My daughter loves the game Bop It! In fact, when she was seven years old there was a phase where we constantly heard her playing a Star Wars version of the game all day and all night for almost a year. I have to admit after that whenever I hear C-3P0's voice, which yells out Bop It! Pull It! Twist It! from a model of R2-D2 in the game, it both makes me cringe as well as smile because I not only remember constantly hearing those phrases over and over again but also the joy it brought my little girl. If a game brings a child that much joy it absolutely earns a Geek Daddy nod of approval!
So, I wanted to wish Bop It! a happy twenty-fifth birthday. This Hasbro game is celebrating a quarter century of providing people with fun times! Whether it’s a party, family game night, or a travel game for car rides -- Bop It! with its "Bop It, Twist It, Pull It" actions is sure to entertain kids and kids at heart.
Here is a look back at some of the biggest moments from this Hasbro brand:
- In 1996, Hasbro released the first in its Bop It line. Simply called Bop It, the game features three inputs: A cyan pull-handle on one end, a twistable yellow crank on the other end, and the depressable purple button in the middle. The maximum score is 100.
- In 1998, Hasbro released the Bop It Extreme. The game included 2 new inputs along with the original three from Bop It. The green flick-switch is flicked when the Bop It Extreme commands "Flick it!" and the free-spinning red wheel is spun when the Bop It Extreme commands "Spin it!". The maximum score was increased to 250, and the game features 4 games modes (Vox Bop, Beat Bop, Vox Bop Solo and Beat Bop Solo).
- Released in 2002, Hasbro's Bop It Extreme 2 was a re-working of the Bop It Extreme. The layout of the toy was changed and the shapes of several inputs were altered for ease of use. Volume controls were added. Bop It Extreme 2 was released in black and white as well as pink variations. In addition to the 4 modes featured in Bop It Extreme, a "One on One" mode was added.
- In 2003, Bop It Extreme 2 was the top selling toy in the Bop It line
- 2005 saw the release of Hasbro's Bop It Blast, a re-creation of the original Bop It differing in little except in software. Bop It Blast again increased the maximum score to a total of 500, and for the first time allowed different high scores for different modes rather than having one high score for all modes collectively. In addition to the original 2 Bop It modes adding a new game called light bop. Bop It Blast included "One on One" mode as with Bop It Extreme 2.
- 2007 saw the introduction of Bop It Download, also created by Hasbro. Bop It Download is the third re-working of Bop It Extreme, and it features 15 levels, a maximum score of 1000 points, and the ability to record your own voice, and download music and sounds.
To celebrate the game's 25th anniversary, famed toy designer and original Bop It! creator Dan Klitsner has introduced a new version known as the Bop It! Button. The Bop It! Button plays with your brain as you try to follow the commands: “Bop It,” “Don’t Bop It,” “Do Bop It,” “Do Not Bop It” and many more in multiple voices. The Bop It! Button is available at a limited quantity for pre-purchase at BopItButton.com.
A standard version of Bop It! is also available at all major toy retailers. The current edition looks somewhat like a musical instrument in my opinion with knobs and buttons to twist, pull and bop! If you don't have Bop It! to pull off your family's gaming shelf you are missing out. Go ahead and Bop It!
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