The Little Professor: Making Math Fun for Kids
Electronics firm Texas Instruments released The Little Professor in 1976, but its popularity in blending math with electronics helped the toy remain popular well into the 1980s. The game was a “reverse calculator.” The device, a small handheld device with its professor character grinning from around its digital screen, would give the player a math problem. The player then had to solve the problem. When the player inputs the right answer, the screen would offer its digital praise for a job well done. It was one of the hit toys upon its release, and moderately priced to reach a greater number of buyers. It made math fun for those who love it, engaging for those leery of it, and led to the electronic educational toy revolution. With more than a million games sold, The Little Professor paved the way for Texas Instrument’s next (yet inadvertent) success.