View-Master Interactive Vision is an

interactive movie Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", bu ...

VHS

console game A console game is a type of video game consisting of images and often sounds generated by a video game console, which are displayed on a television or similar audio-video system, and that can be manipulated by a player. This manipulation usually ...

system, introduced in 1988 and released in the USA in 1989 by View-Master Ideal Group, Inc. The

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, s ...

is "the Two-Way Television System that makes you a part of the show!" The titles include four ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

'' games, two games featuring the ''

Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a ser ...

'' characters, and a

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

game, ''Disney's Cartoon Arcade''.

Gameplay

The system was packaged with a simple

controller Controller may refer to: Occupations * Controller or financial controller, or in government accounting comptroller, a senior accounting position * Controller, someone who performs agent handling in espionage * Air traffic controller, a person w ...

which includes a

joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...

and five colorful buttons. It also requires a VCR and videotapes that the system will add graphics to. As the video plays, the characters address the player directly, and ask the player to make a choice by pressing one of the buttons. Simple videogames with graphics similar to the

ColecoVision ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer exp ...

game system are played during the course of the videotape. The Disney game is built around the "arcade-style" gameplay, including fighting ghosts and shoveling coal into a fireplace. The video has two different

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

s recorded, and graphic overlays that are superimposed over the video. As the game is played different audio and graphics appear in response to the player's decisions. For example, at the end of the game ''Muppet Madness'',

Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...

and The Great Gonzo ask you to choose to hear the closing song from their point of view. In Kermit's version, the Muppets sing a closing number called "Everything Was Wonderful!" In Gonzo's version, the closing number is "Everything Was Terrible!" Similarly, a ''Muppets'' TV show within the program is either a science fiction series or a soap opera, depending on the soundtrack, and

Fozzie Bear Fozzie Bear is a Muppet character best known as the insecure and comedically fruitless stand-up comic on ''The Muppet Show.'' Fozzie is an orange-brown bear who often wears a brown pork pie hat and a pink and white polka dot necktie. The char ...

's comedy act is successful or unsuccessful. Although there is only one video track, the optional parts of the soundtrack are designed to fit the movement of the Muppets' mouths, to create the

illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may oc ...

that the video was recorded with only one soundtrack and the digitally generated graphics then further enhance the games video interactivity. In the game ''Muppets Studios Presents: You're the Director'',

leads the player through the process of making a ''Muppet''

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. The player can choose to either be the "good" director or the "bad" director. During the game, the player is asked to collect money bags as they show up onscreen. If the player hasn't collected enough, the closing song's lyrics say "We've just made some movies. We're gonna go broke!" Unlike other games, ''Disney's Cartoon Arcade'' contains a collection of arcade-like mini games, including a ''

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 ...

'' inspired game where

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

must cross a busy highway in order to get to

Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasional ...

. The mini-games display 8-bit computer graphics similar to

capabilities.

Games

*''Sesame Street: Let's Learn to Play Together'' *''Sesame Street: Magic on Sesame Street'' *''Sesame Street: Let's Play School'' *''Sesame Street: Oscar's Letter Party'' *''Muppet Madness'' *''Muppet Studios Presents: You're the Director'' *''Disney's Cartoon Arcade'' (uses footage from various classic theatrical Disney animated shorts and the Ludwig Von Drake episodes from Disney's anthology TV series.).

References

{{Home video game consoles Products introduced in 1988 Third-generation video game consoles VHS Ideal Toy Company

Gameplay

Games

See also

References