video game controller | gun | prototype: Modified Kosenju SP Light Gun

Ralph Baer was a pioneering inventor and engineer who developed the first home video game system, the Magnavox Odyssey and also had a successful career as an inventor of electronic toys. Born in Germany, he escaped to the United States before the start of World War II and had a successful decades-long career, primarily for the defense manufacturer Sanders. While there, in the 1960s, he developed and patented the idea of playing a video game on a television. His work culminated in the release of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. Shortly thereafter he became involved in the development of electronic toys with a variety of partners, including Marvin Glass and Associates, Phil Orbanes, and Jay Smith III. He remained an active inventor of electronic toys until his death in 2014. His greatest success was Simon, but a number of his other toys were popular, and they showed his inventive genius, ranging from talking bears and doormats to audio greeting cards and books. This collection of prototypes and commercial products was on display in his basement next to his workshop and was donated to The Strong posthumously by his family. The items in the collection complement the large collection of archival materials that Ralph donated to The Strong and document his career as an inventor of electronic toys.