Blip

One of the more memorable toys of the 70s was a handheld game called Blip. It emerged among a sea of handheld electronic games and held its own, which is somewhat surprising. For, although Blip was described as “the Digital Game,” it was entirely mechanical. The only electronic part was a single, red LED light.

Blup was released by Tomy Toys during the 1977 holiday season and quickly became a must have game. Almost a combination of Pong and Gnip-Gnop, the game consisted of one or two players trying to anticipate the direction a little red light would travel.

Choose one of the three buttons that corresponded to different sections of the playing field, and if the ball traveled there, you scored a point. Games were timed and the first person to score ten points, or the person with the most points before the timer ran out, was declared the winner. Blip automatically kept score.

Few realized at the time that the game was almost entirely mechanical, other than the curious types who took the game apart. Although Blip took two AA batteries, the only function they served was to power the LED light. The timer, the buttons, the scorekeeping, the travel of the ball itself, all worked just fine without any batteries whatsoever.

Regardless, it was a decidedly fun game, digital or not. And if you search online, you can occasionally still find one in good working condition – thanks to the millions of these somewhat durable games that were purchased on the marketplace in the 70s.

Do you remember playing Blip with your friends? Or, was it one of those toys that you always wanted but never received? Either way, I’d love to hear your recollections of this memorable game in our comments section below.