Electric Questioner
The Electric Questioner is a classic electric educational toy . Louis Marx applied for a patent on May 2, 1928. US Patent 1,860,895 for the Educational Apparatus appeared May 31, 1932 and is based on the patent 1,664,842 by G. Fred Yessler / Knapp Electric, filed in 1926. However, the latter educational appliance was not yet electric.
The quiz game has since been marketed by various companies around the world. It was particularly widespread in the 1950s under the name Electra or with the addition "-Electric".
description
The game usually consists of a rectangular box in landscape format, on which there are several rows of small, round metal contacts on the surface. There is a small light bulb in the top center. To the left and right of it come out two thin insulated strands of electricity , at the end of which are also contacts. Initially, a 4.5 V flat battery was used for power supply.
By placing one of several different printed sheets of paper in which there are holes for the contacts underneath the box, the playing field is divided into a left half for questions and a right half for answers. Pictures, tasks, symbols or texts are located in square fields on both sides. For younger children, pictures are usually used on both sides and the division does not always consist of symmetrical fields.
The original invention was a face and two palm design.
Game flow
The player now chooses a question and holds the contact of the left cable to the corresponding contact, which is located in this square. Now he has to find the answer or the corresponding picture on the right side and attach the right cable accordingly. If the answer is correct, the control lamp lights up. The answers are in a different position than the questions. The contacts are hard-wired under the playing field and cannot be changed.
Depending on the age, there are many different sheets on different topics. Sometimes the game also comes with blank sheets.
If the game lasts longer, it is possible that the child has memorized certain positions and thus the actual learning success is not achieved. If the questions are too difficult and the wrong answer is given several times, this often means that all the answers are tried in sequence.
expenditure
In addition to the various editions for different ages, there are also smaller trips or editions with music instead of a light signal. The sheets are usually printed on both sides. Animal issues are a popular topic.
Manufacturer
(Selection)
- Knapp Electric Corporation, (later companies: Jacmar and Remco), game title "Electric Questioner"
- A. Sala Verlag, Berlin / Red seal game "Electra" around the 1920s
- Educational Games Ltd, London, "Electro-Tutor" 1927
- Marlin Toy Products Inc. (Horicon, WI), "Marlin Electric Quiz Kit" circa 1950s
- VEM (GDR) "Inquiry by wire" approx. 1958
- Gordon, "Electric-Blitz", partly with Morse function, around 1960
- noris-Spiele , Fürth, current -Electric-Serie, subtitle "It flashes, if it's true!"
Footnotes
Web links
- Knapp Questioner in the Games Museum of the University of Waterloo (alternative cover)
- Knapp Questioner, original cover, in the N4MW Morse Museum
- Figure Electra from Sala German version, around 1920s
- Description and illustration of Sala 1975 on the website below
