Digi-Comp 1 Toy Computer: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

In the mid-1960s, most children had never seen an electronic computer. However, they had heard stories of the power of these giant instruments and knew that they were associated with space flight. This toy brought the mathematical principles of the digital computer into the home. The manual describes several problems that could be set up, including a basic check out of whether the device was functioning properly, counting down from 7 to 1 in binary, logical riddles, and the game of NIM. There is a special piece that can be used to represent the logical operation "or." The toy was made by E.S.R., Inc. of Orange and Montclair, New Jersey. It sold for about $5.00.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1965
• date received: 1977
• maker: E.S.R., Incorporated
• Object Name: puzzle
• Physical Description: plastic (overall material)
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 4.3 cm x 47 cm x 33 cm; 1 11/16 in x 18 1/2 in x 13 in
• Place Made: United States: New Jersey, Montclair
• Subject: Education
• Subject: Toys
• Subject: Games
• ID Number: 1978.0067.59
• catalog number: 1978.0067.59
• accession number: 1978.0067
• Credit Line: Gift of John Garver
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.