What an exciting time it is to have Tudor Games Electric Football be one of the 12 finalists for the National Toy Hall of Fame. That means right at this very moment the 23 members of the National Selection Committee are analyzing and deciding which toys are worthy to be announced as Official Hall of Fame inductees on Thursday, November 8th, 2018.

As we’ve mentioned previously, this year’s class of nominees is stacked, with Chutes & Ladders, the Magic 8 Ball, Fisher-Price Corn Popper, Masters of the Universe figures, Tickle Me Elmo, Uno, and American Girl among the competitors. And that’s not to overlook pinball, sled, and chalk.

70 Years of Tudor Games Electric Football

Tudor Electric Football, currently celebrating its 70th anniversary, is certainly Hall of Fame worthy. Norman Sas’ 1948 invention is the most iconic and recognizable sports toy ever created. It has a more extensive history than most of the current nominees. And in fact, a more extensive history than most of the current Hall of Fame toys.

To offer a little perspective versus other Hall Of Fame toys…Tudor Electric Football had already been around 10 years by the time Barbie showed up in 1959; 15 years when GI Joe marched onto the scene in 1964; and 20 years by the time the first Hot Wheels blister pack was ever hung on a toy store pegboard.

The “Greatest Games” On Your Living Room Floor

One of things that makes Electric Football unique is that its reputation through the years has been simple and precise – the best Christmas present ever.

The games’ status and popularity was demonstrated in the the Sears’, Ward, and JC Penney Christmas catalogs, where year after year Electric Football was presented as a “Featured Toy,” complete with its own full-color pages. As our 2017 Electric Football Wishbook clearly proved, few toys ever got as much Christmas catalog real estate as Tudor Electric Football did during the “Golden Age” of toys.

A Toy Legacy Unlike Any Other

Electric Football also has a legacy unlike any other in the toy world thanks to Tudor Games’ groundbreaking 1967 licensing agreement with the National Football League. In aligning themselves with “America’s Game,” Tudor created a line of NFL Electric Football games and teams that was so popular that Tudor Games was the NFL Properties’ top money-earner from 1967 to 1977. No other toy can make such a claim.

Of course, these games and teams wouldn’t have been so popular if they didn’t appeal to young boys in ways that went beyond inert plastic and metal pieces. Having two miniature NFL teams lined up on an official NFL game with “N-F-L” in the end zones and an official NFL grandstand…it was unlike anything any kid had seen before. And the wonder and inspiration these games produced was unforgettable. It was your own personal miniature NFL stadium with your own personal NFL teams. And Tudor Games made sure all the details of a real football game were always in place.

The Details Count

Tudor Games’ attention to detail didn’t go unnoticed by the millions of us who played the game. That’s because Tudor gave us credit for knowing the game of football. Even all the way down to what kind of goal posts (yellow single posted, of course) should be on the field. This is an underappreciated part of what made Tudor Electric Football so special. The company sweated the details – and kids knew it.

The results of Tudor’s efforts were magic. Very powerful and intimate magic, producing a feeling that millions and millions of us have never forgotten – and never ever will forget.

Ultimate Legacy

Which leads to probably the greatest thing about Electric Football’s legacy. In 2018, Tudor NFL Electric Football games and teams will be prized Christmas morning gifts a full 70 years after the toy was created.

If that’s not a Hall of Fame worthy legacy, we don’t know what is. Here’s hoping for good news on November 8th. Keep those champagne glasses ready!

 

 

Earl, Roddy, & MK