Lite-Brite

A Lite-Brite (without black paper) spelling "hello"

Lite-Brite is a toy that was originally marketed in 1967. It consists of a light box with small colored plastic pegs that fit into a panel and illuminate to create a lit picture, by either using one of the included templates or creating a "freeform" image on a blank sheet of black paper.[1] There are eight peg colors: red, blue, orange, white (clear/colorless), green, yellow, pink, and violet (purple).

In the event that pegs were lost or damaged, Hasbro provided refills and/or new colors. Color-by-letter templates were sold with the set so that children could create characters including Mickey Mouse, Scooby-Doo, My Little Pony, and Transformers among others.

Japanese jiko-shiki illuminated license plate, which uses a similar concept

History

Lite-Brite was invented by Joseph M. Burck, a senior designer at Chicago toy and game design company Marvin Glass and Associates, which licensed the invention to Hasbro. Lite-Brite was named one of the top 100 toys of all time by Time Magazine.[2]

Description

Lite-Brite allows the artist to create a glowing picture by punching multi-colored translucent plastic pegs through opaque black paper.[3] Using a standard light bulb, the light is blocked by the black paper except where the pegs conduct the light. When lit, the pegs have an appearance similar to that of LEDs.

Changes

Over the years, Lite-Brite was offered in different forms including a flat-screen version, a 3D cube,[4] and an FX edition that spins and plays music. The Lite-Brite LED Flat Screen currently sells at MSRP $10, comes in several colors, is LED lit, and is portable, running on three AA batteries. The Lite-Brite 3D cube (called the Four-Share Cube) is a LED-lit four-sided cube that allowed children to play with friends or save three of their designs. The FX Edition is no longer on Hasbro's website. The website has SUN 'N NITE BRITE Sets priced at $10 MSRP and running on three AAA batteries.[5]

Future

There are various websites online that host virtual Lite-Brite games.

See also

  • Toys portal
  • 1970s portal
  • Dot-S

References

  1. ↑ "Lite-Brite: Retro". Skooldays.com. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  2. ↑ http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048656_2049112,00.html
  3. ↑ "Toy Transformations at WomansDay.com - History of Toys". Woman's Day. Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  4. ↑ "Handie Art Station > Background > Old Technology: Lite Brite". Segue.atlas.uiuc.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  5. ↑ "Hasbro Lite Brite Product Catalog". Hasbro.
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