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Coleco
Coleco Industries, Inc. was an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as The Connecticut Leather Company. It was a successful toy company in the 1980s, mass-producing versions of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and its video game consoles, the Coleco Telstar dedicated consoles and ColecoVision. While the company ceased operations in 1988 as a result of bankruptcy, the Coleco brand was revived in 2005, and remains active to this day. Overview Coleco Industries, Inc. began in 1932 as The Connecticut Leather Company. The business supplied leather and "shoe findings" (the supplies and paraphernalia of a shoe repair shop) to shoe repairers. In 1938, the company began selling rubber footwear. During World War II demand for the company's supplies increased and by the end of the war, the company was larger and had expanded into new and used shoe machinery, hat cleaning equipment and marble shoeshine stands. By the early 1950s, and thanks to Maurice Greenberg's son, Leonard G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ColecoVision
ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer experience to more powerful arcade video games compared to competitors such as the Atari 2600 and Intellivision. The initial catalog of twelve games on ROM cartridge included the first home version of Nintendo's '' Donkey Kong'' as the pack-in game. Approximately 136 games were published between 1982 and 1984, including Sega's ''Zaxxon'' and some ports of lesser known arcade games that found a larger audience on the console, such as ''Lady Bug'', ''Cosmic Avenger'', and '' Venture''. Coleco released a series of hardware add-ons and special controllers to expand the capabilities of the console. "Expansion Module #1" allows the system to play Atari 2600 cartridges. A later module converts ColecoVision into the Coleco Adam home computer. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coleco ADAM
The Coleco Adam is a home computer and expansion device for the ColecoVision released in 1983 by American toy and video game manufacturer Coleco. It was an attempt to follow on the success of the company's ColecoVision video game console. The Adam was not very successful, partly because of early production problems, and was discontinued in early 1985. History Coleco announced the Adam at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in June 1983, and executives predicted sales of 500,000 by Christmas 1983. From the time of the computer's introduction to the time of its shipment, the price increased, from to . The Adam announcement received favorable press coverage. Competitors such as Commodore and Atari almost immediately announced similar computer/printer bundles. The company engaged in an extensive marketing campaign, with television commercials for "boys age 8 to 16 and their fathers ... the two groups that really fuel computer purchases", and print advertisements in non ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donkey Kong (video Game)
is a 1981 arcade video game developed and published by Nintendo. As Mario, the player runs and jumps on platforms and climbs ladders to ascend a construction site and rescue Pauline from the giant gorilla Donkey Kong. It is the first game in the '' Donkey Kong'' series as well as Mario's first appearance in a video game. ''Donkey Kong'' is the product of Nintendo's efforts to develop a hit to rival ''Pac-Man'' (1980) and break into the North American market. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's president at the time, assigned the project to first-time video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Drawing from a wide range of inspirations including ''Popeye'', ''Beauty and the Beast'', and King Kong, Miyamoto developed the scenario and designed the game alongside chief engineer Gunpei Yokoi. They broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including cutscenes to advance the game's plot and integrating multiple stages into the gameplay. Although Nintendo's America ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coleco Telstar
The Coleco Telstar brand is a series of dedicated first-generation home video game consoles produced, released and marketed by Coleco from 1976 to 1978. Starting with Coleco Telstar ''Pong'' clone based video game console on General Instrument General Instrument (GI) was an American electronics manufacturer based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. They formed in New York City in 1923 as an electronics manufacturer. During the 1950s, ...'s AY-3-8500 chip in 1976, there were 14 consoles released in the Coleco Telstar series. About one million units of the first model called Coleco Telstar were sold. The large product lineup and the impending fading out of the ''Pong'' machines led Coleco to face near-bankruptcy in 1980. Model comparison References External links The ColecoVision, with 1982 TV commercialThe Dot Eaters entryon the history of Telstar and Coleco The COLECO Story by Ralph H. BaerFeature titled "THE MO ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Telstar (game Console)
The Coleco Telstar brand is a series of dedicated first-generation home video game consoles produced, released and marketed by Coleco from 1976 to 1978. Starting with Coleco Telstar ''Pong'' clone based video game console on General Instrument General Instrument (GI) was an American electronics manufacturer based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. They formed in New York City in 1923 as an electronics manufacturer. During the 1950s, ...'s AY-3-8500 chip in 1976, there were 14 consoles released in the Coleco Telstar series. About one million units of the first model called Coleco Telstar were sold. The large product lineup and the impending fading out of the ''Pong'' machines led Coleco to face near-bankruptcy in 1980. Model comparison References External links The ColecoVision, with 1982 TV commercialThe Dot Eaters entryon the history of Telstar and Coleco The COLECO Story by Ralph H. BaerFeature titled "THE MO ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coleco Telstar Series
The Coleco Telstar brand is a series of dedicated first-generation home video game consoles produced, released and marketed by Coleco from 1976 to 1978. Starting with Coleco Telstar ''Pong'' clone based video game console on General Instrument's AY-3-8500 chip in 1976, there were 14 consoles released in the Coleco Telstar series. About one million units of the first model called Coleco Telstar were sold. The large product lineup and the impending fading out of the ''Pong'' machines led Coleco to face near-bankruptcy in 1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 .... Model comparison References External links The ColecoVision, with 1982 TV commercialThe Dot Eaters entryon the history of Telstar and Coleco The COLECO Story by Ralph H. BaerFeature titled "THE MOST ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cabbage Patch Kids
Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of cloth dolls with plastic heads first produced by Coleco Industries in 1982. They were inspired by the Little People soft sculptured dolls sold by Xavier Roberts as collectibles. The brand was renamed 'Cabbage Patch Kids' by Roger L. Schlaifer when he acquired the exclusive worldwide licensing rights in 1982. The doll brand set every toy industry sales record for three years running, and was one of the most popular lines of children’s licensed products in the 1980s and has become one of the longest-running doll franchises in the United States. Additional Cabbage Patch products, included children’s apparel, bedding, infants' wear, record albums and board games. Production history Creation and development According to court records, Roberts, a 21-year-old art student at a missionary school in North Georgia, discovered craft artist Martha Nelson’s Doll Babies. They came with a birth certificate and adoption papers. With the help of artist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coleco Gemini
The Coleco Gemini is an Atari 2600 clone manufactured by Coleco Industries, Inc. in 1983. Technical specifications * Processor: 8-bit 6507 * CPU speed: 1.19 MHz * RAM: 128 bytes * Resolution: 160x200, 128 Colors History In 1982, Coleco released Expansion Module #1 for its ColecoVision video game system. Using off-the-shelf components, the module enabled the ColecoVision to be compatible with Atari 2600 software. Later that year, Atari, Inc. sued Coleco for patent infringement, and the companies wound up settling out of court, with Coleco becoming a licensee of Atari's patents. Gemini vs. 2600 The main difference between the Coleco Gemini and the Atari 2600 is the controller design. The Coleco Gemini controllers (dubbed the 'Dual Command') featured an 8-way joystick and a 270- degree paddle on the same controller (the joystick was at the top of the controller, and the paddle was at the bottom of the controller). To play paddle games on the 2600, a Y-connector could b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arnold Greenberg (Coleco)
Arnold Greenberg is an American businessman (born c. 1934) best known as the CEO of Coleco in the 1970s and 1980s. He began his career in law but joined Coleco, a family toy business, in 1966. He worked aggressively to gain a large share of the video game market while maintaining Coleco's position as a manufacturer of other toys. Greenberg's drive to develop and market the Adam Computer in 1982 and 1983 eventually led the company into bankruptcy. Early life and career Arnold Greenberg was born in the United States to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. His father, Maurice Greenberg, started Coleco. Arnold Greenberg entered law and practiced until 1966. He then joined Coleco, where he quickly came to dominate the company as its driving force and chief of marketing while his brother, Leonard Greenberg, provided engineering and manufacturing know-how. At this time, Coleco's main business was plastic above-ground swimming pools. Greenberg quickly acquired Eagle Toys, a maker of tab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pac-Man
originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The player controls Pac-Man, who must eat all the dots inside an enclosed maze while avoiding four colored ghosts. Eating large flashing dots called "Power Pellets" causes the ghosts to temporarily turn blue, allowing Pac-Man to eat them for bonus points. Game development began in early 1979, directed by Toru Iwatani with a nine-man team. Iwatani wanted to create a game that could appeal to women as well as men, because most video games of the time had themes of war or sports. Although the inspiration for the Pac-Man character was the image of a pizza with a slice removed, Iwatani has said he also rounded out the Japanese character for mouth, kuchi ( ja, 口). The in-game characters were made to be cute and colorful to appeal to younger p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electronic Quarterback
''Electronic Quarterback'' is a handheld electronic game made by Coleco in 1978. It is powered by a 9-volt battery or an AC adaptor, and it differentiated itself from the other similar handheld electronic American football games of the era, notably Mattel Electronics's version, by having two blockers and giving the quarterback the ability to pass. Like many electronic games in the late 1970s, it was also released by Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ... under their own brand and the name ''Electronic Touchdown''. Gameplay The game plays a simplified version of American football with three offensive players and either six or seven computer-controlled defensive players depending on the player-selected difficulty. As implied by the game's name, the focus is on runni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galaxian
is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who dive down towards the player in an attempt to hit them. Designed by company engineer Kazunori Sawano, ''Galaxian'' was Namco's answer to '' Space Invaders'', a similar space shooter released the previous year by rival developer Taito. ''Space Invaders'' was a sensation in Japan, and Namco wanted a game that could compete against it. Sawano strove to make the game simplistic and easy to understand. He was inspired by the cinematic space combat scenes in ''Star Wars'', with enemies originally being in the shape of the film's TIE Fighters. ''Galaxian'' is one of the first video games to feature RGB color graphics and the first ever to use a tile-based hardware system, which was capable of animated multi-color sprites as well as scrolling ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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