Gotham Model G-880 electric football game from a collection of the Minnesoto History Soceity
For 5 years Tudor Tru-Action Electric Football was the only game in town, but in 1954 Gotham Pressed Steel introduced their “All-Star Electric Football” game to the toy market.
Recently “The National ELECTRIC FOOTBALL Game Museum” was able to add some Gotham items to its collection
Model # G-880 was the first electric football game introduced by Gotham. It featured a metal frame surrounding a fiberboard playing surface. Athough not as durable as Tudor’s all metal gameboards it was still a fun game to play with much of the same things that Tudor’s game featured.
This set of 22 figures molded in red and yellow plastic and mounted to green plastic bases, 2 wooden footballs, 1 magnetic football, a spring “shooter” (for kicking and passing the footballs) and a “RULES and INSTRUCTIONS for playing GOTHAM ALL-STAR Vibrating Electric Football Game” represent this early version of Gotham’s game.
Gotham’s figures are often refered to as “Martian” figures for their big head. The teams include 7 “lineman” figures and 4 “running back ” figures whose pose somewhat resembles that of the Heisman Tropy.
Gotham was the first to offer NFL Licensed Products in 1961 because Tudor had previously turned down an offer from the NFL to license its games. Gotham’s first “official” NFL uniforms were just stick on jerseys and helmets in team colors.
Gotham did remain in the electric football game market producing games into the 1970’s but as a subsidary of Munro who also had a line of electric football games.
Click below for an excellent article by “The Unforgettable Buzz” about Gotham’s Electric Football Game history.
The National Electric Football Game Museum 