''Tooth Protectors'' is a video game for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridg ...

video game console. It is an early example of an

advergame An advergame (portmanteau of "advertisement" and "video game") is a form of advertising in video games, in which the video game is developed by or in close collaboration with a corporate entity for purposes of advertising a brand-name product. Whil ...

, released exclusively via

mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing an order by telephone call ...

in 1983 by American company

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its common stock is a c ...

. According to the

AtariAge AtariAge is a website focusing on classic Atari video games. The site features gaming news, historical archives, discussion forums, and an online store. It was founded in 1998. Taking its name from the 1982–84 '' Atari Age'' magazine, the site ...

database, it is now very rare and sought after by collectors.

Release

Released in 1983, ''Tooth Protectors'' is one of the earliest "

advergames An advergame (portmanteau of "advertisement" and "video game") is a form of advertising in video games, in which the video game is developed by or in close collaboration with a corporate entity for purposes of advertising a brand-name product. Whil ...

" or "promogames" – games with overt tie-ins to retail products – and one of several released that year for the Atari 2600 platform (others included

M Network M Network was the brand name used by Mattel, Mattel Electronics in 1982 and 1983, to publish video games for the Atari 2600, IBM PC, and Apple II. History In the early 1980s, Mattel's Intellivision video game console was a direct competitor t ...

's ''

Kool-Aid Man The Kool-Aid Man (sometimes referred to as the Kool-Aid Guy or Captain Kool-Aid or Big Thirst) is the official mascot for Kool-Aid, a brand of flavored drink mix. The character has appeared on television and in print advertising as a fun-loving, ...

'' and Purina's '' Chase the Chuck Wagon''.) Commissioned by Johnson & Johnson and developed by DSD/Camelot, it was the only game released for the Atari 2600 by either company. The game was never given a traditional retail release, but was instead available exclusively to Johnson & Johnson customers who mailed in

proof of purchase Proof of purchase is often required for sales promotions and manufacturer rebates as evidence that the customer purchased the product. When multiple purchases are required to redeem these rewards, it is referred to as a premium incentive or colle ...

stamps to the company. Today it is considered rare and valuable; the game received a rating of 9 ("Extremely Rare") from the

rarity guide.

Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to that of

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...

's '' Kaboom!'', in which the player must prevent objects dropping from the top of the screen from reaching the bottom by positioning their character directly under the falling objects. In ''Tooth Protectors'', the objects are small "snack" squares dropped by the "Snack Attacker", a menacing-looking face that moves horizontally along the top of the screen. The player's character is a small smiling face carrying a strand of

dental floss Dental floss is a cord of thin filaments, typically made of nylon or silk, used in interdental cleaning to remove food and dental plaque from between teeth or places a toothbrush has difficulty reaching or is unable to reach. Its regular use a ...

above its head. The player must prevent the snack squares from reaching the row of white teeth along the bottom of the screen; repeated hits by the snacks cause the teeth to blink and disappear from

tooth decay Tooth decay, also known as caries,The word 'caries' is a mass noun, and is not a plural of 'carie'.'' is the breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria. The resulting cavities may be a number of different colors, from yellow to black ...

. Occasionally the Snack Attacker will dive from the top of the screen in an attempt to grab the player; the player loses a turn if the Snack Attacker succeeds. If teeth begin to decay, the player can press the joystick's fire button to call in the "Tooth Protectors": an orange

toothbrush A toothbrush is a special type of brush used to clean the Human tooth, teeth, gingiva, gums, and tongue. It consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles, atop of which toothpaste can be applied, mounted on a handle (grip), handle which facil ...

, green box of dental floss and purple dental rinse bottle move across the teeth, brushing, flossing and rinsing them. The instruction manual included with the game ends by presenting "The ''Real'' Tooth Protectors": advertisements for Johnson & Johnson-branded toothbrushes, dental floss and dental rinse.

References

{{Atari 2600 1983 video games Action games Advergames Atari 2600 games Atari 2600-only games Johnson & Johnson Media about oral hygiene Single-player video games Video game clones Video games about food and drink Video games developed in the United States