Nelsonic Industries


Nelsonic Industries was an electronics manufacturing and development company that operated from Long Island City, Queens, New York City in the early 1980s and throughout the 1990s when it was acquired by the watch-manufacturer, M.Z. Berger. Nelsonic produced numerous toy-themed wristwatches, often targeting younger audiences with likenesses of characters from popular franchises such as Barbie, the Ghostbusters, and Mario. Nelsonic became notable during the early mid-1980s for being the first electronics company in the United States to produce game-watches. For a period subsequent to its purchase by M.Z. Berger, Nelsonic operated as a subsidiary division of its parent company and game-watches were produced that bore the Nelsonic mark. This practice ended as M.Z. Berger shifted focus to more traditional and higher-end timepieces. Today the original Nelsonic Game Watch line has entered the secondary market and individual Game Watches have become highly sought-after collectibles that often fetch high prices on eBay and other online auction websites.

History

Throughout its existence, Nelsonic produced pop-culture-themed wrist-watches for children and young adults. The chronograph digital watches, typically made of molded plastic, invariably featured an alarm and utilized LCD screens to display the time for their wearers. In time the company began manufacturing multi-purpose units that used the LCD screen to combine time display functions with simple video game functions. These simple video games were variations on the theme of the calculator watch, and the patent covering the Game Watch line is in fact classified as an "electronic calculator watch structure." The company's first game watch was called Space Attacker. Becoming the first electronics manufacturer in the United States to produce game-watches, Nelsonic earned a large share in this specialized market and was able to earn the attention of large video game companies at events such as the Consumer Electronics Show. Having caught the popular attention and with goodwill at a high-point, Nelsonic was able to obtain licensing from several big-name video game companies such as Sega, Nintendo, Midway Games, and Mylstar Electronics. With roots in the toy market, Nelsonic was also able to obtain similar licenses to produce LCD versions of popular electronic toys like Milton Bradley's Simon as well as to produce original LCD games for non-game toy franchises like Barbie, G.I. Joe, and Power Rangers and even for film and TV franchises such as Ghostbusters. So well-known became the Nelsonic brand that it was even able to license its own original games.
As time progressed, Nelsonic experimented with higher-end products such as metal watches and increasingly complex game-watch designs. In 1990 the watch-making giant, M.Z. Berger, made a large bid and was able to successfully purchase the company. For a period of nearly a decade after this acquisition, M.Z. Berger continued to use Nelsonic as a subsidiary branch and to employ the Nelsonic mark in the release of game-watches and the production of new re-releases of popular models from the 1980s and early 1990s. By the end of the 1990s, however, public interest had waned and this practice came to an end as M.Z. Berger shifted markets to target higher end consumers more exclusively.
Today the Nelsonic mark is still in use for traditional watches and is not used in connection with game-watches. It is still a subsidiary of M.Z. Berger and as recently as 2007 it was listed by the AAFES as garnering over $1.9 million in sales.

Game watches

Below is a list of units sold by Nelsonic as part of their Game Watch line. Also included are game-watches sold under the term "Wrist Game", "Action Watch Game", and "Gamewatch Boy".
TitleDateLicensed byBased onNotesReferences
Barbie Tennis1990MattelBarbie
BaseballBaseballCame with a separately detachable Nelsonic brand 5×16mm monocular to aid in viewing the small screen.
Black JackBlackjackLater re-released under license to Caesars Palace where it was sold in their gift shop as Caesars Palace Black Jack
Bo Bear
Dinky Dino's Watch1997A digital pet game similar to the Tamagotchi, this Game Watch was also released under the name Dinopet.
Donkey Kong1994NintendoDonkey Kong
FootballAssociation footballThis unit was simultaneously released in the United States as Soccer, and was later re-released in at least one other different style of physical layout.
Frogger1983SegaFrogger
Ghostbusters1990Columbia PicturesGhostbustersAlso described on the box as The Real Ghostbusters.
G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero1990HasbroG.I. Joe
Grand PrixCasioAuto racing
Luigi's Hammer Toss1990NintendoSuper Mario Bros. 2Released in black under the name Luigi's Hammer Toss in North America and simply called Luigi in Japan. Offered in some Japanese McDonald's restaurants. First game to feature Luigi as the only main playable character.
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Melody Car RacingAuto racingCame with a separately detachable Nelsonic brand 5×15mm monocular to aid in viewing the small screen.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers1994Saban EntertainmentPower Rangers
Ms. Pac Man1982Ms. Pac-Man
Pac Man1982Midway GamesPac-ManThis game retailed for between $25 and $35 and quickly became one of the most popular Nelsonic Game Watches, selling over 500,000 units. This unit was released with several different faceplate graphics and at least 2 different styles of physical layout - one with 4 directional buttons and the other with a small joystick that could be assembled.
Poochie Watch1997
Princess Toadstool's Castle Run1990NintendoSuper Mario Bros. 2Released in yellow under the name Princess Toadstool's Castle Run in North America and simply called Peach in Japan. Offered in some Japanese McDonald's restaurants. First game to feature Peach as the only main playable character.
Q*Bert1983Mylstar ElectronicsQ*Bert
Race CarAuto racing
Sea RangerAldo
SimonMilton Bradley CompanySimon
Space Attacker1981The game was also released under the name by Collins Industrial Co., under the name Cosmic Wars by Majestron, and the layout was used in the pornographic Sexum Watch. The game was re-released by Nelsonic in 1983 as Space Wars, and versions of the game exist in black plastic and metal variants.
Star Fox1993NintendoStar FoxThe game was released by Nelsonic simultaneously in Europe as Starwing and was re-released with at least 2 different styles of physical layout. Some versions came with a headphone jack and headphones.
Super Mario Bros.1989NintendoSuper Mario Bros.Released in white and black colors. Also released under the title Mario Bros. This game came with a headphone jack and headphones.
Super Mario 31990NintendoSuper Mario Bros. 3Also described on the watchband as Super Mario Bros. 3. Released in black, white, red and pink color versions. Released in Europe in December 1992 by Zeon.
Super Mario Bros. 41991NintendoSuper Mario WorldAlso described on the watchband as Super Mario World. This game came with a headphone jack and headphones.
Super Mario Race1992NintendoSuper Mario KartFront side of package uses the Japanese front cover art of the Game Boy version of F-1 Race.
Tank Battle1982Also released under the titles Plane & Tank Battle and Tank & Plane Battle.
Tetris1990NintendoTetrisVery well received by critics. Released in black, white, red and pink versions. Released in Europe in December 1992 by Zeon.
The Legend of Zelda1989NintendoThe Legend of ZeldaReleased in black, red, white, and pink versions. Released in Europe in December 1992 by Zeon.
The Maze WatchLabyrinthOne of the earliest Nelsonic Game Watches, the game portion of this unit is a physical Labyrinth.