Think-A-Tron

"The machine that thinks like a man"

Did you know Hasbro put a computer in homes in 1967, 10 years before the Timex/Sinclair and Commodore 64? Well, its true! Meet the Think-A-Tron. Just pop in two "D" batteries, pick a punched computer card with the multiple-choice question (A,B,C, T or F) to be answered. Then feed it to the machine, push the button and the computer starts whirring. Wheels turn, lights flash and within seconds the correct answer appears on the screen! Try getting an answer that fast on the Web!

The questions came two to a card covering a variety of subjects. The set came with 150 cards, making 300 potential questions the Think-A-Tron could answer. There was a little holder for each set of 50 cards. You could also buy additional question packs containing 50 cards/100 questions (all approved by The Book of Knowledge encyclopedia people) about topics like sports and games.

The Think-A-Tron is surprisingly affordable. It retailed for around $10 in the sixties. Today, sales and auction sites sell them for $30-$50. They usually work but like most vintage battery-operated toys, the lid for the battery compartment tended to separate from the set. The cards, if not properly stored, would develop curls, making fitting them into the computer difficult.