Lite-Brite

A Lite-Brite (without black paper) spelling "hello"

Lite-Brite is a toy that was originally marketed in 1967. It consists of a light box with small colored plastic pegs that fit into a panel and illuminate to create a lit picture, by either using one of the included templates or creating a 'freeform' image on a blank sheet of black paper.[1] There are eight peg colors: red, blue, orange, white (clear/colorless), green, yellow, pink, violet (purple).

In the event that pegs were lost or damaged, Hasbro provided refills and/or new colors. Color-by-letter templates were sold with the set so that children could create characters including Mickey Mouse, Scooby-Doo, and My Little Pony, among others.

Description

Lite-Brite allows the artist to create a glowing picture by placing multi-colored translucent plastic pegs through opaque black paper.[2] Using a standard lightbulb, the light is blocked by the black paper except where the pegs conduct the light. When lit, the pegs have an appearance similar to that of LEDs.

Changes

Over the years, Lite-Brite was offered in different forms including a flat-screen version, a 3D cube,[3] and an FX edition that spins and plays music. The Lite-Brite LED Flat Screen currently sells at MSRP $10, comes in several colors, is LED lit, and is portable, running on 3 AA batteries. The Lite-Brite 3D cube (called the Four-Share Cube) is a LED-lit 4-sided cube that allowed children to play with friends or save 3 of their designs. The FX Edition is no longer on Hasbro's website. The website has SUN 'N NITE BRITE Sets priced at $10 MSRP and running on 3 AAA batteries.[4]

Future

With current technology, Lite-Brite is now offered as an iPad app. The user picks what color peg they want and then every space they touch shows a dot in that color and makes a popping sound. The app has many more dots than the original. There are also various websites online that host virtual Lite-Brite games.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Lite-Brite : Retro". Skooldays.com. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  2. ↑ "Toy Transformations at WomansDay.com - History of Toys". Womansday.com. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  3. ↑ "Handie Art Station > Background > Old Technology: Lite Brite". Segue.atlas.uiuc.edu. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  4. ↑ "Hasbro Lite Brite Product Catalog". Hasbro.
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