description Simon Electronic Game Overview
Simon is an electronic memory game originally released by Milton Bradley in 1978, designed by Ralph Baer and Howard Morrison. The unit is circular and features four large, colored light panels—red, blue, green, and yellow—that flash in increasingly complex sequences. Players are challenged to replicate the patterns by pressing the panels, testing their auditory and visual memory retention. It became a defining electronic toy of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
help Simon Electronic Game FAQ
Who invented the Simon electronic game and when was it released?
Simon was designed by Ralph Baer — the same engineer who created the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home video game console — along with Howard Morrison. It was released by Milton Bradley in 1978 and became one of the most popular electronic toys of that holiday season.
How does the gameplay in Simon actually work?
The unit has four colored panels — red, blue, green, and yellow — that light up and play a tone in a sequence the player must repeat back by pressing the matching panels. Each successful round adds one more step to the sequence, and the game speeds up as it progresses until the player makes a mistake.
Was Simon inspired by an earlier arcade game?
Yes, Simon's concept was inspired by Atari's 1974 arcade cabinet called Touch Me, which used a similar pattern-matching format with buttons. Baer and Morrison refined the idea by adding distinctive tones for each button and giving Simon its now-iconic circular design with large light panels.
Can you still buy Simon today, and who makes it now?
Hasbro, which acquired Milton Bradley in 1984, continues to produce Simon in various forms including a classic reissue and a compact version. The game is also available as a mobile app for iOS and Android, bringing the original memory-gameplay loop to modern devices.
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