Gator Golf

Last updated
Gator Golf
Type Miniature golf
Inventor(s)Robert B. Fuhrer
Company
CountryUnited States
Availability1994–present
Materials Plastic

Gator Golf is a children's miniature golfing game. It was released in 1994 by the American game company Milton Bradley. In the game, children take turns putting into the mouth of a motorized plastic alligator figure, which then flings the ball off its tail and spins around, creating a new challenge for the next player. Gator Golf's commercial tag line was "Gator Golf - what could be greater than playing a game of golf with a gator?" It was released again in 2008, then in 2009 under the "Elefun and Friends" banner. It was then re-released in 2019 by Goliath Games. The game was then re-released again in 2020 by Toy City in the UK and its name was "Gator Golfers".

Contents

History

Gator Golf was invented by toymaker Robert B. Fuhrer who had also developed the 1990 game Crocodile Dentist . Fuhrer submitted his idea for Gator Golf (then known as Crocodile Dentist Golf) to Milton Bradley in November 1992. Phil Grant and Mike Meyers of Milton Bradley played a key role in developing the game. Milton Bradley asked him to consider using a different animal in the game, such as a beaver or a dragon, but Fuhrer's original idea remained mostly intact. [1] The game debuted at the 1994 American International Toy Fair, [2] and became one of the most popular children's toys of the 1994 Christmas season. [3] [4] [5]

The game was released again in 2008, without the spins (possibly to keep the game at a lower price than the original) and changing the color from green to orange. However, in 2012, the color was turned back to green (though the design of the gator from the 2008 version remained).

The game was released once again in 2019 by Goliath Games. The gator was given a complete redesign, with birds on its back to keep the score.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vectrex</span> Vector display-based home video game console

The Vectrex is a vector display-based home video game console - the only one ever designed and released for the home market, developed by Smith Engineering. It was first released for the North America market in November 1982 and then Europe and Japan in 1983. Originally manufactured by General Consumer Electronics, it was later licensed to Milton Bradley after they acquired the company. Bandai released the system in Japan.

<i>Twister</i> (game) Game of physical skill

Twister is a game of physical skill produced by Milton Bradley Company and Winning Moves Games USA. It is played on a large plastic mat that is spread on the floor or ground. The mat has four rows of six large colored circles on it with a different color in each row: red, yellow, green and blue. A spinner tells players where they have to place their hand or foot. The game promotes itself as "the game that ties you up in knots".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Bradley Company</span> American board game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860

Milton Bradley Company or simply Milton Bradley (MB) was an American manufacturer established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States. It was acquired by Hasbro in 1984.

<i>Candy Land</i> Board game

Candy Land is a simple racing board game published by Hasbro. The game requires no reading and minimal counting skills, making it suitable for young children. No strategy is involved as players are never required to make choices; only following directions is required. About one million copies per year are sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parker Brothers</span> American toy and game manufacturer

Parker Brothers was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products were Monopoly, Clue, Sorry!, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, Bop It, Scrabble, and Probe. The trade name became defunct with former products being marketed under the "Hasbro Gaming" label with the logo shown on Monopoly games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battleship (game)</span> Strategy type guessing game for two players

Battleship is a strategy type guessing game for two players. It is played on ruled grids on which each player's fleet of warships are marked. The locations of the fleets are concealed from the other player. Players alternate turns calling "shots" at the other player's ships, and the objective of the game is to destroy the opposing player's fleet.

<i>Simon</i> (game) Electronic game of memory skill

Simon is an electronic game of short-term memory skill invented by Ralph H. Baer and Howard J. Morrison, working for toy design firm Marvin Glass and Associates, with software programming by Lenny Cope. The device creates a series of tones and lights and requires a user to repeat the sequence. If the user succeeds, the series becomes progressively longer and more complex. Once the user fails or the time limit runs out, the game is over. The original version was manufactured and distributed by Milton Bradley and later by Hasbro after it took over Milton Bradley. Much of the assembly language code was written by Charles Kapps, who taught computer science at Temple University and also wrote one of the first books on the theory of computer programming. Simon was launched in 1978 at Studio 54 in New York City and was an immediate success, becoming a pop culture symbol of the 1970s and 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hungry Hungry Hippos</span> Childrens tabletop game

Hungry Hungry Hippos is a tabletop game made for 2–4 players, produced by Hasbro, under the brand of its subsidiary, Milton Bradley. The idea for the game was published in 1967 by toy inventor Fred Kroll and it was introduced in 1978. The objective of the game is for each player to collect as many marbles as possible with their "hippo". The game is marketed under the "Elefun and Friends" banner, along with Elefun, Mouse Trap and Gator Golf.

<i>Bop It</i> Handheld audio game

Bop It toys are a line of audio games. By following a series of commands issued through voice recordings produced by a speaker by the toy, which has multiple inputs including pressable buttons, pull handles, twisting cranks, spinnable wheels, flickable switches—the player progresses and the pace of the game increases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Bradley</span> American publisher and game designer

Milton Bradley was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and folded in 1998.

<i>Mall Madness</i> Board game

Mall Madness is a shopping themed board game released by Milton Bradley in 1988.

<i>Crocodile Dentist</i> Childrens game

Crocodile Dentist is a game made for young children, first published by Milton Bradley in 1990. A smaller travel version of the game was released in 1993 and is currently being produced by Winning Moves. The game was conceived by Robert B. Fuhrer, who later created Gator Golf, and many other toys and games.

Don't Wake Daddy is a children's board game originally released by Parker Brothers in North America, and Tomy in Europe. It is intended for two to four players.

<i>Mystery Date</i> (game) 1965 Milton Bradley Board Game

Mystery Date is a board game from the Milton Bradley Company released in 1965, conceived by Marvin Glass and created by Henry Stan. Marketed to girls 6 to 14 years of age, it has been reissued in 1970, 1999, and 2005. It is popularly referenced as a trope in TV and film.

<i>The Game of Life</i> Board game created in 1860

The Game of Life, also known simply as Life, is a board game originally created in 1860 by Milton Bradley as The Checkered Game for Life, the first ever board game for his own company, the Milton Bradley Company. The Game of Life was US's first popular parlour game. The game simulates a person's travels through their life, from early adulthood to retirement, with college if necessary, jobs, marriage, and possible children along the way. Up to six players, depending on the version, can participate in a single game. Variations of the game accommodate up to ten players.

Elefun is a 1993 children's game from Hasbro. Players use a net to catch butterflies from a plastic elephant's 1-metre-long (3.3 ft) trunk, a plastic chute through which the paper butterflies travel, propelled up by a motor in the elephant. The game was republished twice between 2003 and 2009, starting with the marketing under its "Elefun and Friends" name. This consists of Hungry Hungry Hippos, Mouse Trap, Chasing Cheeky, and Gator Golf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pretty Pretty Princess</span>

Pretty Pretty Princess is a 1990 Children's board game made for young children with a fantasy/role-play theme. It is produced by Winning Moves Games USA.

<i>Trump: The Game</i> Board game

Trump: The Game is a board game named after Donald Trump. Milton Bradley Company initially released the game in 1989, but it sold poorly, with only 800,000 copies sold out of an expected two million. Parker Brothers re-released Trump: The Game in 2004 following the success of Trump's reality television series, The Apprentice, from earlier that year. Trump: The Game received poor reviews from critics and the public audience.

References

  1. Drew Fetherston. "Playing With Toys Is Serious Work: Robert B. Fuhrer's life revolves around games". Newsday . December 5, 1994. C03.
  2. Nancy Piccin. "Local companies strut stuff at Toy Fair - Milton Bradley plays up mystery". Sunday Republican . February 20, 1994. D1.
  3. Devita Starr. "Dashing through the aisles - Parents' search for Power Rangers, other desirable toys is almost over". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . December 22, 1994. K5.
  4. "Toy with these ideas". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . November 27, 1994. K1.
  5. Phil Vettel. "Mystery and mania lead off games for kids". Chicago Tribune . November 25, 1994. 4.