As I was walking around the Fair I noticed the Mash a Mouse booth. And I wondered why it was Mash a Mouse instead of Whac-a-Mole. After all, Whac-a-Mole is generic name for those kinds of games, right?
So when I got home I started poking around and looking for Whac-a-Mole information.
What I discovered is that Whac-A-Mole is not merely a game; it is an empire. And it's far from generic.
Whac-A-Mole is owned by Bob's Space Racers. They offer a variety of other games too, including Roll-A-Ball, Flat Top Derby, and Squeeze Play.
What did I mean by empire? Bob's Space Racers recently licensed Whac-a-Mole to Hasbro so they could create and market home games. (Look for TV Whac-A-Mole in a store near you.)
And money money money. BSR mentioned in a 2003 press release that "Whac-A-Mole continues to be a leading revenue producer in amusement parks and fun centers worldwide generating approximately $100 million per year in gaming revenue and an estimated $1.2 billion since inception."
That's a lot of big silly hammers.
So Whac-a-Mole is not a generic game name like I thought, but a trademarked moniker bringing in big bucks. So sometimes when you can't get the Whac-a-Mole game you've got to go with the mashing mice instead.
Has this entry made you nostalgic to play Whac-a-Mole? No worries; there's a free, Flash-based version available online.
