Lazer Tag facts for kids
Original 1986 logo
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| Type | Game |
|---|---|
| Inventor(s) | Worlds of Wonder |
| Company |
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| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1986– |
| Materials | Plastic with electronics |
Lazer Tag is a fun game where players use special toy guns that shoot harmless infrared beams. It's like playing a video game in real life! When you "shoot" another player, their sensor detects the beam, and they get "tagged." This exciting game was first created by a company called Worlds of Wonder in 1986. Lazer Tag quickly became one of America's most popular toys. Today, the Lazer Tag brand is owned by Hasbro and is part of their Nerf toy line.
Contents
History of Lazer Tag
Lazer Tag was invented by Paul Rago at Worlds of Wonder in 1986. It launched around the same time as a similar home game called Photon. Worlds of Wonder made a lot of money from Lazer Tag and another popular toy, Teddy Ruxpin.
From 1986 to 1987, Worlds of Wonder helped a new company, Nintendo of America, sell its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console across the country. Many stores were hesitant to sell video games because of a big "video game crash" in 1983. However, Worlds of Wonder told stores that if they wanted to sell the super popular Lazer Tag and Teddy Ruxpin toys, they also had to sell the NES. This helped Nintendo become very successful and lead the recovery of the video game industry.
In 1987, Lazer Tag became part of a discussion about toy guns. A sad event happened where a young man playing Lazer Tag was mistaken for someone with a real gun by a police officer. This incident brought attention to how realistic some toy guns looked. Some people believe this negative publicity contributed to Worlds of Wonder facing financial difficulties and eventually closing down in 1988.
Shoot the Moon Takes Over
After Worlds of Wonder stopped operating, a company called Shoot the Moon Products bought the Lazer Tag brand name in 1990. Shoot the Moon then licensed the brand to Tiger Electronics from 1996 to 1998. Later, when Hasbro bought Tiger Electronics, Hasbro took over the Lazer Tag brand.
Tiger Electronics released many Lazer Tag products in the mid-1990s. They even made Star Wars-themed blasters, especially for the movie Star Wars Episode 1 in 1999. However, these products did not sell very well, and Tiger stopped making them.
Lazer Tag Team Ops
In 2004, Shoot the Moon designed a completely new Lazer Tag system called Lazer Tag Team Ops (LTTO). This new system had a special double-barreled design. It allowed players to easily see targets and confirm hits from far away. LTTO also let players host their own timed games with up to three teams and different rules. After the game, players could review their scores.
All Lazer Tag products made since 2004 are backward compatible. This means they can join LTTO-hosted games, even if they are older models.
Nerf Brand Lazer Tag
In 2012, Nerf branding replaced the Tiger Electronics name on all Lazer Tag products.
In August 2012, Hasbro launched a brand new Lazer Tag line. These new blasters allowed players to connect an iPhone (3GS, 4, 4S) or iPod Touch. The special Lazer Tag app turned the smartphone into a "Head-up display" (HUD). This HUD showed players their power levels and an online leaderboard. The app also offered cool features like augmented reality and unlockable attacks.
Legacy of Lazer Tag
The Lazer Tag brand inspired a cartoon TV show called Lazer Tag Academy. It was produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and aired on NBC from 1986 to 1987. There were also three Choose Your Own Adventure-style books based on the game. A Lazer Tag video game was released in the late 1980s for computers like the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64.
Lazer Tag was one of the most popular toys in America in 1986 and 1987. Its success helped Worlds of Wonder convince stores to sell the Nintendo Entertainment System. This allowed Nintendo of America to help the country recover from the 1983 video game crash and become a leader in the video game industry.
See also
- Shooting death of Joseph Falcon in 1987
- Entertech shooting deaths, based on mistaken toy water guns
- Shooting of Andy Lopez in 2013, based on a mistaken airsoft toy gun
