Did Lionel Inspire Other Toys?

Peter,

I knew exactly where you were going with this, before I saw the football pictures.

My brother and I had the electric football game.  We found it frustrating trying to get the little tabs set the right directions under the player so they would go where we wanted.  Invariably the running back would get tackled and a lineman would run without the ball for a touchdown.

We liked the hockey game where you moved the players back and forth with the long sticks on the end of the game.  We played that so much, when it wouldn't work right anymore, our dad told everyone we didn't break it, we wore it out.

Peter,

You mean navigate their way towards falling over or getting stuck?    

Interesting comparison, Peter. Still have my cattle car accessory. Loved it as a kid and still do.

Well there are modern Nascar toys that use bristles, button cells, and a cell phone vibrator motor.

The electric football game was a total fiasco!  My players would move about in little circles, and then fall over.  No matter what I did with the little plastic feet, it made little difference.   I never even completed a play, and a complete game with a touchdown was out of the picture.  

you should have rewound rather than fast forwarded...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07...dies-at-87.html?_r=0

Tudor was making toys with this technology years before Lionel adapted it for their accessories.

cheers...gary

I still have my electric football game.

I loved my electric football game.  When I was growing up in Martinsburg, WV back in the late 50s and early 60s my friends and I would have tournaments to see who was the best at electric football.  It was kind of a precursor to today's Super Bowl.  We spent a lot of time on rainy winter weekends playing electric football.  I will agree that from time to time operation would be a bit finicky but we always stuck it out and had some great games.  From time to time I have thought about the great times we had playing it.  Good memories.  I never thought about the link between Lionel's vibrating motor and electric football but it certainly makes sense.  Just another reason to love the old Lionel Corporation. 

Yeah, that was my experience with these. We would start a game and usually abandon it after about 10 minutes of frustration.

Interestingly, read an article several months back about a nationally run electric football league that meets in hotels in different cities and plays through " a season." These guys were really into it and -- somehow -- managed to enjoy it. Maybe they've improved electric football?

Yes, I was being conservative when I described our use of the football game.  After a couple of attempted plays we quit too.  Tried it 3 or 4 times, then it just sat.

About 10 years ago, I read they had a league in Chicago that played the hockey game I described.  They reinforced the playing surfaces, so they didn't wear out like ours.

A few weeks ago I had a student bring in a small toy bug, with legs like the cattle had. It had a small battery which vibrated on the fingers which made it move. Made me think of the cattle right away.

I don't know, in some ways it is very representative of a real football game, reminds me of the NY Jets in recent years....

Maybe I should have tried my football players in the cattle corrall! I wonder if they would have done any better.....

Peter