Intellivision: Intelligent Television Game, 1981-1985

THF91916 / Intellivision: Intelligent Television Game, 1981-1985
01

Artifact Overview

Mattel released its home video game console, Intellivision, in 1980. With a 16-bit microprocessor, an industry first, Intellivision outshone its competitors with more advanced graphics and a versatile color palette. The Mattel product also introduced downloadable games and, later, synthesized speech. Intellivision was a hit. By 1982 over two million units had been sold.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Electronic game

Date Made

1981-1985

Creators

Creator Notes

Made in Taiwan and Hong Kong for Mattel, Inc. of Hawthorne, California.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

93.226.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Plastic
Metal
Cardboard

Dimensions

Height: 5.25 in
Width: 10.25 in
Length: 17.0 in

Inscriptions

on box: INTELLIVISION / INTELLIGENT TELEVISION on console: MATTEL ELECTRONICS INTELLIVISION INTELLIGENT TELEVISION
02

Related Content

  • 1959 Volkswagen Westfalia Camper
    Set

    Featured on The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation: Season 2

    • 26 Artifacts
    Volkswagen introduced its "box on wheels," the VW Type 2 Bus, in 1949. A few years later, VW contracted with Westfalia and introduced converted campers. First exported to the U.S. in 1956, Westfalia campers provided home-like camping comfort and created a postwar recreational-vehicle lifestyle. This soon-to-be cultural icon transported Americans down highways and byways and into the great outdoors.
  • Atari Pong Game, circa 1976
    Set

    Player Up: Video Game History

    • 10 Artifacts
    Pong, a simple video Ping-Pong game, started in 1972 as an early and incredibly popular arcade game. Manufacturer Atari, under its legendary co-founder Nolan Bushnell, released a home version of the game through Sears in 1975. One of the first successful home video games, Pong paved the way for this new leisure activity for kids and adults.