also included a nine-button version of Touch Me as game variations 1-4 (out of 19) on the 1978 Brain Games cartridge for the Atari 2600Atari 2600The 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...
.
Audio
- Sound
- Some versions have tones that play as long as you push the button down. Others have a constant time of the sound.
- Some versions feature audio themes: animals (cat/dog/pig/cow), xylophone, football, galaxy (space sounds), some of which (animals, football) make the game easier to play.
Yet others can have sound on/off setting, making the game harder by relying just on visual cues.
Cultural references
- In the 2009 film Accidents HappenAccidents HappenAccidents Happen is a 2010 Australian coming of age comedy drama film directed by Andrew Lancaster and starring Geena Davis, Harrison Gilbertson, Sebastian Gregory, Harry Cook, Joel Tobeck and Sarah Woods. Written by Brian Carbee, based on his own childhood and adolescence, the story revolves...
, Doug Post is playing Simon while lying in bed in his room, just before Billy Conway enters and talks him into sneaking out to visit Billy's brother Gene at the care center. - Simon appeared on It's Always Sunny In PhiladelphiaIt's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaIt's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
in the episode "A Very Sunny Christmas", during which Mac finds the game in his closet and Charlie finds the game extremely difficult. - Simon was recently on an episode of Little Miss Gamer as her portable gaming system. It caused her to meet Tom GreenTom GreenMichael Thomas "Tom" Green is a Canadian actor, rapper, writer, comedian, talk show host and media personality. Best known for his shock humour brand of comedy, Green found mainstream prominence via his MTV television show The Tom Green Show...
and Blackwolf the Dragon Master. - Simon appears in American Dad episode The One That Got AwayThe One That Got Away (American Dad!)"The One That Got Away" is the second episode of the fourth season of the animated television series American Dad! It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 5, 2008. In the episode, Roger's credit card is maxed out and he is certain it is identity theft. He vows revenge and...
with the family discovering the game and becoming addicted, not moving for days. - Simon appears in the film CWACOMCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (film)Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a 2009 American computer-animated family comedy film, produced by Sony Pictures Animation, distributed by Columbia Pictures, and released on September 18, 2009. The film is loosely based on the children's book of the same name by Judi and Ron Barrett.The film...
(2009). The main character is named Flint, and he is an inventor. There is a Simon to the right of his laboratory door, and he has to click the correct sequence to get into his lab. - Simon appears in the Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode Perfect Castaway. Stewie plays Simon and loses. - In a skit in Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, Dick Cheney's heart is replaced with a Simon as a parody of Iron Man. - In an episode of Dexter's LaboratoryDexter's LaboratoryDexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
, a Simon game (labeled as "Simon Says") is used to gain entry to the laboratory. - There is Simon game signed by Baer on permanent display at the American Computer Museum in Bozeman, Montana.
- In the MMORPG World of WarcraftWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, a pair of quests in Blade's Edge Mountains require you to play a lifesize version of the game through six and eight sequences, respectively. Wrong answers are shockingly painful. - SIMON appears in Channel 4's recent 100 Top Toys and is at number 72 on the countdown.
- SIMON noises were used in the "Star Pink" episode of the pink panther cartoons as the sound of a robot.
External links
- Hasbro Official site, current line of Simon games