"Will You Be First to Flip Your Chips Into Emu's Mouth?"
Went the quote on the front of this game. This is a phenomenal game, and not in a small part magical – for it’s time!
This is because the most amazing part of the gameplay is a battery powered, disembodied Emu head who’s mouth opens and closes as it turns. It looks quite strange on the board in fact but must have been great to play with!
This game - Rod Hull's Emu Game - is for a maximum of 4 players. Players each have 10 chips which they have to use their ‘flipper’ to aim the chips into EMU’s mouth. The winner is the first to flip all 10 chips into Emu's mouth.
This was a perfect example of the TV tie-in game, where people used the fame of TV shows to sell merchandise. This is nothing new, but the art was quite new in 1976 and so the things that came out were a little more strange. But it looks like it would have been a fun game to play for half an hour or so - as long as it didn't break!
Rod Hull was one of the most memorable characters from the 1970’s and 1980’s, I remember his childrens TV show “The Pink Windmill” and the character “Grotbags” as if it were yesterday. I remember being quite scared of Grotbags but recently saw an episode of the Pink Windmill on ‘youtube’ and its hilarious how much she camps it up. You can really see how all these characters come from the old variety and cabaret circuits. They are all real ‘luvvies’ as well!
Do You Remember Rod Hull's Emu Game?
Do You Remember Rod Hull's Emu Game?