E.S.R., Inc. was an American manufacturer of

educational toy Educational toys (sometimes also called "instructive toys") are objects of play, generally designed for children, which are expected to stimulate learning. They are often intended to meet an educational purpose such as helping a child develop ...

s during the 1960s. The company’s founders included William H. Duerig and Irving J. Lieberman, both involved in missile research at

Kearfott Kearfott is a defense equipment manufacturer founded in 1918 in New Jersey, United States. It is based in Woodland Park. Today the electronics division is part of BAE Systems, while the remaining Kearfott Guidance & Navigation division is a subsi ...

Guidance in New Jersey, and C. David Hogan, an engineering student at Stevens Institute of Technology (who happened to be renting a room from Duerig and his wife). Together the three brainstormed Lieberman’s concept for a simple mechanical computer, and showed a prototype at the annual Toy Fair in New York City. With encouragement from toy buyers, the three engineers established E.S.R., Inc. in 1963 to produce and market their new toy, dubbed the

Digi-Comp I The Digi-Comp I was a functioning, mechanical digital computer sold in kit form. It was originally manufactured from polystyrene parts by E.S.R., Inc. starting in 1963 and sold as an educational toy for US$4.99. A successor, the Digi-Comp II, ...

. According to Duerig, the initials "E.S.R." didn’t actually stand for anything. Originally the group had wanted to name their company Electronic Systems Research, but that name was already taken; an attorney suggested using just the initials. (Later product packaging fleshed out the name as “Education Science Research,” but officially the company remained E.S.R., doing business at 34 Label Street in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New Yor ...

.) Digi-Comp I became a best-selling toy, its sales passing 100,000 units within several years.Jones, Stacy V. "Tiny Computer Finds Home In School". ''New York Times''. Sept 24, 1966. Several other products followed, all supplied by outside inventors to be manufactured and marketed by E.S.R. John Godfrey, an engineer at

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

in Schenectady, NY, brought his concepts for both Dr. Nim and

Digi-Comp II The Digi-Comp II was a toy computer invented by John "Jack" Thomas Godfrey (1924–2009) in 1965 and manufactured by E.S.R., Inc. in the late 1960s that used marbles rolling down a ramp to perform basic calculations. A two-level masonite platfo ...

to E.S.R.’s attention.

Joseph Weisbecker Joseph A. Weisbecker (September 4, 1932 – November 15, 1990) was an early microprocessor and microcomputer researcher, as well as a gifted writer and designer of toys and games. He was a recipient of the David Sarnoff award for outstanding tech ...

, from

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westin ...

in Princeton, NJ, who designed games on the side, came up with the idea for

Think-a-Dot The Think-a-Dot was a mathematical toy invented by Joseph Weisbecker and manufactured by E.S.R., Inc. during the 1960s that demonstrated automata theory. It had eight coloured disks on its front, and three holes on its top – left, right, ...

. Both Lieberman and Duerig continued their careers at Kearfott through E.S.R.'s heyday. Dave Hogan, with expertise in plastic injection molding, played a pivotal role on the manufacturing side as the company's general manager. By the early 1970s, with the advent of electronic toys and calculators, E.S.R.'s sales were in steep decline. The company purchased the Long Island-based educational game publisher EduCards, and for several years continued operation under that name, until being bought out in turn in the mid-1970s.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esr Inc. Mechanical puzzles Traditional toys