I was a bit of a gamer outlier during the mid 1980’s and early 90’s. I never seemed to play on the mainstream console or computer system, or at least ones that were mainstream here in the USA. When the Nintendo Entertainment System was the dominant gaming product, I had an Atari 7800 and Sega Master System. As computer gaming transitioned to IBM PC compatibles I stuck with my Atari ST until the bitter end. Game Boy? No way I had an Atari Lynx. This all changed with the release of the Sega...

After a few successful years successfully making mostly inexpensive toys, Axlon did two dramatically different things. First, they entered into a partnership with toy juggernaut Hasbro. Second, despite original statements from Bushnell that he wanted to create a toy company disconnected with video games Axlon essentially became a video game company. This shift isn’t a surprise given Bushnell’s history in the video game industry or that during the mid 1980’s one of his other companies was...

I would like to thank the academy for this honor... Previously we discussed the humble start of electronics company Axlon. Founded originally by Atari alumni in the early 1980’s (you can find part one here), it represents an interesting and lesser known chapter of gaming and Atari history. As Axlon pivoted from a computer peripheral manufacture to electronic toy company, their most successful toys were of a more soft and swishy variety. Mixing electronics with plush animals wasn’t a new...