Before Ralphie was begging his parents for a Red Ryder BB Gun in A Christmas Story, nearly every baby boomer in America hoped Santa would give them an Electric Football game for Christmas. Nearly 66 years after the first set was built, the history and artistry of the Electric Football Game will be celebrated Friday, August 2nd at the ADA Gallery.
Before Ralphie was begging his parents for a Red Ryder BB Gun in A Christmas Story, nearly every baby boomer in America hoped Santa would give them an Electric Football game for Christmas. Nearly 66 years after the first set was built, the history and artistry of the Electric Football Game will be celebrated Friday, August 2nd at the ADA Gallery.
Earl Shores, author of the Electric Football history, The Unforgettable Buzz, described the makings of the game. “The game was first for sale in 1949 by Tudor Metal Products,” said Shores. By the mid 1950s Electric Football became a top selling game, and had feature sections in major retail catalogues. “Back at that time, printing in color was expensive, so if a toy wasn’t a special toy it would be in black and white,” explained Shores. “Sears and Ward both started getting a page that had Electric Football [in a] color presentation… with Electric Football at the top of the page.” After a new contract with the NFL, Tudor began to market the game with painted teams. There were multiple sizes of Electric Football built that came with stock teams such as the Giants and the Browns; however, order forms for other teams were available within the Electric Football rule book. “You could buy your favorite team, and that was part of the beauty of it,” said Shores. For children of the late 1960s, Electric Football could be the ultimate Christmas morning. “[Tudor] was making these big beautiful games with colorful grandstands and goalposts,” described Shores. “Depending on what you wanted to see, you could envision the NFL on your living room floor.”
Chris Bopst, presenter of the art show, explained the culture connected with Electric Football. “As much time as [the artists] spend on individual figures and creating teams and boards, they spend just as much time working on strategy and getting the players to do what [the artists] want,” said Bopst. “It’s a particular world that reminds me of train or army guys, but it’s tied to the NFL.” The Electric Football Game Art show at the ADA Gallery will feature vintage boards, nearly 1,000 players detailed by hand, a live demonstration of the game, and book signing by Shores. Artists whose hand-painted Electric Football figures will be featured in the show include Mark Francis, Bruce Watts, Chris Fields, and more. With the start of Redskins training camp in mind, Bopst plans to introduce football enthusiasts of all ages to the atmosphere of an iconic game. “I would describe it as the closest you can get to playing football without physically doing it,” explained Bopst.
The Electric Football Game art show will be on display at ADA Gallery at 228 West Broad Street starting Friday, August 2nd. More information can be found at ADA Gallery’s website.
