Hello to all my followers! Today, let’s take a trip back in time to 1980 and explore Nintendo’s first US commercial for their handheld device called Toss-Up from the “Game & Watch” series. Back then, Nintendo wasn’t the gaming giant we know today, and this ad didn’t even mention the company or the game series.

Game & Watch games were simple handheld LCD games, similar to the Tiger Electronics games popular in the 1990s. In the US, these games were initially licensed to a company called Mego and sold under the name “Time-Out.” The commercial, dated June 25th, 1980, was discovered by gaming historian Chris Kohler on eBay.

Kohler lent the reel containing the commercial to The Video Game History Foundation, who had to restore it due to faded dyes. The commercial targets older, trendy youths and promotes electronic sports as an alternative when physical sports are not an option. Quite a different approach from Nintendo’s later commercials focusing on kids and families.

Aside from Toss-Up, Game & Watch games came in various form factors, including dual-screen versions. Nintendo has referenced these designs in their later handhelds like the Nintendo DS Lite and the Game Boy Micro 20th-anniversary edition. It’s interesting to see how these early designs influenced Nintendo’s future products.

What are your thoughts on this blast from the past? Let me know in the comments below! And stay tuned for more tech and gaming nostalgia from Nuked!