Oobi
Parker [Brothers] identifies as its "wildest failure" a game called Oobi, which it trotted out in 1971. This was billed as "the new message medium." It consisted of an egg-shaped hollow container on which was printed these words:
"I contain a message to another human being. Please further my journey an inch, a foot or a mile. Add a note, if you wish. Then help me to the next nice person like yourself."
Parker was so high on Oobi that it instituted special security measures to keep competitors from stealing the idea. Development went forward under the code name, "Project O." The game was introduced on the West Coast with an artful television commercial declaring, "Oobi means love."
Sales were weak but Parker didn't believe it. Oobi was moved into the Southeast. Then Parker got the message: The public hated Oobi.
The Dayton Journal Herald - Jan 2, 1974
"I contain a message to another human being. Please further my journey an inch, a foot or a mile. Add a note, if you wish. Then help me to the next nice person like yourself."
Parker was so high on Oobi that it instituted special security measures to keep competitors from stealing the idea. Development went forward under the code name, "Project O." The game was introduced on the West Coast with an artful television commercial declaring, "Oobi means love."
Sales were weak but Parker didn't believe it. Oobi was moved into the Southeast. Then Parker got the message: The public hated Oobi.
The Dayton Journal Herald - Jan 2, 1974
More info: Oobi Land!, wikipedia
Atlanta Constitution - Aug 1, 1971
image source: eBay
Comments
This game is a great description of how the Internet was originally supposed to work (and how e-mail did work on it). Packet switching where the packets were supposed to "find their own way" but report their transit time back. Then, the most efficient route would be used. Before DNS, e-mail was a case of "I don't know how to get this e-mail from machine A to machine B. But, I know how to get to machine C which is well connected. I'll send it there." Then of course, machine C repeats the process. This would go on until some machine knew how to get to machine B, and delivered it there. It worked, too!
Posted by mjbird on 11/02/18 at 07:07 AM
Idea totally stolen by Parker Bros, of course:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small-world_experiment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small-world_experiment
Posted by Paul on 11/02/18 at 11:31 AM
And yet, geaocaching is now popular.
Posted by Richard Bos on 11/03/18 at 06:03 AM
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Category: Toys | 1970s