Intellivision

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

The Mattel Intellivision was the first big competitor of the Atari 2600 in the second generation console market. Created in 1978 (and released in 1979, initially to just southern California), its production lasted until 1990 and sold 3 million units, with a collection of 125 games.

Logo (December 3, 1979-1990)


Visuals: On an army green background is blocky white text reading:

Intellivision
presents

[Title of the game]
Copyright @ 19XX

or:

Mattel Electronics
presents

[Title of the game]
Copr @ 19XX Mattel

Above the text, there are eight multi-colored rectangles in this sequence: white, yellow, light green, dark green, pale pink, red, blue, and black.

Variants:

  • Sometimes, some additional text is added, generally referring to copyright about licensed products.
  • Some startup screens would show up with different background colors, such as light blue (on Shark! Shark!, with letters in black) or black (on Kool-Aid Man, with letters in yellow and blue).
  • On some games like Vectron, the font is different.

Technique: A still digital graphic.

Audio: Mostly silent, but games like Loco-Motion have musical cues. On games which utilize the Intellivoice voice synthesizer (like B-17 Bomber and Bomb Squad, for instance), a synthesized voice would say "Mattel Electronics presents [game title]".

Availability: The company which currently handles the rights of the console - formed exclusively by former Mattel programmers - and its games, have been working hard to preserve the legacy of Intellivision. Many compilations, including Intellivision Lives!, and ports to later consoles have this logo intact.

Legacy: The quality of the audio from the Intellivoice attachment is considered "so bad, it's good". In fact, the audio of "B-17 Bomber" and "Bomb Squad" became memes after being showcased in the Angry Video Game Nerd double-feature episode "Double Vision".

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.