Part of the Gaming World

This is for the Show and Tell topic of video games.

As a kid I grew up without any gaming system. My parents used every excuse in the book not to buy me one. I feel like I had a deprived childhood. I didn’t get any form of a gaming system until I got a Game Boy Color in 1999. Because of this I don’t have much interest in video games as an adult. Although I have developed a terrible addiction to match 3 mobile games. I also have very terrible hand eye coordination. I guess I could have thrown a ball or something. 

I saw Disney’s The Little Mermaid movie when I was 5. I loved it! 

They did not release another princess movie until 1991 with Beauty and the Beast. Releasing the Rescuers Down Under in 1990 gave The Little Mermaid some breathing room. My grandma had a copy of the movie and I would borrow it from her all the time. It was no secret I loved the movie. 

I had so many different Little Mermaid things: backpack, clothes, shoes, ornaments, doll, fashions for the doll, figures, meal toys, books. She would buy me Little Mermaid things since I was the youngest grandchild on that side of the family. Including a lunchbox for my 8th birthday. And doll fashions that Christmas. The year before I got the Tiger handheld for Christmas 1991.  

Not that redesigned one from 1997.

These things were advertised all over. In magazines and on tv. They were usually on the backcover of Disney Adventures magazine. The game would change but they were all by Tiger; The Little Mermaid, Batman Returns, Beauty and the Beast, Jurassic Park, Pocahontas, Aladdin, The Lion King etc. 

I know a lot of people hate on these and say they were terrible gifts you got from relatives who were out of it and bought you a cheap $20 gift. 

I used to take it with me to a lot of places like Pizza Hut and other restaurants. It was a nice distraction while I waited for the food. 

I didn’t just play with it as a game, I used it as an arcade game for my figures. It was way too big for them. A giant sized one that could take up a whole wall in a room could be a cool retro prop.

In 2nd grade we had earthquake day/drill. They told us and sent notes home with us to bring something to do during the drill, and electronics were allowed. This was in 1992 between the Whittier and Northridge quakes. The Whittier one was very close to the school. 

A bunch of kids brought these Tiger handhelds. Somebody brought the Snow White game. That one was nice. It had a strap to carry it. Another game somebody brought was the Beauty and the Beast game. That was the new hot movie The Little Mermaid was old news. After a while we got bored and traded games. I played the Beauty and the Beast one. I found it difficult and boring. You walked around and hid from the beast. My friends and I thought it was cool to reset the game. You could see all the displays. So we sat there with a ballpoint pen repeatedly resetting it. The reset port turned blue from the pen. My parents were mad about it, but it didn’t hurt the game. 

When my dad gave away my bike to the ungrateful neighbor and would not tell me. I thought he gave away the game. 

In 2011 when I was cleaning I found the old game. The graphic was peeling off and the screen was messed up. 

Farewell, The Little Mermaid Tiger handheld you served me well.