An Electric Football Sell Out

Tudor was riding high into 1978. They completely sold out their Super Bowl line in previous year, and were going to earned their first Sears Excellence Award since 1974.

Part of the reason for that was that Coleco’s attention was now elsewhere in the toy world.

Coleco ad in Playthings

Tudor Games was also celebrating its 50th anniversary of being in business, which Playthings did a feature on the Toy Fair issue. And the Electric Football line had been redesigned slightly…with Tudor even getting back in the Ward Christmas catalog.

The company also had another Sears page full of Tudor items.

Tudor with almost a full page of items in the 1978 Sears Christmas Catalog.

But 1978 was going to be defined by one item. It was a football item, and it was going to end the year as the biggest seller in toy history. That toy was Mattel’s Electronic Football game. This burping and bleating plastic box would change toys forever.

Mattel’s Electronic Football and Auto Race game.

Or at least the next five years.

Earl & Roddy

To learn more about Electric Football, please check out The Unforgettable Buzz, Electric Football Wishbook, and Full Color Electric Football!