HPR4652: simon says

HPR4652: simon says

From Hacker Public Radio by Hacker Public Radio

June 2, 2026

About this episode

This episode discusses the history and mechanics of the Simon electronic game.

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_(game) Simon is an electronic game of short-term memory skill invented by Ralph H. Baer and Howard J. Morrison, working for toy design firm Marvin Glass and Associates, with software programming by Lenny Cope. The device creates a series of tones and lights and requires a user to repeat the sequence. If the user succeeds, the series becomes progressively longer and more complex. Once the user fails or the time limit runs out, the game is over. The original version was manufactured and distributed by Milton Bradley and later by Hasbro after it took over Milton Bradley. Much of the assembly language code was written by Charles Kapps, who taught computer science at Temple University and also wrote one of the first books on the theory of computer programming. Simon was launched in 1978 at Studio 54 in New York City and was an immediate success, becoming a pop culture symbol of the 1970s and 1980s Provide feedback on this episode .

People in this episode

Host: Hacker Public Radio

Topics covered

  • Simon game
  • memory skill
  • pop culture
  • game design
  • history of toys

Keywords

  • Simon
  • memory game
  • Ralph H. Baer
  • Milton Bradley
  • game design
  • pop culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Milton Bradley, Hasbro

Places: Studio 54

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