There are probably quite a few people out there, especially in the gaming world, that scoff when they hear the name Tiger Electronics. “You mean those lame LCD games that make annoying beeping sounds?” Yes, I know the games were rudimentary. There wasn’t much to them other than flashy bezel art and the licensed IP’s they displayed, but I think many forget about just how popular these once were. Everyone knows that the Nintendo Gameboy changed the landscape when it came to handheld gaming. There were also more expensive options like the Atari Lynx, or the Sega Game Gear, but not everyone could afford those. For the price of a Gameboy and maybe a game or two, you would have been able to purchase probably ten Tiger Electronics handhelds. Which of those options do you think is more appealing to an unsuspecting family member, or a kid who just got themselves a crisp $20 bill for their birthday from a grandparent? Even more appealing were the huge license deals that Tiger landed such as X-Men, Sonic the Hedgehog, Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and more. There really was something for everyone.
I have fond memories of my Tiger handhelds, and I actually really enjoyed playing them. I kind of still do, to be honest. There is just something about them that captivates me. I’m a sucker for artwork from old toys and videogames, and I will say that these delivered on that end. They packed a lot into those small bezels. The games themselves were as basic as it gets, but I always got hooked on them. I’ve actually sunk some serious hours into a few, even beating a couple. The music and sound effects, though sometimes ear piercing, really bring me back. There is just something very nostalgic about the simplicity of these. Every time I turn one on and hear those familiar bleeps and bloops, and see the black splotches moving around the screen, I am instantly taken back to a time in my life when I could be completely enthralled with just about anything.
Like a lot of kids “back in the day” that owned a Tiger handheld, I used to carry at least one with me almost everywhere I went. They fit nicely in a pocket, or a backpack, or the cup holder in the back seat of my mom’s wood paneled minivan. Sometimes I would bring them to school with me and sneak them out on the playground, or if I felt really daring I would shut off the sound and put in a few minutes of playtime during quiet reading. There was a group of kids I used to hang out with after school when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, and we would all sit at the outdoor lunch tables and play our handhelds. Sometimes we would trade them (if our parents said it was OK), or we would lend them out and hope that we would eventually get them back. It’s actually a fun little memory I have, almost like it was ripped straight out of a Tiger commercial. Outside of the playground, it was the car rides, jet flights, and boring shopping trips where these really shined. I remember shopping with my mom and hiding inside the circular clothes racks while playing one. She could always find me by listening for the louds beeping sounds. I also flew a lot to see family on the opposite coast when I was a kid, and was usually able to pick up a new one just before a flight. I don’t remember what my go-to game was, but I know I put in a lot of time with X-Men. I also played the hell out of the Konami branded Ninja Turtles and Star Trek games as well. They were easy to fire up and sustained my attention. Since all the stages were pretty much the same, it really didn’t matter if I had to shut it off and start over at a later time.
I didn’t get a Gameboy until I was almost a teenager, but I did have an Atari Lynx and a Game Gear growing up. I will admit, those were much better than any Tiger handheld that was available. However, unless you had an AC adapter, or an adapter for the car, they were pretty much useless on the go. Both the Lynx and Game Gear took six batteries each, and would barely last long enough to get through a few stages in whatever game you were playing. Not to mention that they were both pretty bulky, and cumbersome to carry around. They were also kind of delicate too. You definitely didn’t want to drop them. I remember taking a road trip once, and being pumped to bring my Game Gear. I think I just got the X-Men game, and I really wanted to see if I could beat it. I made it maybe an hour into the game and the batteries died. I was devastated, but I did have my trusty Tiger handheld to fall back on. Two AA batteries in that thing, and you could play for weeks without any issue.
Of course, as time went on Tiger added more bells and whistles. They started to talk, and add real sound effects. There was a barcode feature on some of them, where you slide cards through a built-in reader and they do…something? I could never really figure it out, but I did like the barcode cards they came with. Then there were the hologram handhelds, with a little light on them that lit up holographic screens. I think some even came with little light guns you could fire. And let’s not forget about the R-Zone. Oh man did I want one of them when it came out. 12 year old me was a real sucker for those commercials. Unfortunately, I was never able to get one as a kid, but I did pick it up later in life and it’s actually pretty cool. I still play it from time to time, but I think that’s a blog post for another day. For me, the gimmicks weren’t all that appealing. I mean, how much can you really squeeze out of those types of games? Plus, it was the simple grab and go nature of them that was the big appeal. Adding a bunch of features didn’t really make them any more fun, though I guess they had to keep things fresh from a marketing standpoint.
Tiger Electronics holds its place in time. I’m willing to bet everyone that reads this blog post, all three of you, probably had at least one Tiger branded product as a kid. Whether it was a handheld game, an electronic organizer, or even a Furby, Tiger products were usually found in just about every household in the 90’s. Whoever was in charge of the licensing and marketing departments back then deserved every penny that they earned. For what they were and what they offered, the value was definitely there. The nostalgia for these has even sparked a re-release over the last few years, seeing major titles like Sonic the Hedgehog, Spider-Man, Power Rangers, and Transformers make their way back to store shelves. I may have even picked a few of those up, just for old times sake. If you have the means, you should grab yourself few of these and give them a try. They are pretty affordable on the secondary market, and there are enough licensed titles out there that you would be hard pressed not to find something that interests you. Who knows, you may just have a lot of fun with it. And if you dont, you will at the least have a cool piece of gaming history to display on your shelf.
