Toys of Christmas Past - Part 10 - Electric Football

Electric Football - Various Manufactures- 1940's - Present
 

We keep with the Football theme with our next entry of Electric Football. Over the years there were various manufactures, such as Coleco, Tutor, Aurora, Cadaco and others.

 

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Electric football had 2 teams of miniature players. Each player was on a platform. There was a "brush" on the bottom of the base that could be positioned to affect which direction a player would move. If you look closely at the lower picture with the players, you will see a small circular dial on the base. This was to turn the brushes. My set wasn't as fancy, and we had to turn the players upside down and adjust the brushes by hand or with a little pointer that was like a stylus.

 

 

You would set the players up at the line of scrimmage, give one player the ball and turn on the set. It would then vibrate the playing field and emit a distinctive BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ sound. The players would move (sometimes randomly), and when the player with the ball was touched, by an opposing player the down would be over.

You could also pass and kick field goals with a felt football, but it wasn't nearly as exciting or worked as well as is shown in the commercial below.

 

The thing I remembered most about this toy was the fact that it took about 5 minutes between each down to set up the players and change the brushes on the bottom of the players.

The commercial makes it seem like it was non stop fun.  That isn't exactly what I remember.

 

 

I ask you to comment if your electric football game ever really worked well.  Looking back, even though I played this alot, it was kind of lame.