“Simon Says” can mean two things. The children’s game asks players to act only on commands that begin with “Simon says.” The electronic Simon, launched by Milton Bradley in May 1978, asks players to repeat a sequence of colored lights and tones, and the sequence grows each time it is matched. Both keep turning up decades later for the same structural reason: the rule can be understood almost immediately, the challenge scales one step at a time, and the format is instantly recognizable. The sources behind this article do not establish a single psychological explanation for that longevity, and they do not show that either game improves memory.
Two games that share a name
The electronic toy takes its name from the children’s game, but the two work very differently. The table below sets out the core differences as documented in the sources.
| Feature | Simon Says (children’s game) | Simon (electronic game) |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the pattern | A leader gives physical instructions | The device produces a light-and-sound sequence |
| What the player does | Responds only to commands prefaced by “Simon says” | Reproduces the sequence by pressing colored buttons |
| Equipment | None listed in the sources | Four colored buttons, each with a distinct tone, under microprocessor control (Smithsonian object record, 1978 model) |
| Difficulty | Not stated | Gets harder as the sequence lengthens |
| Origin | Not established in the sources | Launched by Milton Bradley in May 1978 (IEEE Spectrum, 2023) |
The sources support the link between the two games and describe the electronic rules in detail. They do not provide a documented origin for the children’s game, so the history below starts with the toy.
Where the electronic Simon came from
Touch Me and the early working name
According to IEEE Spectrum’s historical account, Ralph Baer and Howard Morrison saw Atari’s arcade game Touch Me at a 1976 trade show. Touch Me already used a repeating-pattern idea, and Baer and Morrison liked the core mechanic but wanted a more appealing visual and sound design. Their early working name was Follow Me. Milton Bradley later renamed the rounded toy Simon, after the older children’s game. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History records the same lineage, describing the game as “Named for the children’s game of ‘Simon Says,’ the game was inspired by an Atari arcade game called Touch Me.”
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Launch in 1978
Milton Bradley released Simon in May 1978. The Smithsonian dates the artifact to 1978 and identifies it as a microprocessor-controlled game in which players repeat an increasingly long string of tones. Joanna Goodrich, writing in IEEE Spectrum in 2023, put it this way: “Introduced 45 years ago, the electronic memory game Simon tests players’ ability to recall sequences of lights and sound.”
Design choices that made the sequence work
The toy’s core was built around a few deliberate decisions:
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- Four buttons, four tones. Each colored button has a distinct note, so a sequence is both visible and audible.
- Tones chosen for musicality. According to the Smithsonian, Baer picked notes associated with a bugle after working out how four tones could play in any order without sounding unpleasant.
- Programming constraints. In his autobiography, quoted by IEEE Spectrum, Baer wrote: “Writing programs for the TMS1000 in those days was a real chore.” The sources do not describe how the sequence logic was coded beyond that.
Why the format keeps working
The sources describe Simon as intuitive and enduring, and they point to several structural features that explain how it is played rather than why any individual plays it:
- Immediate legibility. The rule is to watch, then repeat. No reading or prior instruction is required.
- Little setup. The device is self-contained, and the children’s game needs only a leader and players.
- Instant feedback. Each press produces a light and a tone, so the player knows right away whether the sequence is holding.
- Escalating challenge. Each round adds to the pattern, so difficulty increases without any change to the rules.
- A recognizable form. The four-color, four-tone design has remained identifiable across the toy’s history, which supports continuity and cultural familiarity.
These points explain the design’s appeal in general terms. They do not measure how many people play it or why any one person returns to it.
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Versions that followed
IEEE Spectrum’s historical account lists several later formats. These are documented as historical examples, and the sources do not confirm which are still in production or on sale.
| Version | Format | Play mode or interaction |
|---|---|---|
| Simon (original, 1978) | Large circular console with four colored buttons | Single-player sequence reproduction |
| Super Simon | Rectangular console | Two-player speed challenge |
| Pocket Simon | Miniature handheld | Not stated |
| Keychain Simon | Keychain-sized | Not stated |
| Darth Vader-shaped Simon | Character-shaped toy | Not stated |
| Wearable headset-style Simon | Worn on the head | Not stated |
The sources do not give battery requirements, accessibility details, or current prices for any version, so anyone comparing them should check the specifics of the product they find.
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What the popularity evidence covers
The Strong National Museum of Play describes the toy as enduringly popular and reports sales “in the millions.” That record does not state the year or measurement period, so the figure should be read as a historical description rather than a current sales total. IEEE Spectrum’s 2023 account says the toy remained in production in several variations, but it does not provide a current production count.
The original 1978 price was US $25, which IEEE Spectrum estimates at about US $120 in its own time. That is historical context only and should not be read as a current price.
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No named participation statistic for the children’s game was identified in the sources, and no market study covers current play of either game.
What the evidence does not show
Simon’s sequence task exercises short-term recall, and some readers assume that makes it a memory trainer. The sources do not support that. No controlled study or named statistic showing that Simon Says or the electronic Simon improves memory or learning was found. The rules require recall, but that alone is not proof of wider cognitive benefit.
Nostalgia is also an unverified explanation for all use. The sources note the toy’s continuity and recognizability, but they do not measure how much of its appeal comes from familiarity versus the mechanics themselves.
If you want to play one today
- Match any listing to a model named in the versions table, and confirm the exact model name before you buy, since the sources do not establish which versions are currently sold.
- Check the listing’s date and seller. The sources behind this article are from 2023, and product availability and pricing change.
- For the children’s game, you need a group and one leader. The commands are the only rule: act only when the leader says “Simon says” before the instruction.
The electronic Simon rewards careful watching and quick recall, and the children’s game rewards listening. Both rely on the same idea of following a pattern set by someone else, and that simplicity is the most defensible reason they still get played.
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