Doctor Pong
{{short description|1975 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Doctor Pong
| image = Pong consoles at National Videogame Museum (Puppy Pong).jpg
| caption = Machine at the National Videogame Museum
| publisher = Atari, Inc.
| developer = Atari, Inc.
| designer = Allan Alcorn
Nolan Bushnell
Steve Bristow
| series = Pong
| released = 1975-1977 (NA)
| genre = Sports
| platforms = Arcade
}}
Doctor Pong, also known as Puppy Pong, is an adaption of the original arcade Pong for use in a non-coin-operated environment. It was conceptualized by Nolan Bushnell, Steve Bristow, and a marketing firm to move their arcade video games into a non-arcade environment—in this case, to help occupy children in pediatricians' waiting rooms. Originally designed to be a model of Snoopy's doghouse with Pong built into the side of it, when Charles Schulz declined Atari the use of Snoopy, the model was changed to a generic doghouse with a puppy looking over the top. Puppy Pong saw a limited production run and was tested at Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre's first two locations.
{{cite web
|last=Vendel
|first=Curt
|title=Atari Puppy Pong
|url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/arcade/puppy-pong.html
|accessdate=2007-07-27
}}
Development
The original Snoopy Pong cabinet was designed by Regan Cheng of the Atari Industrial Design group. The follow-up Puppy Pong cabinet was designed by Regan's manager, Chas Grossman.
Both cabinets consisted of a doghouse housing a Pong board modified to not use a coin drop as a start trigger. The original Pong automatically starts several seconds after a coin is inserted. In Doctor Pong and Puppy Pong, a "start button" was instead wired up to start the games, set under the vertically mounted television in the dog house "roof." Instead of a traditional control panel, spinners are mounted directly on the roof, as well.
References
External links
- [http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/arcade/fullsize/snoopy-pong.jpg A photograph of the original Snoopy Pong version.]
- {{KLOV game|id=7597}}
{{Pong series}}
{{1970s Atari arcade games}}
Category:Arcade-only video games
Category:Discrete video arcade games
Category:Video games developed in the United States
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{{arcade-stub}}