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Whac-A-Mole is a popular arcade redemption game invented in 1976 by Aaron Fechter of Creative Engineering, Inc. Mr. Fechter designed the first Wack-a-Mole and sold it to a carnival operator who sold it to Bob's Space Racers. Mr. Fechter was a young inventor who didn't realize the value of his invention and, therefore did not protect it with a patent. Even though Mr. Fechter coined the phrase "Wack-a-Mole", Bob's Space Racers copyrighted the name. Bob's Space Racers even took molds off the pieces Fechter sculpted of the first Wack-A-Mole creatures. At the time Bob Cassada bought the game Fechter had built from the carnival operator, Bob Cassada, founder of Bob's Space Racers invited Mr. Fechter to his facility and quizzed him about how the machine worked. Mr. Fechter refused to give up the electronic secrets that gave the game it's timing sequence, but that was fairly easy for Mr. Cassada to get around, although with some loss of effectiveness. Mr. Fechter went on to start the entertainment Pizza Chain, Showbiz Pizza Place with Kansas businessman, Bob Brock, and their new company, ironically bought more Whac-a-Moles than any other single customer.

Contents 1 Machine 2 Gameplay 3 Variations 4 Colloquial Usage 5 External links 6 References

Machine

A typical Whac-A-Mole machine consists a large waist-level cabinet with five holes on its top. Each hole contains a single plastic mole and the machinery necessary for moving it up and down. There is also large soft black mallet approximately the size of a small watermelon and a three-digit readout of the current player's score and on later models a best score of the day readout. The mallet is usually attached to the game by a rope in order to prevent patrons from walking away from the machine with it.

Gameplay

Once the game starts, the moles will begin to rise from their holes at random. The object of the game is to force the individual moles back into their holes by hitting them directly on the head with the mallet, thereby adding to his/her score. If the player does not strike a mole within a certain time period or with enough force, it will eventually sink back into its hole regardless. Although gameplay starts out slow enough for most people to hit all of the moles that rise, gameplay gradually increases in speed with each mole spending less time above the hole and with more moles outside of their holes at the same time. After a designated time limit, the game ends, regardless of the skill of the player. The final score is based upon the number of moles that the player struck.

Variations

Whac-A-Mole machines have been designed to allow vendors to replace the mole heads with other figures that may be more popular with certain audiences. For example, NFL helmets may be used to appeal to sports fans, or ghosts and witches may be used in the Halloween season. Often custom versions are produced for companies seeking attention at trade-shows or sponsored events. These versions may have custom heads and graphics.

There are also machines that have very similar gameplay to Whac-A-Mole, however since Whac-a-Mole is a trademark of Bob's Space Racers Inc., they are sold under other names. Whac-a-Mole has also inspired a number of Internet games and Mobile games that are similar in gameplay and strategy.

In the 1990's Bob's Space Racers introduced smaller versions in junior and toddler sizes. Some of the toddler games use A-B-C heads instead of mole heads. The toddler version also has only three mole holes and the difficultly level has been reduced for the younger clientele. In 2004 the company introduced the Whac-a-mole SE (Special Edition) with elaborate graphics and moles wearing hard hats.

Whac-a-mole has been licensed to various companies for production of consumer products. In 1999 Whac-a-mole was introduced as an electronic board game by Toy Biz, now a division of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. In 2004 the game was reintroduced by Hasbro, Inc. Currently there are also versions in cell phones, handheld video, and home video.

Colloquial Usage

The term Whac-a-Mole, or Whack-a-mole, has been used in the computer and networking industry to describe the phenomenon fending off recurring spammers, vandals or miscreants. The connotation is that of a repetitious and futile task: each time the attacker is "whacked" or kicked off of a service, he only pops up again from another direction.

External links

• Official Whac-a-Mole website maintained by Bob's Space Racers, Inc.
• Whac-A-Mole on KLOV (Killer List of Video Games / International Arcade Museum
• Bob's Space Racers - The original manufactures and current trademark holder of Whac-A-Mole
• Whac-A-Mole Flash Game - Bob's Space Racer's Flash version of Whac-A-Mole
• Whack A Spy - The International Spy Museum's take on Whac-A-Mole, with infamous spies and trivia
• Whack A Robe - Another variant on Whac-A-Mole exploring Supreme Court Justices stances on different political issues
• Alphabetical Whack-A-Mole - Alphabetical Whack-A-Mole encourages kids to learn the alphabet while playing

References

• Bob's Space Racers, Inc., The Mole Knows (retrieved October 2005)

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