Tag Archives: q*bert

Tiny Arcade Q*Bert and Pole Position Games Don’t Need Tiny Quarters

Posted on by

I love classic arcade games from the 1980s. Not only did they define my youth, there’s just something special about how much enjoyment you were able to eke out of games with such simple gameplay mechanics. Toy company Super Impulse has been making teensy versions of 8-bit arcade games for a while now, and now we have two more to add to our collection: Q*Bert and Pole Position.

These miniature replicas measure just 3.75″ tall. They’re fully playable, and feature working game controls and a 1.5″ LCD screen. They play authentic game sounds too, and are small enough to hang from your keychain. Of course, good luck fitting your keys into your pocket now. Q*Bert is still an insanely difficult game, especially after the first level or two, so I can only imagine it being even trickier with that tiny joystick. Steering your Pole Position racer with a pinky-sized steering wheel isn’t much easier.

The entire collection of mini arcade cabinets is available over on Amazon, and with prices starting around $17, they make great stocking stuffers.

More Awesome Stuff for You to Click On:

Tiny Guitars are Finger Pluckin’ Insane
World’s Smallest Stuff Collection: For Tiny People with Tiny Hands
This Mid-Century Modern Arcade Cabinet is Living Room Friendly
SuperImpulse MicroArcade Games Are The Size of a Credit Card
World’s Smallest Stretch Armstrong Is Our Kind of Fidget Toy

Q*Bert POP! Figure Is Way Easier to Play with Than the Actual Game

Posted on by

Thinking back on my youth spending all the quarters I stole out of my dad’s change cup at the arcade, the video game I hated most was Q*Bert. He always jumped right off the top even when you pushed the joystick the right direction. Clearly he’s a cheater. We all know it, we could just never prove it.

I always hated that game, but damn if I didn’t want to beat it, so spend quarters I did. I always regretted putting them into the slot the second I did. My money was much better spent on Galaga. Even looking at this Q*Bert POP! Action figure makes me mad.  If I had all those quarters back I wasted on that orange bastard, I’d probably have enough to buy the arcade machine.

Entertainment Earth has this most annoying of arcade creatures for $10.99(USD), and it’s in stock for shipment. I know they programmed this dude to randomly jump off the steps of his pyramid just to cost me quarters. I know they did.

More Awesome Stuff for You to Click On:

Star Trek TNG Picard Action Figure: Lets Hope It Can Facepalm
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock POP! Figure Will Kiss the Sky
Baby Groot Figure is Life Size: I am Cute!
Star Wars Black Series 40th Anniversary Action Figures Coming in May
Epic Fallout 4 Action Figure Has Flamed-out T-60 Armor

Mr. @#?%!: A Q*bert-ese Obscenity Generator

Posted on by

What’s this? Two Q*bert posts in a week? Yeah, you got me. I guess I’m on a roll.

Remember how Q*bert used to let out that weird stream of gibberish expletives when one of his enemies got him? Well, one electronic musician decided to build himself a gadget which solely swears like Q*bert.

qbert swears

The Mr. @#?%! obscenity generator uses a variety of audio chips, including the classic Votrax SC-01A analog speech synthesizer. It was made by Count Funkula, using entirely parts that were available back in 1982, at the time the arcade machine came out. Check out some of the wondrous obscenities that stream forth from the orange guy’s proboscis…

Man, that little dude can swear like a truck driver. You can check out the schematics and read more about how Count Funkula built the Mr. @#?%! obscenity generator here. I’ll give you a hint – it doesn’t involve dropping balls and coiled-up snakes on anything.

Q*bert Coffee Table Looks @!#?@! Awesome

Posted on by

I always thought Q*bert was a cool game. Between the characters, funky sound effects and weird diagonal control scheme, it was definitely one of the more “out-there” video games of its time. That said, it was one of the most challenging games I ever played in the arcade. The only game that kicked my butt more was Donkey Kong. So with that in mind, I’m not sure if I should love or hate this Q*bert coffee table. Okay, I love it. That was easy.

q bert coffee table

The table was made by woodworker Gill Benzion of Ébéniste. It measures 24″(W) x 20″(D) x 20″(H) and features a marquetry detail inspired by the classic arcade game, set into a walnut veneer lid, set atop an ash base and legs. It’s definitely more elegant looking than the bright colors of the original Q*bert – and it doesn’t make weird noises when you drop things onto its isometric cubes.

q bert coffee table 2

You can order this one over on Etsy for $500(USD), or you can request a custom order if you’re looking for a different size. I think if I owned one of these, I’d have to go buy the old Q*bert board game and put the pieces in the empty spaces.