Konami's Frogger turns 35 this year – just allow that fact to soak in for a moment.
Not only does it show how mature the games industry is (most 35 year olds are married with two kids and a mortgage), it illustrates that good ideas never go out of fashion – the title is still being mimicked and replicated today on consoles and mobile devices.
Fancy learning a little more about this amphibious masterpiece? Check out these 10 Frogger facts.
1. It starred in its own episode of Seinfeld
In the show, recurring character George Costanza buys the old Frogger arcade machine he registered a high score on as a kid and attempts to negotiate it across a busy road - *IRONY*. George's score in that episode was 860,630 points, a total which was assumed unachieveable at the time, but it has since been beaten twice. The current high score stands at 970,440 points.
2. The marketing budget for Frogger's console port was bigger than most movies
Parker Brothers was one of the many firms which obtained a licence to produce domestic ports of Frogger, and earmarked an eye-watering $10 million to promote it and its video game adaptation of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on the Atari 2600.
In comparison, only $6 million was spent on marketing the actual Empire Strikes Back movie, which goes to show just how massive the games industry had already become at the time.
Parker Brothers shifted 3 million copies of both games and Frogger became one of its biggest hits, so the investment clearly worked.
3. It wasn't the only game released in 1981 about crossing the road
Activision's Atari 2600 game Freeway is mistakenly assumed to be a slavish clone of Frogger – it was released in the same year and features a chicken attempting to cross the road whilst avoiding oncoming traffic. Which does sound awfully familiar now we come to think about it. However, the two titles were developed entirely independently of one another and Frogger's success in the arcades actually helped make Freeway a commercial success – upon release, no domestic port of Konami's game was available and Activision's feather-filled adventure was the next best thing. (Fun fact: Freeway originally starred a human crossing the road, who would be splatted in a shower of gore after being hit.)
4. Frogger was such a goldmine on home systems that some got more than one version
When it came to dividing up the rights to home versions, a line was drawn between "magnetic media" and cartridges. That means that systems which used both forms of media were graced with two different ports by two different companies – the Commodore 64 being one notable example. The Atari 2600 also had two different versions, making your purchasing decision quite tricky.
5. Frogger offered more ways to die than any other video game
Frogger holds the dubious distinction of offering more ways to kick the bucket than any other game from the same period. While other titles were content with merely giving the player a handful of death scenes, Konami's title has nine fatal pitfalls to avoid. These are being hit by a vehicle, jumping into the water (which is puzzling, as frogs are amphibians), colliding with snakes or alligators, jumping onto a lily pad occupied by an alligator, remaining on top of a turtle when it dives underwater, riding a moving object until it goes off-screen, jumping onto a home already occupied by a frog, jumping into the side of a home or a bush and – finally – allowing the counter to run down to zero. Phew!
6. It was one of the first games to use two CPUs
Frogger's unique road-crossing gameplay wasn't the only groundbreaking thing about the game – under the hood, it was packing not one but two CPUs, and was one of the first arcade machines to do so. Dual Z80 processors were included rather than the traditional one.
That's one super-powered frog.
7. The opening theme tune is based on a Japanese children's song
That catchy opening theme tune on the arcade version? It's not an original composition. It's a Japanese song called Inu No Omawarisan (The Dog Policeman), and was originally aimed at kids. It's not the only theme borrowed from elsewhere – during gameplay you'll also hear the signature songs from Japanese anime series Hana no Ko Lunlun and Araiguma Rascal. Perhaps Konami couldn't find a decent composer during development?
8. It got its own pop song back in the '80s
Pop duo Buckner & Garcia recorded a song based on Frogger for their 1982 Pac-Man Fever album entitled 'Froggy's Lament'. The album had songs based on different arcade titles, including Donkey Kong, Asteroids and – as the title suggests – Pac-Man. The collection of tunes sold almost a million copies in 1982.
9. Without Frogger, we'd have a lot more spare time on our hands
Mobile hit Crossy Road owes a massive debt to Frogger. While the concept is slightly different – you're not trying to get to a goal as the course you're on is effectively endless – the gameplay is very similar indeed. Had Frogger not existed, we'd have no Crossy Road – and possibly more spare time for things like reading, enjoying the sunshine and embroidery.
10. It has sold over 20 million copies worldwide
Frogger has been released on multiple formats and in many different iterations. In 2005 it was confirmed that the game had shifted an amazing 20 million units across all systems – 5 million of which were sold in North America.
