Robot Sam, The Answer Man from Jacmar (1953)

Company: Jacmar |Release date: 1953 | Where to purchase: eBay

With the release of Robot Sam, The Answer Man in 1953, New York City-based Jacmar Mfg. Co. delivered an all-in-one electronic quiz game.

The game board was comprised of an entirely self-contained electric panel, designed to be played without being removed from the box. The game’s futuristic box art touted the toy’s educational attributes.

The electric panel had 24 stations, 12 for questions and 12 for answers. To start a game, a playing card was placed on the two protruding guides at the top of the panel.

The game’s two metal-tipped wires were then used to test a player’s knowledge. The left selector tip was placed on a question to be played while the right selector tip was positioned on one of the 12 possible answers. Selecting the correct answer caused Robot Sam’s face to light up via the tiny light bulb embedded at the top of the playing area.

Robot Sam, The Answer Man contained six double-sided answer sheets, providing a total of 156 questions and answers. Each side of a card focused on a different category, including Interesting Sights and Places, Means of Travel, History of Aviation, National Costumes, Famous Explorers, Sea Life, and Sports.

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