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.
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
- A photograph of the original Snoopy Pong version.
- Doctor Pong at the Killer List of Videogames
Gamer24h Editor's Take
Put under the Gamer24h team's microscope, Doctor Pong raises the bar considerably with both its storytelling and technical polish. Thanks to Atari, Inc.'s meticulous craftsmanship and Atari, Inc.'s strong presentation, the high production quality is evident in every moment of the game. Masterfully blending Sports mechanics with modern standards, the game's fluid gameplay makes hours fly by unnoticed. All in all, the Gamer24h team stands firmly behind our rating. This is a unique journey you won't want to miss.