Bop It

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The original Bop It was released in 1996, and quickly became a popular children's toy with later models winning numerous BATR Electronic Game of the Year awards.[1][2]

Bop It toys are a line of audio games. By following a series of commands issued through voice recordings produced by a speaker by the toy, which has multiple inputs including pressable buttons, pull handles, twisting cranks, spinnable wheels, flickable switches – the player progresses and the pace of the game increases.

Based on concepts originally patented by Dan Klitsner,[3][4] Bop It was licensed to Hasbro[5][6] and further developed there by a number of designers including Bob Welch.[3] With newer versions, additional inputs have been added or altered such that units like the 2010 Bop-It! Bounce shares no inputs in common with the original 1996 Bop It (see below).

Bop It has been identified as some of the more popular children's games on the market,[7] and toy and game development researchers have pointed to the natural interactions between player and toy,[8] and the ability of players to use the toy to revert computer gaming processes back into those that resemble non-mediated object play.[9] Other studies have shown that it is the Bop It's ability to mimic engagement in social behavior that has led to its commercial successes.[7] Bop It has been released in many foreign languages since its re-release in 2008. With all models by KID Group, the team have managed to find voice actors to record the voice for the most popular languages in the world such as French, German, Italian, Latin American Spanish, European Spanish, Danish and Portuguese. There was also a Japanese version released. When the manufacturer accesses the hidden diagnostic test mode the English voice announces what version of Bop It the country is linked to. So if it is a Latin American Spanish Bop It from 2016, the English voice will say "Latin America 3".

Since 2008, the voice of Bop It has been Buddy Rubino. Rubino has voiced all the modern Bop It games which include: Bop It!, Bop It! XT, Bop It! Smash, Bop It! Tetris, Bop It! Micro (original recordings from Bop It!), Bop It! New Moves and Bop It! Maker. He says in an interview with The Guardian that "he never heard of Bop It so when he knew that he booked the audition, he researched what the game was." He also said that he enjoyed recording the remarks on which the game says when you lose. He also voiced a few mobile apps for Hasbro and some video games.[10] Bop It has sold over 30 million units worldwide.[11]

Original series (1996-2006)

Bop It

In 1996, the instructions to a handheld voice game called Bop It were copyrighted.[12] This game was the first of what was later to become a series of Bop It games relying on the same set of basic patents. The original game, called simply Bop It, features three inputs — "Bop it!" (a depressible button), "Twist it!" (a twistable lever) and "Pull it!" (a pullable handle)[13] — and three game modes: Solo Bop, Vox Bop and Beat Bop. Gameplay is predicated upon a player's efforts to match the commands issued by the Bop It in a timely manner by performing the task that is commanded. Thus if the Bop It is to call out "Bop it!", the player must quickly depress the "Bop It!" button. If the Bop It is to call out "Twist it!", the player must quickly turn the "Twist it!" crank. If the Bop It is to call out "Pull it!", the player must quickly pull the "Pull It!" handle.[3][5] Players' scores are announced at the end of gameplay with a cypher in which different tones represent different point values and the maximum possible score is 100.[14] In 2000, a second edition model was made which can score up to 200. In the 2000 release at the end sequence, each "Pull It!" whistle denotes 100 points, each ratchet denotes 10, and each drum denotes 1 point. If the player reaches 200 points, the game will just play the victory song.[5] This style of score-reporting would later recur in later Bop It models, and the Zing It spin off[15][16][17] (see below). The same cypher values were used for all subsequent Bop It cyphers. This device requires 3 AA batteries.[12]

Bop It Extreme

The Bop It Extreme

In 1998, Hasbro copyrighted its instructions for the Bop It Extreme, describing the underlying patents as "pending." This game included the additional commands "Flick it!" (a green zigzag lever) and "Spin it!" (a red wheel) along with the original three from Bop It. The game featured 4 game modes (Vox Bop, Beat Bop, Vox Bop Solo and Beat Bop Solo), and the maximum score (reported via cypher) was increased to 250.[16][17] As with the earlier Bop It model, special victory songs were unlocked upon completion. Thus, achieving a score of 100 or greater rewards the player with an additional victory song after the announcement of the score. On reaching 150 inputs, a different special victory celebration plays, and achievement of the maximum score would trigger a yet different special victory ending. This device requires 3 AA batteries.[16]

In 2003, this model was one of the top games in the market.[18]

In 2021, it was revealed on the official Dan Klitsner's social media pages that the voice of the game was Scott Parkin. Scott, who was from California, has a skateboard "dude" personality. He had some visonairy ideas from several of his lines, including "Game over!" which comes from the film Aliens.[19]

Bop It Extreme 2

The Bop It Extreme 2

Partially reliant on the original Bop It's 2000 patent, the Bop It Extreme 2 also relied on the newly issued 2001 patent describing the layout changes that had been adopted for use in the Bop It Extreme.[4] With its instructions copyrighted in 2002, the layout of Hasbro's Bop It Extreme 2 was shown to be altered from that of Bop It Extreme. The shapes of several inputs were also altered. Volume controls were added, and the method of score reporting was changed to using plain English. In addition to the four modes featured in Bop It Extreme, a "One on One" mode was added.[20] Bop It Extreme 2 was awarded "Electronic Game of the Year 2005" in the UK.[21] This device requires 3 AA batteries.[20]

Bop It Extreme 2 was made in black, white, and pink variants. The Bop it Extreme 2 like the Bop it Extreme has a maximum score of 250. Hasbro also released a German-speaking version with the name "Simon Challenge".

Bratz Bop It

As described in its instruction manual (copyright 2004), Hasbro's Bratz-themed Bop It game uses a layout like that of the earlier (3-input) Bop It format. The maximum score in Bratz Bop It had the same scoring as the original Bop It re-release with a victory song playing after the score cypher for scores of over 100 points. Bratz Bop It requires 3 AAA batteries to operate.[22]

Bop It Blast

In 2005, Hasbro copyrighted the instructions to Bop It Blast, describing it as covered under the original (3-input) Bop It patent and referencing other patents that were pending. The game was also developed by Tiger Electronics. This member of the series again increased the maximum score to a total of 500, and for the first time allowed different high scores for different modes rather than having one high score for all modes collectively. Minor vocal additions were implemented such as the announcement of the player's score at notable landmarks (each 100 points scored). In addition to the six modes from Bop It Extreme 2, a "Light Bop" mode was added. The game also had an optional female voice. The game can allow the player to select a male, female, or both voices calling the commands. The same victory song from the original Bop It was used to report the 500 highest score. The sound effects and backing beats from this version were used for the current release of Bop It's. This device requires 3 AA batteries to operate.[23]

Bop It Download

In 2006, Hasbro copyrighted the instructions to Bop It Download, describing it as covered under the 5-input Bop It patent and referencing other patents that are pending. Tiger Electronics also developed the game.[24] This member of the Bop It line has three game modes - Solo, Pass It and One-on-One and has 15 levels of difficulty. The maximum score is 1000 and this Bop It lets the player download a program on a Windows computer to download new content.[25] The software was discontinued a few years later when Bop It Download was discontinued by Hasbro. The 'level up' sound was taken from this Bop It to be re-used in newer Bop It models such as the Bop It! and the Bop It! XT.

Current versions (2009-)

Bop It!

In 2008, Hasbro secured the copyrights to the instructions for Bop It!.[26] At the 2009 New York Toy Fair and at the London Toy Fair, Hasbro allowed attendees to try out Bop It!.[27] Bop It! has a new optional input "Shout It", which requires a player to shout into the microphone.[28] The Bop It! has three difficulty levels: "Novice", using only voice commands, "Expert", using a random mix of voice and sound commands, and "Master", calling out voice, sound, and color commands. If the player scores 100 points in either of the less difficult modes, the next most difficult mode is unlocked. Players that achieve a score of 100 points in "Master" mode are considered to have beaten the game.[26] Hasbro also added a multi-player game called "Party" where all the Bop It commands are replaced with body parts like "foot", "hip", and "arm". Bop It! requires 3 AAA batteries to operate and when the game turns off it will say "I'm going to sleep". All future Bop It's made by KID Group feature this sound.[26]

Bop-It! Bounce

After securing the copyrights to the instructions in 2009,[29] Hasbro made announcements regarding the newest member of the Bop It game line, entitled Bop-It! Bounce during the 2010 Hasbro Toy Fair. The toy was also developed by Big Monster Toys. This toy features a ball and a small hand-held trampoline. There are six games that may be played on Bop It! Bounce including three games that emphasize the speed or number of bounces and three games that emphasize the player's ability to control the height of the bounces.[citation needed]

  • Max Bounce - Players compete to achieve the greatest number of bounces in 30 seconds.[29]
  • Infinite Bounce - Players compete to achieve the greatest number of bounces without a time limit.[29]
  • Hang Time - Players compete to bounce the ball the highest.[29]
  • Right Height - The player must listen to vocal cues from the Bop It! Bounce, calling for higher or lower bounces until the correct height is achieved when a chime sounds.[29]
  • Little-Middle-Big - As with Right Height, the player must listen to vocal cues from the Bop It! Bounce calling for bounces of "big" height, "middle" height, or "little" height.[29]
  • Free Form - The toy produces different tones as the ball bounces to different heights.[29]

Bop It! XT

In 2010, the instructions for the Bop It! XT were copyrighted. The Bop It! XT is the fourth edition of Bop It Extreme with the same commands but adding a new command, "Shake It". Also, "Spin It" is now orange. The game was demonstrated at the London Toy Fair[30] and was released in 2011. The Bop It! XT is based on the gameplay of the Bop It! and returns the "One on One" mode and adds the new Pro level. In order to beat Bop-It! XT, the player is given a set of three commands to remember and must perform them in order with a mix of voice, sound and color commands 100 times.[31] The game was released again on Amazon.com in the US and in the test mode has a special revision number of "XT Second Mask 4" (see more details in the re-release models section).[32]

Bop-It! Smash

In 2012, Hasbro introduced Bop-It! Smash at the New York Toy Fair. Bop-It! Smash features color-changing lights in a central area called "The Zone". Players score by "smashing" two Bop-It! buttons together when a zone light is either green or blue. Bop-It! Smash has 3 various game modes: Solo, Pass It and Multi-player.

In Solo mode, the player scores five points for smashing a blue light and one point for smashing the green. If the player smashes the amber light, the voice will say "Yow!" (followed by a negative comment such as: "Try harder!") and a game life will be deducted. After 4 rounds, the level is completed and a Bonus Round will begin. The player can get 5 or more bonus points. The highest number of bonus points a player can score in the bonus round is 105 and the player can break the programming and score over 1000 with the voice not being able to announce the score at the end of the game. After the level 5 bonus round, the bonus round becomes twice as fast from level 6-10 making the game harder to score points. During a level (except bonus rounds) the player can earn a life back if they smash another blue light after smashing an amber. In the Pass It mode, the player has three attempts to try and smash a green or a blue. If they smash an orange light 3 times, then the game is over. In the Multi-player mode, up to 6 players can play. The winner is the last one surviving after all other players have lost all their lives.[33] The current World Record for a full solo game is 1070 and has been the World Record since May 2015. This is achieved by scoring mostly 95, 90, 85 and 80 bonus points on the bonus rounds and getting all blue lights in each level.[34]

Bop It! Tetris

In early 2013, the Tetris Company signed a deal with Hasbro to make Tetris themed games with their brands. Later in 2013, Hasbro launched Jenga and Bop It themed versions of Tetris.[35] It features a "Marathon" mode and additional modes based around different gameplay styles (Blast, Double Drop and Shuffle). A special Silver edition was also released in late 2013 only in the United States. In the Marathon mode, the player can take advantage of the bonus rounds to score over 800 points. The highest Marathon score ever achieved is 866 and is the current world record for a full Marathon.[36] The highest number of bonus points is 80 but it can only be done in 2 different bonus round patterns.

Bop It! Beats

In 2013, Hasbro released a game called Bop It! Beats which first appeared on Amazon in December 2013.[37] Bop It! Beats has five game modes - Classic, Classic Party, DJ, DJ Party and Remix and has three difficulty levels – Rookie, Expert and Lights Only. It also has five actions - Bop It, Spin It, Scratch It, Reverse, Repeat and Flip It. In the Classic mode, there are 4 rounds and each of the two has a different set of songs that the game switches between. In the second and fourth round, there are two songs that Hasbro chose to use in the game.[38] The highest score in Classic is 263 and the highest score in the DJ mode is 147 if played in the Expert level in the DJ Party mode. The game also has a Remix mode on which you can play any action sound effect you want on the turntable of the game. This particular Bop It has a glitch on which if the player reaches a 6 command pattern in the DJ Expert and Lights Only mode, the game will make the player fail. However, this glitch does not happen in a foreign-language version like the Spanish or the French versions.

Bop It! Micro Series

The Bop It! Micro Series is a version of Bop It released in 2014 by Hasbro.[39] It uses the three basic commands Bop It, Twist It and Pull It and it has two game modes - Solo and Pass It. The game also has three volume levels. The highest score in the Bop It! Micro is 100 and as the player scores closer to 100 the pitch of the gameplay will speed up. As Hasbro released it as a series of games - several character themed version of the Micro Bop It followed which include - Bop It R2D2,[40] Bop It BB8,[41] Bop It Groot[42] and Bop It Minion. In addition to these characters, Hasbro have released a Bop It Olaf and a Bop It Chewbacca[43] in 2019. On June 23, 2020, Hasbro announced a new bop it Yoda (The Child) based on the mandalorian tv show. It had a release date of October 2, 2020. It was a Wal-Mart exclusive. On October 1, 2021, the Marvel Spider-Man Bop It was released. On June 29, 2022, a video on YouTube by Lucky Penny Shop was released, along with an article from another sourced about a Bop It shaped like Darth Vader with the voice of Emperor Palpatine calling the commands. The game was released on September 23, 2022 as a Walmart exclusive.[citation needed]

Bop It! New Moves (2016 Bop It - aka: Bop It! Refresh)

In 2015, Hasbro copyrighted the instructions to a new model of Bop It to be released in 2016 called Bop It! New Moves (a.k.a. Bop It Refresh or the Bop It 2016). In January 2016, a YouTube channel called KidToyTesters released a video of a working prototype of the game.[44] In February 2016 at the New York Toy Fair, Hasbro demonstrated Bop It New Moves.[45] The game was released worldwide in June 2016. The game has 3 main actions – Bop It, Twist It and Pull It and 10 actions that use a motion sensor. These actions include – Whip It, Drink It, Selfie It, Comb It, Answer It, Saw It, Hammer It, Cradle It, Sing It and Golf It. The game has six modes – Action, Action Pass It, Classic, Classic Pass It, Beat Bop and Beat Bop Pass It. The Action mode has a maximum score of 200 points and the Classic and Beat Bop mode has a maximum score of 100 points. The game is the first and only Bop It to have a motion detector that detects when to change the batteries. It will remind the player with a sad pitch changing voice saying "My batteries are running low." when the batteries need changing.

Bop It! Maker

In 2017, Hasbro released the follow up to the Bop It! New Moves called Bop It! Maker. The game was first demonstrated at New York Toy Fair in 2017 and was released in July 2017. The Bop It! Maker has 10 slots available on where the player can record their custom moves for the game. The game has four new actions - Bop It, Roll It, Shout It and Squeeze It. The game has three modes - Solo, Party and Basic. In the Solo mode, the game uses the four moves and all the recorded moves. In the Party mode, the game plays like Solo but instead the "Pass It" command is issued. In the Basic mode, the voice says "Bop It to Start!" and plays a little faster than the Solo mode. Each mode can score up to 100 points.[46]

The Bop It! Button

Since 2020, the inventor of Bop It had an idea for a game for the series 25th anniversary. Originally codenamed the UniBop, in 2022, the game later be known as The Bop It Button.. The button, is a simple game with 2 basic moves - Bop It and Don't Bop It. However, the game will get more complex as the game will include additional ways to trick the player, such as saying "Do not Bop It!" with pauses in between and adding various sounds such as a clock ticking or someone snoring - sometimes the voice ( lead by Buddy Rubino) will say "Now" followed by the command. The game uses various sounds from the past 25 years of Bop It which include Smash, Extreme, a catchphrase from Bop It Beats "Off the hook!" and can score up to 1 million and the player 'beats' the game at 2500 with a special message from the inventor. This is also the first Bop It for the voice actor Buddy Rubino to say the number "thousand". The button can be purchased through Bop It 4 good.com which is the inventors official website for Bop It and pre-production units already being sent to testers for testing and the first release revision is due to be released in December.[47]

Re-release versions

Bop It re-release (2000) and (2002)

In July 2000, the first patent for Bop It was issued.[3] This patent covers all subsequent Bop It models, and was cited in the instructions for the re-release of the original Bop It (instructions copyrighted in 2000). The newer version of the original toy increased its maximum score to 200.[48] In addition to the score-report cypher, the 2000 model made use of a special victory song that would play after the score if the player achieved a score of 100 points or greater. The use of victory songs associated with in-game point-plateaus would recur in later model Bop It games such as Bop It Extreme and Bratz Bop It.[16][22] The Bop It 2002 version requires 3 AAA batteries whilst the Bop It 2000 version requires 3 AA batteries.

Bop It! Classic (Bop It Micro Re-release)

In 2019, Hasbro released a new version of Bop It called the Bop It Classic. The game was released in the US in July 2019 with a worldwide release expected in the Autumn of 2019. The game has four modes - Solo, Pass It, Beat Bop Solo and Beat Bop Pass It and has three actions - Bop It, Twist It and Pull It. The game's programming is based on the Bop It Micro but it game unit is bigger than the Micro and looks like a Bop It from 2009. The recording of "Beat Bop" was taken from the 2016 Bop It whilst all the other voices were from the Bop It! Micro Series. The game has been revisied 3 times due to bad inputs being manfuactured. The latest version has the revision code "Refresh US 4" in the test mode and changes pitch 3 times instead of 4. This revision a has been used to make the Worlds Smallest Bop It. Each game mode has a maximum score of 100 points.[49][50]

Bop It Extreme (2022)

In 2022, Hasbro released a new version of the Bop It XT called the Bop It Extreme for an Amazon.com Exclusive in the US. The new Extreme uses similar toggle switches like the 2016 Bop It and uses the original sound recordings from the XT. The new Extreme has a voiceover in the test mode that says "XT Second Mask 4" and has some changes to the gameplay to make it more suitable for easy players. One most notable change is in the Pro level, on which after every 3 points, the game will repeat the sequence of "Bop It, Twist It, Pull It". It does not do this in Pass It or Party modes. Originally, the inventor wanted to make an entirely new version as Bop It Extreme 3 as the working title in time for the 25th anniverary, but due to chip shortages and other concerns, Hasbro decided to re-do the XT. Another notable change is that the speaker has a 'bass boost'. The Bop It buttons are now purple instead of black.



Keychain, pen and caribiner versions

Mini versions of several Bop It models have also been released throughout the duration of the series to be used as keychain carabiners and pens. Mini versions have been released for Bop It 1996 and 2002,[51] Bop It Extreme, Bop It Extreme 2, Bop It!, and Bop It! XT.[52]

Game modes

Vox Bop (with voice commands)

"Vox Bop" is a multi-player game that serves as the primary game mode for the Bop It toy. A voice recording in the game machine calls out the commands randomly with a musical beat that increases in speed as the game progresses. The player must match the series of commands exactly and then the voice will call out "Pass It!" and the Bop It is passed to the next player. As the player passes the game to the next player, the game will play a short melody and then the intro beat will play again before the next command. A player is "out" of the game if the player performs the wrong action or if the player hesitates.[5][16][17][22][48] This mode is also known as "Vox Bop Pass It" in Bop It Extreme 2,[20] and then simply "Pass It" in Bop It Download, Bop It XT, and Bop It!.

Vox Bop One on One

"Vox Bop One on One" is available on Bop It Extreme 2, Bop It Blast,[23] Bop It Download, and Bop It! XT,[31] though in Download and XT it is simply "One on One". In this multi-player game, two players each take hold of the Bop It with the yellow player holding the "Twist It!" crank and the "Pull It!" knob, and the green player holding the "Flick It!" lever and the "Spin It!" wheel. The unit calls out a series of commands and each player is responsible for only his or her assigned inputs. When the unit finally calls "Bop It!" both players must try to hit the "Bop It!" button on the side bearing their color first. The unit will announce which player was faster by which colored side of the button was depressed first. The winning player earns a point. If either player misses a call he is "out" of the game. The final winner is the player who gets to five points first and does not miss any commands.[20]

Beat Bop (with musical commands)

The "Beat Bop" mode follows a similar format as the "Vox Bop (with voice commands)" mode (above) and the rules are roughly equivalent. The game mode is called “Lights Only” in Bop It Beats. The difference in "Beat Bop" mode is that the game uses sounds as commands instead of words. Thus:

  • "Bop It!" becomes the sound of a bass drum.
  • "Spin It!" becomes the sound of a wobbling wheel.
  • "Flick It!" becomes a "Boing!" sound.
  • "Pull It!" becomes the sound of a slide-whistle.
  • "Twist It!" becomes a cranking sound.[5][16][17][22][48]
  • "Shout It!" becomes a DJ's scratching sound.[26]
  • "Shake It!" becomes a cowbell sound.

Solo Bop

"Solo Bop" is the single-player mode for the original Bop It. This game is substantially similar to "Vox Bop (with voice commands)", except the "Pass It!" command is never issued. Instead, when the player misses a command, the game ends and the score is reported.[5][22][48] This mode is also known as "Vox Bop Solo" in Bop It Extreme[16][17] and Bop It Extreme 2,[20] and simply "Solo" in "Bop It!"[26] and Bop It XT!.[31]

Beat Bop Solo

"Beat Bop Solo" is only available for Bop It Extreme and Bop It Extreme 2. This game is substantially similar to the "Beat Bop (with musical commands)" mode, except that the "Pass It!" command is never issued. Instead, when the player misses a command, the game ends and the score is reported.[16][17][20]

Light Bop

The "Light Bop" mode is featured in Bop It Blast and Bop It Download. The player must respond when the light and the command match together.[23]

Color Commands

In the Master level on Bop It! and Bop It! XT, color commands are issued. Color commands are also issued in the "Pro" mode on Bop It XT.

  • "Bop It" becomes the word "White" in Bop It![26] and "Black" in Bop It! XT[31] and "Purple" in the 2022 Extreme.
  • "Twist It" becomes the word "Yellow"[26]
  • "Pull It" becomes the word "Blue"[26]
  • "Shout It" becomes the word "Green" in Bop It![26]
  • "Flick It" becomes the word "Green" in Bop It! XT[31]
  • "Spin It" becomes the word "Orange"[31]
  • "Shake It" becomes the word "Purple"[31]

Software versions

In 2009, EA Games released Hasbro Family Game Night 2, a sequel to the earlier-released collection of Hasbro boardgames and toys, Hasbro Family Game Night. Hasbro Family Game Night 2 was released for the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS and both versions featured Bop It as a playable simulation.[53]

In 2011, EA Games released an app for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad.[54] This app features several game modes, commands from the handheld games, X-Move bonuses and newer commands like "Brush It!", "Crank It!", "Squeeze It!", and "Poke It!".[55]

EA Games has also made Hasbro Family Game Night 4: The Game Show which features Bop It as a playable simulation.[56]

Chillingo made a Bop It Smash app for iOS.[57]

Sister products

The popularity of the Bop It line encouraged Hasbro and a number of companies to release a number of sister products. If you want to read more about the Tiger Electronics line of brain taining games that include Brain Bash, Brain Warp, Bird Brain and Brain Shfit, see the Brain Warp article.

Zing It

Zing It is a yo-yo-style audio game that, like Bop It, issues commands with which the player must comply. Like the original Bop It, three commands may be issued: "Bop it!", requiring the player to press the depress-able purple button, "Zing it!", requiring the player to throw the yo-yo downward and jerk it back up to the hand again, and "Loop it!", requiring the player to perform the "round the world" yo-yo trick. Zing It features three modes: "Vox Bop" (as with Bop It products), "Beat Bop" (as with Bop It products), and "Vox Bop Challenge", where the game will test mental pelmanism by issuing rapid strings of commands which must be subsequently performed in the correct order. As with Bop It and Bop It Extreme, Zing It announces the score by musical cypher. Like the two Bop It Extreme games, Zing It has a maximum score of 250 and is announced by a horn, followed by a crowd clapping.[15]

Top It

With its instructions copyrighted in 1999, the Top It is a kendama-style audio game developed by Parker Bros. (under Hasbro) that also issues commands which a player must respond to with the appropriate action. Commands include "Top it!" (requiring the player to catch the ball in the red top cup), "Flop it!" (requiring the player to catch the ball in one of the purple side cups), and "Flip it!" (requiring the player to catch the ball in the purple side cup on the other side). The command structure has slightly fewer variations than any other Hasbro game, since the "Flip it!" command can only be issued if the "Flop it!" command directly precedes it.[58]

Torx

The Torx is an audio game developed by Big Monster Toys under Hasbro that was released in 2000.[59] The game has two twistable circles and two bendable arms that can bend in different angles 90 degrees. The game has four modes - Follow My Command, Find My Shape, Torx Says and Pass Torx. In Follow my Command, the game plays like a Bop It but the commands can get more complex. First the voice will say "Twist me" but then it can command the player to "Twist me again" or to "Twist me back". If it says "Bend me" it can command the player to "Bend me back", "Bend the same side" or "Bend the other side". Every 15 points, the game will announce "Torx Challenge" and give the player a sequence of commands to memorize. The challenge mode is similar to the one in Top It and Zing It and the player must start the sequence after Torx says "Ready, go!". In Find My Shape, the game unit will tell the player how close they are to the shape that Torx wants to be. It will give out directions like "Cooler", "Hotter" and when the player is near Torx will say "On fire!" and a sound effect will play if they find the shape. If the player is not near the correct shape, Torx will say "Ice cold!", "Warm" or "Warmer". In Torx Says, the game will produce 2 different tones. With a normal pitched Torx unit, if the player hears an F note, they must follow the command. If they hear a B flat note they must not follow the command. The game is over if the player beats the game or fails to respond or hesitate. In game four, the game will player like Game 1 but instead after a certain sequence of commands, the player will hear "Pass Torx". The maximum score in each game mode is 240.

NuJam Guitar

The NuJam Guitar (also called the Rock It Bop It in the UK) was a game made by KID Group and Hasbro. KID made the soundtrack for the game, along with Gary Lexemburg. The idea of the name NuJam was taken from a software based game that Gary was working on before it eventually become an electronic pyshical Bop It guitar.[60] It was released in 2002 in the US and 2003 in the UK that was sold under the name Rock It Bop It Guitar and later Rock It. The game did not sell very well due to the first batch of units having a problem in the game's hardware where one of the slide switches wouldn't register, so the later versions Rock It (for the UK) and NuJam Guitar (for the US) were made.

The game has 4 actions - Strum, Twist, Slide Left and Slide Right.

It also has 4 game modes - Jam, Rhythm Jam, Group Jam and Free Jam.

It also has 2 different playstyles - Alternative Rock and Hip Hop.

In the Jam mode, the player has to score 300 points to win the game. The game instructions gives an error saying that after 12 points the game changes octave, however it only changes octave on 12 on the first 2 times. After 176 moves, the game goes into Double Time which makes it twice as fast. The maximum score in Jam is 300.

In the Rhythm Jam mode the game produces a pattern of 4 sounds most of the time, but the patterns mix from 6-9 later on. There are multiple patterns sets for Rock and Hip Hop. In the second part of the Funk mode, the patterns are all different.

In the Group Jam mode, the game plays like the Jam mode but the announcer voice says “Who’s next?” and then after a rift it says “Let’s do this!”. An app simulation of NuJam Guitar is expected to be released for PC and mobile in 2023 titled NJ RockOut developed and organised by team Bop It Rift and will be using familiar voices that were used during the original NuJam project such as Adam Rossi who provided the original game's prototype voice, and some new lines such as "YOU... ROCKED... OUT!" when the player beats the game.

Groove It

Groove It is an audio game made by Hasbro whose instructions have been copyrighted in 2003 and voiced by Adam Rossi from AR Audio. With similar game play to the Bop It games, Groove It employs photodetection technology to determine the player's hand position. As with Bop It games, Groove It issues voice commands, however in this case the commands are: "the scratch", "the slide", and "the zoom". The game is more tolerant of errors than the Bop It games, allowing as many as three missed commands in some modes. The game requires a score of 250 to win, has a maximum score of 300, and employs a ranking system. As the game progresses, it issues eight new moves: "the chop", "the zip", "the flow", "the car wash", "the rock 'n' roll", "the kung fu", "the swirl" and "the hip hop".[61] Groove It may be due to come back in video game form with Team Bop It Rift developing the game, a title known as NJ Smooth Groovz has been in the talks and possibly Adam doing the voice in that game.

References

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External links

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