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1974 Louis Marx & Co. TV Tennis

  Lot # 005-A
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  • Starting Bid: $5.00
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Details
Condition
Very Good see description for issue
Size
Approx. 14"H x 14 3/4" x 16 1/2"
Location
Table #1
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Lot # 005-A
System ID # 5974140
End Date
Start Date
Description

Original 1974 Brown Version Louis Marx & Co. TV Tennis. Batter Operated. This has not been tested and is missing the Battery Compartment Cover. The last photograph shown is from one of the original commercials that ran when this item was released.

The Following is taken from The Strong Museum of Play Website:

T.V. Tennis looked like a small television with oversized knobs on the lower corners. The knobs controlled paddles on either side that bounced a careening ball back and forth over the screen. The ball, powered by 3 “D” batteries and controlled by pulleys and levers, was, in fact, a light bulb attached to the end of a mechanical arm that swung back and forth between the players. One player hit the “ball” and bounced it to the other side; if his opponent missed, he won a point and the scoring dial advanced at the top of the screen. T.V. Tennis was a cleverly-designed piece of hardware but a poor simulacrum of actual video game play. Toy trade catalogs from The Strong’s collections reveal how Marx & Co. rolled out its product. In its 1974 catalog Marx & Co. announced its upcoming “electronic hit and miss game,” a brown version of the game that looks like a prototype. A price list indicates Marx & Co. retailed it for $14.95 each. The next year, Marx launched television ads for the game