Wolverine Adding Machine (1941)
In the 1930s and '40s, the closest that consumers could get to a mainstream commercial computer was a mechanical adding machine. Accordingly, Wolverine Supply Company of Pittsburgh created this early tin toy adding machine that could sum numbers up to 9999.
Edmund C. Berkeley Geniac (1955)
In the 1950s, computers entered the American consciousness in a big way. Enterprising companies soon found ways to scale down the "electric brain" experience and bring it to the home in kit form. The Geniac was one of the first kits to do so, retailing for a mere $20 in 1955 (that's about $167 in today's dollars).
The Geniac kit shipped with a wooden frame and a set of six predrilled Masonite discs that served as rotary switches. The user programmed the computer by wiring the switches in a certain way, and then gave the computer input by positioning the discs. Assuming that the program was set up correctly, the user would see the result flash on a series of miniature light bulbs. Believe it or not, the Geniac could play an unbeatable game of Tic-Tac-Toe if wired correctly.
E.S.R. Digi-Comp I (1963)
The Digi-Comp I was an entirely mechanical digital computer made from plastic parts that could perform Boolean logic operations on a three-digit binary number. And you could have it all for only $5 in 1963.
Users programmed the Digi-Comp to handle simple logical tasks such as addition and subtraction by positioning plastic cylinders at certain points on three plastic flip-flop platforms. Users would then manually slide a plastic plate in and out to perform operations, reading the results on the three-digit counter on the left side of the unit.
The Digi-Comp I was so popular that Minds-On Toys recently released a fully functional cardboard reproduction of the unit that you can buy today.
Science Fair Digital Computer Kit (1977)
In the mid-1970s, when using a home computer usually meant building and programming the machine yourself, an educational computer like the Science Fair Digital Computer Kit made sense. In the absence of any true electronic components, the user programmed the arcane kit by attaching wires to various spring posts and by flipping switches to form rudimentary digital logic gates.
When the user pushed a button on the console, electric current would flow through the wires in a way that would show a result on the row of lamps above. By following the included booklet, users could set up the kit to solve simple logic puzzles (including one that requires a farmer to transport a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across a river without any of the items getting eaten). Its fundamental operation was simple in theory but very complicated to set up in practice, which probably frustrated many kids on post-Bicentennial Christmas mornings.
Sears Talking Computron (1986)
The first half of the 1980s produced a number of simple toy computers, including the VTL Computron and the Sears Talkatron Learning Computer, both of which were marketed prominently through the annual Sears Wish Book catalog.
Sears followed up on those units with the Sears Talking Computron, shown here, which expanded on its predecessors' capabilities with additional built-in activities and better voice synthesis. The Talking Computron also ran software off of cartridge-based expansion modules--each sold separately.
