Taito of Brazil (Portuguese: ''Taito do Brasil'') was a
pinball
Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
and
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
manufacturer located in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The company originally started out as Clover Electronic Amusement in 1968, then became Taito of Brazil in 1972 by Abraham "Abba" Kogan, the son of the founder of the parent company
Taito
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. I ...
located in Japan. This subsidiary was originally an importer of existing U.S. and Japanese machine components to be assembled within the country. However, the taxation on imports had been growing steadily, and the government's belief that pinball is a game of chance and considered a gambling machine, led to strict import rules. By 1976, within rules created by the Electronic Processing Activities Coordinating Committee (CAPRE), it became illegal to import pinball machines. This created a problem, since the popularity of arcade games in Brazil had been growing exponentially for many years.
In 1978, with an influx of cash from the parent company, Taito of Brazil was able to build new facilities to accommodate the new standard of electronic solid state games being produced by other manufacturers. Because of the import changes, companies in Brazil needed to become innovative, and began creating imitations, or close representations of already existing products that could no longer be acquired.
This included pinball and arcade games. Taito of Brazil began creating games by copying existing designs of successful pinball machines made elsewhere. Where some games were nearly identical in a physical sense, others had greatly altered artwork. In most cases of games created to look like their counterparts made by other manufacturers, the machine name was changed, sound effects altered, and often went through a modification of game rules.
Such was the case with a Taito-made game called, ''Oba Oba''. The playfield layout was a copy of
Bally Playboy but with altered artwork, and now based on a playhouse located in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
. Where others were much closer to the original games, such as the case with ''Drakor'', which is nearly identical to ''
Gorgar
''Gorgar'' is a 1979 pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler and released by Williams Electronics. It was the first speech-synthesized ("talking") pinball machine, containing a vocabulary of seven words ("Gorgar", "speaks", "beat", "you", "me ...
'' from
Williams Electronics
WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams ...
.
Taito of Brazil's most commercially successful pinball machine was Cosmic, a clone of
Stern Electronics Galaxy.
Additionally, starting in the late 1970s, Taito of Brazil began creating arcade game clones known as bootlegs as well. The only hardware available to them was an arcade board originally created by Japanese company,
Nichibutsu
was a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in Kita, Osaka. In the past they had also manufactured and sold yachts.
The main video game brand of the company was Nichibutsu (日物、ニチブツ), with adult video games (ma ...
for a game called, ''
Moon Cresta
is a fixed shooter video game released by Nichibutsu for Arcade video game, arcades in 1980. In North America, it was licensed to Sega/Gremlin Industries, Gremlin and Centuri, the latter releasing it in arcades as ''Eagle''. Incentive Software p ...
'' (1980).
Bootleg versions of existing games were altered to run on this hardware. Other minor changes were implemented to the software code including text, and sound effects. In total, 21 different adaptations had been produced, including popular games such as, ''Zig Zag'', a redeployment of ''
Dig Dug
is a maze arcade game developed by Namco in 1981 and released in 1982, distributed in North America by Atari, Inc. The player controls Dig Dug to defeat all enemies per stage, by either inflating them to bursting or crushing them underneath rock ...
'' from
Namco
was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, ...
, and ''Missile X'', a clone of ''
Missile Command
''Missile Command'' is a 1980 shoot 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. and licensed to Sega for Japanese and European releases. It was designed by Dave Theurer, who also designed Atari's vector graphics game '' Temp ...
'' from
Atari.
Taito of Brazil closed its doors in 1985 after a series of unfortunate events. Michael Kogan, the founder of the parent company,
Taito Corporation
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. I ...
had died on a business trip to the U.S. in early 1984. This left much of the control of the Japanese
Taito Corporation
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. I ...
to the company employees, who were less enthusiastic about its subsidiaries. This added to a sharp decrease in the popularity of pinball worldwide as the result of the popularity of arcade video games prompted the decision to close down Taito of Brazil in 1985. The company was liquidated and all its debts honored without the need for bankruptcy.
Kyocera
is a Japanese multinational ceramics and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. It manufactures industrial ceramics, solar power generating systems, telecommunic ...
of Japan purchased what remained of the
Taito Corporation
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. I ...
in 1986.
Taito of Brazil pinball machines
Most manufacture dates are unknown
Electro-mechanical
*''Check Mate''
*''Crown Soccer Special'' (1967)
*''Lucky Strike''
The Internet Pinball Machine Database
/ref>
Solid state electronics
Shown in parenthesis is the original machine it is based on
*''Apache'' (Playfield layout the same as ''Fast Draw'' (Gottlieb
Gottlieb (formerly D. Gottlieb & Co.) was an American arcade game corporation based in Chicago, Illinois.
History
The main office and plant was located at 1140-50 N. Kostner Avenue until the early 1970s when a new modern plant and office was lo ...
, 1975))
*''Black Hole'' (similar to '' Black Hole'' (Gottlieb, 1981))
*''Cavaleiro Negro'' (similar to ''Black Knight
The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...
'' (Williams Electronics
WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams ...
, 1980))
*''Cosmic'' (Nearly identical to ''Galaxy'' ( Stern Electronics, 1980))
*''Drakor'' (Nearly identical to ''Gorgar
''Gorgar'' is a 1979 pinball machine designed by Barry Oursler and released by Williams Electronics. It was the first speech-synthesized ("talking") pinball machine, containing a vocabulary of seven words ("Gorgar", "speaks", "beat", "you", "me ...
'' (Williams Electronics, 1979))
*''Fire Action'' (Similar to ''Firepower
Firepower is the military capability to direct force at an enemy. (It is not to be confused with the concept of rate of fire, which describes the cycling of the firing mechanism in a weapon system.) Firepower involves the whole range of potenti ...
'' (Williams Electronics, 1980))
*''Fire Action Deluxe'' (playfield layout is the same as ''Firepower II'' (Williams Electronics, 1983) but contains the artwork of the original ''Firepower'')
*''Football'' (similar to ''World Cup'' (Williams Electronics, 1978))
*''Gemini 2000'' (similar to '' Flight 2000'' (Stern Electronics, 1980) in concept, however playfield layout is that of '' Centaur'' ( Bally, 1981))
*''Gork'' (Similar to ''Sky Jump'' (Gottlieb, 1974))
*''Hawkman'' (Similar playfield layout as ''Fathom'' (Bally, 1981) but with different artwork and rules)
*''Hot Ball'' (Similar to ''Eight Ball'' (Bally, 1977))
*''Lady Luck'' (Featuring similar artwork as ''Mata Hari
Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...
'' (Bally, 1978))
*''Lucky Strike'' (bowling theme)
*''Lunelle'' (Playfield layout is that of ''Alien Poker'' (Williams Electronics, 1980) but with different artwork)
*''Meteor'' (nearly identical to ''Meteor'' (Stern Electronics, 1979))
*''Mr. Black'' (playfield layout is similar to ''Defender'' (Williams Electronics, 1982) but with a different theme)
*''Oba Oba'' (Playfield layout is the same as ''Playboy'' (Bally, 1978) but is themed after a club in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
)
*''Polar Explorer'' (similar to ''Pinball Champ'' (Zaccaria
The Zaccaria family was an ancient and noble Genoese dynasty that had great importance in the development and consolidation of the Republic of Genoa in the thirteenth century and in the following period. The Zaccarias were characterized by, accor ...
, 1983))
*''Rally'' (similar to ''Skateball'' (Bally, 1980) but missing a flipper)
*''Roman Victory'' (Roman themed game)
*''Shark'' (Nautical theme)
*''Shock'' (nearly identical to ''Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid F ...
'' (Williams Electronics, 1979))
*''Snake Machine'' (some game elements taken from ''Viper'' (Stern Electronics, 1981))
*''Space Shuttle'' (nearly identical to ''Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...
'' (Williams Electronics, 1984) made under the label 'Mecatronics')
*''Speed Test'' (playfield layout of ''Vector'' (Bally, 1982) but with different artwork)
*''Sultan'' (nearly identical to ''Sinbad'' (Gottlieb, 1978))
*''Sure Shot'' (similar to '' Eight Ball Deluxe'' (Bally, 1981))
*''Titan'' (similar to ''Barracora'' (Williams Electronics, 1981))
*''Vegas'' (Nearly identical to another Taito game, ''Lady Luck'', but with alterations)
*''Volcano'' (similar to ''Volcano'' (Gottlieb, 1981))
*''Volley'' (Volleyball themed game)
*''Zarza'' (similar to ''Xenon
Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. It is a dense, colorless, odorless noble gas found in Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts. Although generally unreactive, it can undergo a few chemical reactions such as the ...
'' (Bally, 1980) but with different sound effects)
Arcade Games Produced
Shown in parentheses is the original game it is based on
*''Sandwich/X-salada'' ('' BurgerTime'')
*''Zig Zag'' (''Dig Dug
is a maze arcade game developed by Namco in 1981 and released in 1982, distributed in North America by Atari, Inc. The player controls Dig Dug to defeat all enemies per stage, by either inflating them to bursting or crushing them underneath rock ...
'')
*''Kong'' (adapted from ''Crazy Kong
is an arcade game developed by Falcon, released in 1981 and similar to Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong''. Although commonly believed to be a bootleg version, it was officially licensed for operation only in Japan when Nintendo couldn't keep up with d ...
'', another ''Donkey Kong
is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...
'' clone)
*''Big Flyer'' (''Fly Boy'')
*''Jump'' (''Frogger
is a 1981 arcade action game developed by Konami and manufactured by Sega. In North America, it was released by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct a series of frogs to their homes by crossing a busy road and a hazardous rive ...
'')
*''Fantastic'' (''Galaga
is a 1981 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. In North America, it was released by Midway Manufacturing. It is the sequel to '' Galaxian'' (1979), Namco's first major video game hit in arcades. Controlling a star ...
'')
*''Attack Galactica'' (''Galaxian
is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, wh ...
'')
*''Speed Race'' (''Grand Champion'')
*''Super Fantastic'' (''Gaplus
is a 1984 fixed shooter arcade game developed and released by Namco. It is the third game in the ''Galaxian'' series, serving as a direct sequel to ''Galaga'' (1981). In North America, a modification kit was later released to change the name to ' ...
'')
*''Missile X'' (''Missile Command
''Missile Command'' is a 1980 shoot 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. and licensed to Sega for Japanese and European releases. It was designed by Dave Theurer, who also designed Atari's vector graphics game '' Temp ...
'')
*''Star Crest'' (''Moon Cresta
is a fixed shooter video game released by Nichibutsu for Arcade video game, arcades in 1980. In North America, it was licensed to Sega/Gremlin Industries, Gremlin and Centuri, the latter releasing it in arcades as ''Eagle''. Incentive Software p ...
'')
*''Stock Car'' (''New Rally-X
is a maze chase arcade video game released by Namco in 1981. It is a lightly tweaked version of 1980's ''Rally-X'', with slightly enhanced graphics, easier gameplay, a new soundtrack, and a "Lucky Flag" that gives the player extra points for r ...
'')
*''Condor'' (''Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
'')
*''Piranha'' (''Phunky Fish'')
*''Polaris II'' ('' Polaris'')
*''Commander'' (''Scramble
Scramble, Scrambled, or Scrambling may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
* ''Scramble'' (video game), a 1981 arcade game
Music Albums
* ''Scramble'' (album), an album by Atlanta-based band the Coathangers
* ''Scrambles'' (album)
...
'')
*''Fighting'' ('' Super Cobra'')
*''Time Fighter'' (''Time Pilot
is a multidirectional shooter arcade game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released by Konami in 1982. It was distributed in the United States by Centuri, and by Atari Ireland in Europe and the Middle East. While engaging in aerial combat, the ...
'')
*''Olympics'' (''Track & Field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
'')
*''Caçapa'' ('' Video Hustler'')
*''Columbia'' (''Xevious
is a vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades in 1982. It was released in Japan and Europe by Namco and in North America by Atari, Inc. Controlling the Solvalou starship, the player attacks Xevious f ...
'')
*''Elepong'' (''Pong
''Pong'' is a table tennis–themed twitch arcade sports video game, featuring simple two-dimensional graphics, manufactured by Atari and originally released in 1972. It was one of the earliest arcade video games; it was created by Allan Al ...
'')
See also
* Playmatic, a former Spanish company of pinball machines
* Inder
Inder may refer to:
;People
* Inder Bawra, an Indian music director
;Places
* Inder, the administrative center of Jalaid Banner, Mongolia
* Inder, a locality in the Nagpur district in state of Maharashtra, India
* Inder District, a district of A ...
, another former Spanish company of pinball and arcade machines
* Zaccaria (company)
Zaccaria, (later briefly reorganized under Mr. Game before ending production) was an Italian company of pinball and arcade machines that existed in Bologna from 1974 until 1990. The factory was sold to tecnoplay.
History
The company was founde ...
, a former Italian company of pinball and arcade machines
* Maresa, a former Spanish company of pinball machines
References
{{reflist
External links
The curious history of Taito in Brazil, 1968-1985
Internet Pinball Database list of Taito games
A História da TAITO [+TAITO do BRASIL]
Pinball manufacturers
Defunct companies of Brazil
Manufacturing companies based in São Paulo
Taito