In the ‘80s, if you wanted to test your memory, but in a fun way, you might have busted out the kinda bulky (but worth it) electronic game that was Simon. The circular Simon would beep and boop its way through four color buttons, and you would follow along after, pressing each colored button in the specific order it had just beeped and booped. The farther along you got, the tougher it would get, with longer and longer sequences of colors, until you eventually messed up the sequence. Simon may seem old hat these days, but when it first came out in 1978, it was pretty innovative. So how did it come to be? Read on!
The inventor of Simon, Ralph Baer, was the first person to ever receive a video game patent in 1971 for designing the Magnavox Odyssey, the first commercial home video game console. Interestingly, it was a video game that actually inspired the idea for Simon as well, though it wasn’t a game that Baer invented. Baer was drawn to the Atari arcade game Touch Me, where players had to repeat a musical sequence. But, he felt the execution was lacking, particularly the unpleasant sounds that the game used. So, he got to work with some colleagues on a better, handheld version of the game. It took about two years of development — the initial versions of Simon were called Follow Me and featured four similar buttons. The four tones that were selected to represent each button were crucial, so Baer turned to the bugle, which can only play four notes.
With the tones and buttons in place, next it was time to finalize the name. The creators decided to ultimately go with Simon as a take on the children’s game “Simon Says.” Soon enough, Milton Bradley had licensed Simon and set up a splashy debut in May 1978 at the Studio 54 nightclub in New York City. Yes, a game debuted at a nightclub! What a time. Simon quickly started to make an impression on adults and children alike, and was a hot holiday seller, with people lining up to try to get their hands on the hot new electronic handheld game.
Many others tried to cash in on the Simon phenomenon, creating their own knock offs of the handheld game. A device called Einstein was very similar, only it was rectangular instead of circular. And Atari released a handheld version of their game Touch Me that originally inspired Simon. Most of these games tried to play it like they were innovative, but Tiger Electronics had a sense of humor in the version they created, calling it Copycat. Still, none of these made the same impression as Simon, which Baer has speculated is mainly due to Simon’s charming four bugle notes being much more pleasant than any of its competitors’ chosen sounds.
Like any good toy with lasting power, Simon has had quite a few of its own spin-offs over the years as well. In 1979, Milton Bradley released the Super Simon, which had four buttons on each side of a rectangular device that pitted players against one another in a timed contest. Pocket Simon is a smaller, portable version of the game. Two of the more recent versions include the Simon Air, which uses motion sensors, and Simon Optix, which allows you to play the game as a wearable headset where you wave your hands around. To be honest, it looks pretty dorky, but at least they’re trying new things!
Simon has definitely made a lasting impression through the generations, appearing in all sorts of movies and television shows, from back in the ‘80s with The Tommyknockers, to the more recent HBO series Silicon Valley. Though it may seem basic to today’s kids, we’d wager they’d still have fun if they gave it a try. But what about you? Were/are you a Simon fan? Let us know in the comments, but first, check out some awesome commercials from the ‘80s and ‘90s for Simon to really get you in that nostalgic spirit:
- During its first holiday season, one store sold through 1000 Simons in just five days. Milton Bradley decided to put Simon on allocation — stores received only a portion of their orders until they could ramp up production to meet demand. For even more hot holiday toys, check out our article: The Most Popular Christmas Toys From 1980-2000.
- The original Simon sold for $25 in 1978, which would be about $104 in 2021 dollars. What if you wanted to buy a new Simon in 2021? That’ll be about $20.
- The 1978 Simon needed two D batteries to run and had multiple play modes. Today’s version requires three AAA batteries and has just one mode.
- Some people think that Queen gave a nod to Simon with the layout and coloring of the cover for their 1982 album Hot Space. Is it true or just a coincidence?
- By the end of 1982, more than 10 million copies of Simon had been sold.
- During its first holiday season, one store sold through 1000 Simons in just five days. Milton Bradley decided to put Simon on allocation — stores received only a portion of their orders until they could ramp up production to meet demand. For even more hot holiday toys, check out our article: The Most Popular Christmas Toys From 1980-2000.
- The original Simon sold for $25 in 1978, which would be about $104 in 2021 dollars. What if you wanted to buy a new Simon in 2021? That’ll be about $20.
- The 1978 Simon needed two D batteries to run and had multiple play modes. Today’s version requires three AAA batteries and has just one mode.
- Some people think that Queen gave a nod to Simon with the layout and coloring of the cover for their 1982 album Hot Space. Is it true or just a coincidence?
- By the end of 1982, more than 10 million copies of Simon had been sold.
