The Brown Box, 1967–68: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

In 1967, Ralph Baer and his colleagues at Sanders Associates, Inc. developed a prototype for the first multiplayer, multiprogram video game system. Since Sanders hoped to license the technology for a commercial venture, Baer understood that the games had to be fun or investors and consumers would not be interested. In an oral history interview (copies available in the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History), Ralph Baer recalled, “The minute we played ping-pong, we knew we had a product. Before that we weren’t too sure.”

Born in Germany, Baer had emigrated to the U.S. in 1938 when he was still a child. He worked for a few years as a radio technician, werved in the U.S. armed forces during World War II and, after earning a degree in television engineering, worked in that area. His video game inventions dated fro 1966 onward.

Originally called TV Game Unit #7, much like the "Pump Unit" before it, it became far better known by its nickname, “The Brown Box.” The name comes from the brown wood-grain, self-adhesive vinyl used to make the prototype look more attractive to potential investors. The "Brown Box," though only a prototype, had basic features that most video games consoles still have today: two controls and a multigame program system.

The "Brown Box" could be programmed to play a variety of games by flipping the switches along the front of the unit, as can be seen in the picture. Program cards were used to show which switches needed to be set for specific games. "Brown Box" games included ping-pong, checkers, four different sports games, target shooting with the use of a lightgun and a golf putting game, which required the use of a special attachment. Sanders licensed the "Brown Box" to Magnavox, which released the system as the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1967-1968
• patent holder: Baer, Ralph H.
• inventor: Baer, Ralph H.
• maker: Baer, Ralph H.
• Object Name: video game system
• Physical Description: aluminum (overall material)
• Physical Description: vinyl (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 4 1/4 in x 16 in x 12 1/2 in; 10.795 cm x 40.64 cm x 31.75 cm
• Measurements: right controller overall: 3 1/8 in x 7 1/4 in x 4 in; 7.9375 cm x 18.415 cm x 10.16 cm
• Measurements: left controller overall: 3 1/8 in x 7 in x 4 in; 7.9375 cm x 17.78 cm x 10.16 cm
• ID Number: 2006.0102.04
• catalog number: 2006.0102.04
• accession number: 2006.0102
• Credit Line: Ralph H. Baer
• 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.