Mattel - Baseball Canadian Version

Game:  Baseball
Company:  Mattel
Model No.:  2942
Year:  1978
Power: 1 9-volt battery or AC adapter

Notes:  Probably the most recognizable electronic baseball game ever made, Mattel's Baseball introduced an entire generation of children to portable gaming.  This was a game (along with the Mattel Basketball) that was played for countless hours in my childhood.

The game was sold in two different style boxes - the one pictured below is the larger box with a flap on the left side.  This version of the game was packaged in bubble wrap.

The game itself is no different than the version sold in the U.S. and does not have a different model number.

The box is different than the U.S. version in that the text is bilingual.  The instructions are bilingual as well, however, the format is completely different.  The U.S. versions were sold with a booklet-style instruction manual.  The Canadian version is a long, two-sided sheet that is folded like a map.

Box front

Box back

Bilingual instruction sheet

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Mattel - Baseball (Reconditioned)

Game:  Baseball
Company:  Mattel
Model No.:  1190
Year:  1978
Power: 1 9-volt battery or AC adapter

Notes:  Mattel Baseball is probably the most recognizable electronic baseball game ever made. When these games were introduced in the late 1970s and sold throughout the early 1980s, they were expensive enough that malfunctioning games were returned for repairs.  (The 1980 JCPenny catalog listed the original (not reconditioned) game for $32.88 or about $95.00 in today's money.) After the repairs were made, the reconditioned models were then repackaged and sold again.  

The box and instruction manuals were labeled as a "Reconditioned Game" and the designation was incorporated into the printed box art and manual cover - it was not just a sticker applied to the box.

The game was then sold under a different model number (1190) than the original (2942) as can be seen on the back of the box.  The game itself is not different, however, and can be distinguished only by the presence of a little sticker on the inside of the battery compartment showing that the unit had been repaired.

The game was packaged with bubble wrap but the length of the instruction manual was actually longer than the box, so expect to find the manual folded over the top of the game in the box or folded in half. Accordingly, a manual in the best possible condition will inevitably have some wrinkling where it was bent to fit in the box.

These versions are exceedingly rare and comprise no more than 1 out of 100-250 games found in today's collector marketplace.

Box front - "Reconditioned Game" is printed on the box and is not a sticker

Box back - note Model No. 1190 (the original game is 2942)

Game front - no different than original

Game back - note that instruction sticker is not replaced and shows 2942 model no.

Repair sticker in battery compartment.

Instructions

Sears - Baseball Game Canadian Version

Game:  Baseball Game
Company:  Sears
Model No.:  917931
Year:
Power: 1 9-volt battery

Notes:  This is a very simplistic game.  The lights blink and the play button is pressed to show the outcome.  The player then manually indicates base runners and changes the score, as necessary.  This game is much smaller than it may appear in the photos and is actually smaller than a postcard.

Sears licensed this game from Bandai and the Bandai logo is imprinted on the back of the game.  The company Leisure Dynamics of Canada is also listed on the back of the box.  One can only assume they had some role in getting this game to market but, who knows.

Recognize the batter depicted on the front of the box?  That is clearly Hall of Famer Rod Carew and it does not seem like the artist did much to obscure his identity.  Not surprisingly, there is no mention of Carew having endorsed the game or any indication that Bandai/Sears had a license from the MLB or MLBPA that allowed them to use Carew's likeness.

The game itself is slightly different than the one pictured on the back of the box in that the sticker at the top of the actual game identifies Sears more clearly and the path that leads from the pitcher's mound to home plate is black, not orange, on the actual game.

Bilingual instructions are found on the bottom of the game.

Same game as the U.S. Version.