Nintendo is a gaming juggernaut today, but it wasn’t really on anyone’s radar in the United States in 1980. And what was possibly the first US commercial for hardware produced by the company — a handheld called Toss-Up, from its “Game & Watch” series — certainly didn’t help, as a newly-restored copy shows. That’s because there’s no mention of Nintendo at all, or even Game & Watch.
It had to be restored because its dyes had faded significantly, leaving it with a magenta hue that will be familiar to anyone that’s seen obscure, unrestored movie prints. The foundation pointed to this “potato quality” version of the commercial that was uploaded to YouTube six years ago to illustrate the differences: The commercial entreats mostly older, trendy youths to enjoy an “electronic sport” when they can’t do real ones.