Tiger 2-XL Robot (partially lost compact cassette tape edutainment games; 1992-1995): Difference between revisions

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|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
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In 1992, toy company Tiger produced the '''Tiger 2-XL robot''', a children’s toy used the play trivia games and Choose Your Own Adventure games. It was an attempt at the modernization of the original 2-XL robot, which was produced by Mego in 1978. While the original robot stored the trivia questions and answers on 8-track tapes, the Tiger version used compact cassette tapes. This allowed the tapes to be recorded with four mono audio tracks in the same direction. This is different from normal compact cassette tapes, as two tracks would usually be recorded in stereo in one direction, while two more tracks would be recorded in stereo in the other direction. As the questions were asked, the player would select their answer by pressing one of the four buttons on the robot. This would switch the track, and the different tracks contained different responses for different answers. This allowed 2-XL to “respond” differently depending on the player’s answer.<ref>[http://www.robotsandcomputers.com/robots/2xl_t.htm Documentation on how the Tiger 2-XL used the compact cassette tapes.] Retrieved 15 Jun ‘19</ref> The English versions of the tapes are the most well-known. As with the original 1978 Mego 2-XL, the English voice was provided by Dr. Michael J Freeman, the inventor of both 2-XL variants. The Tiger 2-XL was taken off the market in 1995.
In 1992, toy company Tiger produced the '''Tiger 2-XL Robot''', a children’s toy used the play trivia games and "Choose Your Own Adventure" games. It was an attempt at the modernization of the original 2-XL robot, which was produced by Mego in 1978. While the original robot stored the trivia questions and answers on 8-track tapes, the Tiger version used compact cassette tapes. This allowed the tapes to be recorded with four mono audio tracks in the same direction. This is different from normal compact cassette tapes, as two tracks would usually be recorded in stereo in one direction, while two more tracks would be recorded in stereo in the other direction. As the questions were asked, the player would select their answer by pressing one of the four buttons on the robot. This would switch the track, and the different tracks contained different responses for different answers. This allowed 2-XL to “respond” differently depending on the player’s answer.<ref>[http://www.robotsandcomputers.com/robots/2xl_t.htm Documentation on how the Tiger 2-XL used the compact cassette tapes.] Retrieved 15 Jun ‘19</ref> The English versions of the tapes are the most well-known. As with the original 1978 Mego 2-XL, the English voice was provided by Dr. Michael J Freeman, the inventor of both 2-XL variants. The Tiger 2-XL was taken off the market in 1995.


==Preservation==
==Preservation==
Line 28: Line 28:
|-
|-
|2-XLebrations!
|2-XLebrations!
|<span style="color:grey;">''Existence Unconfirmed''</span>
|<span style="color:grey;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''
| N/A
|N/A
|-   
|-   
|African Safari
|African Safari
|[https://archive.org/details/Tiger2-XLAfricanSafari <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/Tiger2-XLAfricanSafari<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|All-Time Top Topics
|All-Time Top Topics
|[https://archive.org/details/alltimetoptopics <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/alltimetoptopics<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-   
|-   
|Amazing World Records
|Amazing World Records
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Tale of the Phantom Manor – Nickelodeon
|Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Tale of the Phantom Manor – Nickelodeon
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2XLPhantomManor <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2XLPhantomManor<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-   
|-   
|Batman: Carnival of Crime
|Batman: Carnival of Crime
|[https://archive.org/details/BatmanCarnivalOfCrimeTrack1 <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/BatmanCarnivalOfCrimeTrack1<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1993
|1993
|-
|-
|Batman: The Sizzling Scheme
|Batman: The Sizzling Scheme
|[https://archive.org/details/Batman_The_Sizzling_Scheme <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/Batman_The_Sizzling_Scheme<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1993
|1993
|-   
|-   
|Careers & You - Scholastic Series
|Careers & You - Scholastic Series
|[https://archive.org/details/scholasticseriescareersandyou <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/scholasticseriescareersandyou<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-
|-
|Count on 2-XL (possibly released as “Count On It”)
|Count on 2-XL (possibly released as “Count On It”)
|<span style="color:grey;">''Existence Unconfirmed''</span>
|<span style="color:grey;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''
| N/A
|N/A
|-   
|-   
|Count On It – Scholastic Series
|Count On It – Scholastic Series
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1994
|1994
|-
|-
|Fascinating Facts
|Fascinating Facts
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1992
|1992
|-   
|-   
|Food Facts and You
|Food Facts and You
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|Friends From Far Away
|Friends From Far Away
|<span style="color:grey;">''Existence Unconfirmed''</span>
|<span style="color:grey;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''
| N/A
|N/A
|-   
|-   
|Fun and Games
|Fun and Games
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|Fun With Words – Scholastic Series
|Fun With Words – Scholastic Series
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlscholasticseriesfunwithwords <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlscholasticseriesfunwithwords<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-   
|-   
|Geography and You – Scholastic Series
|Geography and You – Scholastic Series
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlscholasticseriesgeographyandyou <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlscholasticseriesgeographyandyou<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-
|-
|Incredible Sports Feats
|Incredible Sports Feats
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlincrediblesportsfeats <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlincrediblesportsfeats<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-   
|-   
|Jurassic Facts
|Jurassic Facts
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xljurassicfacts <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xljurassicfacts<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1993
|1993
|-
|-
|Jurassic Park: Chaos in Jurassic Park
|Jurassic Park: Chaos in Jurassic Park
|[https://archive.org/details/track2_201909 <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/track2_201909<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-   
|-   
|Letter Perfect
|Letter Perfect
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1993
|1993
|-
|-
|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Attack of the 100 Foot Teenagers
|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Attack of the 100 Foot Teenagers
|[https://archive.org/details/attackofthe100footteenagerstrack2 <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/attackofthe100footteenagerstrack2<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1995
|1995
|-   
|-   
|Monsters, Myths, & Dinosaurs
|Monsters, Myths, & Dinosaurs
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlmonstersmythsdinosaurs <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlmonstersmythsdinosaurs<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|Music Maker
|Music Maker
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1993
|1993
|-   
|-   
|Nature & You – Scholastic Series
|Nature & You – Scholastic Series
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1994
|1994
|-
|-
|Oceans of Fun
|Oceans of Fun
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xloceansoffun <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xloceansoffun<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1993
|1993
|-   
|-   
|On the Go!
|On the Go!
|<span style="color:grey;">''Existence Unconfirmed''</span>
|<span style="color:grey;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''
| N/A
|N/A
|-
|-
|Pet Parade
|Pet Parade
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1993
|1993
|-   
|-   
|Planet Earth
|Planet Earth
|[https://archive.org/details/PlanetEarthTrack1 <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/PlanetEarthTrack1<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!: The Strange & True
|Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!: The Strange & True
|[https://archive.org/details/RIpleysBelieveItOrNotStrangeAndTrue <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/RIpleysBelieveItOrNotStrangeAndTrue<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-   
|-   
|Safety First - Scholastic Series
|Safety First - Scholastic Series
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlsafetyfirst <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlsafetyfirst<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-
|-
|Say Hello to Famous Folks
|Say Hello to Famous Folks
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlsayhellotofamousfolks <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlsayhellotofamousfolks <span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-   
|-   
|Spider-Man: For King and Country
|Spider-Man: For King and Country
|[https://archive.org/details/spidermanforkingandcountry <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/spidermanforkingandcountry<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-
|-
|Sports World
|Sports World
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlsportsworld <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlsportsworld<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-   
|-   
|Stars and Planets
|Stars and Planets
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlstarsandplanets<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlstarsandplanets<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1993
|1993
|-
|-
|Star Trek – The Next Generation: Blinded by the Light
|Star Trek – The Next Generation: Blinded by the Light
|[https://archive.org/details/startrektngblindedbythelight <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/startrektngblindedbythelight<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-   
|-   
|Storymaker
|Storymaker
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlstorymaker <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlstorymaker<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|Superman – The Man of Steel: A New Hero in Town
|Superman – The Man of Steel: A New Hero in Town
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1994
|1994
|-   
|-   
|Superman – The Man of Steel: Mayhem in Metropolis
|Superman – The Man of Steel: Mayhem in Metropolis
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1994
|1994
|-
|-
|Surprise Package
|Surprise Package
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1992
|1992
|-   
|-   
|Tales from the Cryptkeeper: If Wishes Were Hornets
|Tales from the Cryptkeeper: If Wishes Were Hornets
|[https://archive.org/details/talesfromthecryptifwisheswerehornets <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/talesfromthecryptifwisheswerehornets<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-   
|-   
|Treasure Chest of Facts and Fun
|Treasure Chest of Facts and Fun
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xltreasurechestoffactsandfun <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xltreasurechestoffactsandfun<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|Trivia Time
|Trivia Time
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xltriviatime <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xltriviatime <span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|Voyage to Outer Space
|Voyage to Outer Space
|[https://archive.org/details/VoyageToOuterSpaceTrack1<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/VoyageToOuterSpaceTrack1<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-   
|-   
|World of 2-XL
|World of 2-XL
|[https://archive.org/details/WorldOf2XLTrack1<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/WorldOf2XLTrack1<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|World of Animals
|World of Animals
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|World of Science
|World of Science
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlworldofscience <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlworldofscience<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1992
|1992
|-
|-
|X-Men: Deadly Games
|X-Men: Deadly Games
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlxmendeadlygames <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlxmendeadlygames<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-
|-
|X-Men: Ghosts That Haunt Us
|X-Men: Ghosts That Haunt Us
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlxmenghoststhathauntus <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|[https://archive.org/details/tiger2xlxmenghoststhathauntus<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
| 1994
|1994
|-
|}
|}
===German Releases===
===German Releases===
Line 228: Line 227:
! style="background-color:green" | Description
! style="background-color:green" | Description
|-
|-
| Geschichten, die Noch Keiner Kent
|Geschichten, die Noch Keiner Kent
| Stories That Nobody Knows Yet
|Stories That Nobody Knows Yet
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This was the German release of the U.S. tape, “Storymaker”.
|This was the German release of the U.S. tape, ''Storymaker''.
|-
| Das Galubt Kein Mensch
| That Does Not Believe Man
| [http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>]
| This was the German release of the U.S tape, “Fascinating Facts”.
|-
|-
| Dinos, Monster und Gespenter
|Das Galubt Kein Mensch
| Dinos, Monsters, and Ghosts
|That Does Not Believe Man
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|[http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found''']
| This appears to have been a German release of the U.S tape, “Monsters, Myths, & Dinosaurs”, although it curiously substitutes Ghosts for Myths
|This was the German release of the U.S tape, ''Fascinating Facts''.
|-
|-
| Unser Planet Erde
|Dinos, Monster und Gespenter
| Our Planet Earth
|Dinos, Monsters, and Ghosts
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''
| This appears to have been a German release of the U.S tape, “Planet Earth”.
|This appears to have been a German release of the U.S tape, ''Monsters, Myths, & Dinosaurs'', although it curiously substitutes Ghosts for Myths.
|-
|-
| Die Welt des 2-XL
|Unser Planet Erde
| Pre-school Facts & Fantasies
|Our Planet Earth
| [http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>]
|<span style="color:red;">''Lost''
| This was the German release of the “World of 2-XL”, which seems to have been the introductory tape in all countries.
|This appears to have been a German release of the U.S tape, ''Planet Earth''.
|-
|-
|Die Welt des 2-XL
|Pre-school Facts & Fantasies
|[http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found''']
|This was the German release of the ''World of 2-XL'', which seems to have been the introductory tape in all countries.
|}
|}
===Italian Releases===
===Italian Releases===
Line 262: Line 260:
! style="background-color:green" | Description
! style="background-color:green" | Description
|-
|-
| Il Mondo di 2-XL
|Il Mondo di 2-XL
| The World of 2-XL
|The World of 2-XL
| [http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>]
|[http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found''']
| This was the Italian release of the “World of 2-XL”, which seems to have been the introductory tape in all countries.
| This was the Italian release of the “World of 2-XL”, which seems to have been the introductory tape in all countries.
|-
|-
| Nel Mondo Della Musica
|Nel Mondo Della Musica
| The World of Music
|The World of Music
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This appears to have been the Italian release of “Music Maker”
|This appears to have been the Italian release of ''Music Maker''.
|-
| Agenti Sergeti e Detective
| 2-XL Detective
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
| The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|-
|-
| Viaggio Nello Spazio
|Agenti Sergeti e Detective
| Space Travel
|2-XL Detective
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This appears to have been the Italian release of the “Voyage to Outer Space”
|The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|-
|-
| Il Nostro, Planeta, La Natura, L'Ecologia
|Viaggio Nello Spazio
| Our Planet, Nature, Ecology
|Space Travel
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This was probably the Italian equivalent of the U.S "Planet Earth" tape.
|This appears to have been the Italian release of the ''Voyage to Outer Space''.
|-
|-
| Il Mondo Della Scienza
|Il Nostro, Planeta, La Natura, L'Ecologia
| The World of Science
|Our Planet, Nature, Ecology
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This was probably the Italian equivalent of the U.S. "World of Science" tape.
|This was probably the Italian equivalent of the U.S "Planet Earth" tape.
|-
|-
| Il Mondo Del Misterio
|Il Mondo Della Scienza
| The World of Mystery
|The World of Science
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|This was probably the Italian equivalent of the U.S. ''World of Science'' tape.
|-
|-
| Il Mondo Degli Animali
|Il Mondo Del Misterio
| The World of Animals
|The World of Mystery
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This was likely the Italian equivalent of the U.S. "World of Animals" tape.
|The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|-
|-
| Il Mondo Dello Sport
|Il Mondo Degli Animali
| The World of Sports
|The World of Animals
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This was likely the Italian equivalent of the U.S. "Sports World" tape.
|This was likely the Italian equivalent of the U.S. ''World of Animals'' tape.
|-
|-
| Alla Scoperta Del Corpa Umano
|Il Mondo Dello Sport
| Discovering the Human Body
|The World of Sports
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|This was likely the Italian equivalent of the U.S. ''Sports World'' tape.
|-
|-
| Giochi Ed Indevinelli
|Alla Scoperta Del Corpa Umano
| Games and Riddles
|Discovering the Human Body
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|-
|-
| Miti e Leggende
|Giochi Ed Indevinelli
| Myths and Legends
|Games and Riddles
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|-
|-
| Le Cose piu strane ed Incredibili
|Miti e Leggende
| The Strangest and Most Incredible Things
|Myths and Legends
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|-
|-
| Viaggio Nella Storia
|Le Cose piu strane ed Incredibili
| Journey Through History
|The Strangest and Most Incredible Things
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|-
|-
|Viaggio Nella Storia
|Journey Through History
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
|}
|}
===Spanish-Language Releases (Country Uncertain)===
===Spanish-Language Releases (Country Uncertain)===
Line 341: Line 338:
! style="background-color:green" | Description
! style="background-color:green" | Description
|-
|-
| El Mundo de 2-XL
|El Mundo de 2-XL
| The World of Music
|The World of Music
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WTCMHrkFCs <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>]
|[https://youtu.be/-WTCMHrkFCs<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found''']
| This was the Spanish-language release of “The World of 2-XL”
|This was the Spanish-language release of ''The World of 2-XL''.
|-
|-
| El Mundo de la Ciencia
|El Mundo de la Ciencia
| The World of Science
|The World of Science
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This was the Spanish-language release of “World of Science”.
|This was the Spanish-language release of ''World of Science''.
|-
|-
| Monstruos, Mitos, y Dinosaurios
|Monstruos, Mitos, y Dinosaurios
| Monsters, Myths, and Dinosaurs
|Monsters, Myths, and Dinosaurs
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This was the Spanish-language release of “Monsters, Myths, and Dinosaurs”.
|This was the Spanish-language release of ''Monsters, Myths, and Dinosaurs''.
|-
|-
| Unknown #1
|Unknown #1
| Unknown
|Unknown
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
| This appears to have been the Spanish-language release of “Planet Earth”, but the only images have the title obscured.
|This appears to have been the Spanish-language release of ''Planet Earth'', but the only images have the title obscured.
|-
| Unknown #2
| Unknown
| <span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
| This appears to have been the Spanish-language release of “Fascinating Facts”, but the only images have the title obscured.
|-
|-
|Unknown #2
|Unknown
|<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|This appears to have been the Spanish-language release of ''Fascinating Facts'', but the only images have the title obscured.
|}
|}
===French Releases===
===French Releases===
Line 375: Line 371:
! style="background-color:green" | Description
! style="background-color:green" | Description
|-
|-
| A la découverte de 2-XL
|A la découverte de 2-XL
| The World of 2-XL
|The World of 2-XL
| [http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>]
|[http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found''']
| This was the French release of the “World of 2-XL”, which seems to have been the introductory tape in all countries.
|This was the French release of the ''World of 2-XL'', which seems to have been the introductory tape in all countries.
|-
|}
|}
=== Known U.K.-Modified English Releases===
===Known U.K.-Modified English Releases===
{| class="wikitable" style="vertical-align:top;horizontal-align:left;
{| class="wikitable" style="vertical-align:top;horizontal-align:left;
|-
|-
Line 388: Line 383:
! style="background-color:green" | Description
! style="background-color:green" | Description
|-
|-
| Sports World
|Sports World
| [http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>]
|[http://2xlrobot.com/moreinfo/international.html<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found''']
| Differences have been documented with the wording of question #15 and the options on question #16
|Differences have been documented with the wording of question #15 and the options on question #16.
|-
|}
|}
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
Line 409: Line 403:
}}
}}
<gallery mode=packed heights=250px>
<gallery mode=packed heights=250px>
File:More_Italian_2-XL_tapes.JPG| Italian flyer showing at least three tapes released by Gig in Italy(Courtesy of theoldrobots.com).
File:More_Italian_2-XL_tapes.JPG| Italian flyer showing at least three tapes released by Gig in Italy (Courtesy of theoldrobots.com).
File:Tiger_2-XL_First_Release.jpg|Flyer for the first 12 U.S. titles for the Tiger 2-XL (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).  
File:Tiger_2-XL_First_Release.jpg|Flyer for the first 12 U.S. titles for the Tiger 2-XL (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).  
File:Tiger_2-XL_Power_Rangers.jpg|A Power Rangers tie-in released for the Tiger 2-XL. Supposedly, this was the last tape released, and the only one released in 1995 (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).
File:Tiger_2-XL_Power_Rangers.jpg|A Power Rangers tie-in released for the Tiger 2-XL. Supposedly, this was the last tape released, and the only one released in 1995 (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).
File:German_2-XL_tapes.jpg|German packaging for a Tiger 2-XL tape. This one reveals the titles for four German releases (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).
File:German_2-XL_tapes.jpg|German packaging for a Tiger 2-XL tape. This one reveals the titles for four German releases (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).
File:Italian_eBay_tapes_1_front.jpg| front of Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing four cassette titles (taken from eBay listing)
File:Italian_eBay_tapes_1_front.jpg| front of Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing four cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).
File:Italian_eBay_tapes_1_back.jpg|  back of Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing five cassette titles (taken from eBay listing)
File:Italian_eBay_tapes_1_back.jpg|  back of Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing five cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).
File:Italian_eBay_tapes_2_front.jpg| front of another Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing four cassette titles (taken from eBay listing)
File:Italian_eBay_tapes_2_front.jpg| front of another Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing four cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).
File:Italian_eBay_tapes_2_back.jpg | back of another Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing six cassette titles (taken from eBay listing)
File:Italian_eBay_tapes_2_back.jpg | back of another Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing six cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).
</gallery>
</gallery>
==References==
==References==

Revision as of 14:55, 30 March 2020

Tiger Scholastic Series.jpg

An advertisement showing the Tiger 2-XL Robot with the Scholastic Series, some of the last tapes produced before it was discontinued.

Status: Partially Found

In 1992, toy company Tiger produced the Tiger 2-XL Robot, a children’s toy used the play trivia games and "Choose Your Own Adventure" games. It was an attempt at the modernization of the original 2-XL robot, which was produced by Mego in 1978. While the original robot stored the trivia questions and answers on 8-track tapes, the Tiger version used compact cassette tapes. This allowed the tapes to be recorded with four mono audio tracks in the same direction. This is different from normal compact cassette tapes, as two tracks would usually be recorded in stereo in one direction, while two more tracks would be recorded in stereo in the other direction. As the questions were asked, the player would select their answer by pressing one of the four buttons on the robot. This would switch the track, and the different tracks contained different responses for different answers. This allowed 2-XL to “respond” differently depending on the player’s answer.[1] The English versions of the tapes are the most well-known. As with the original 1978 Mego 2-XL, the English voice was provided by Dr. Michael J Freeman, the inventor of both 2-XL variants. The Tiger 2-XL was taken off the market in 1995.

Preservation

The compact cassettes that were used for the Tiger 2-XL can be easily erased with a permanent magnet. Additionally, as this toy was for young children, the tapes may not have been well-cared-for. Thankfully, compact cassette tape players are still being made, though they are uncommon. Proper preservation requires a stereo tape deck. However, recording is not intuitive due to all four tracks being recorded in the same direction. While two tracks will play normally from beginning to end, the other two will play in reverse from end to beginning. This will need to be fixed using an audio editor. Also, the tracks may become misaligned due to variations in tape speed. This will also require correction later.

Various Findings

Throughout October 2019, LMW user TropesAreDangerous uploaded the following eight tapes to the Internet Archive on the account TheManWithNoPlan: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Attack of the 100 Foot Teenagers, Jurassic Park: Chaos in Jurassic Park, Ripley's Believe It Or Not!: The Strange & True, Batman: The Sizzling Scheme, Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Tale of the Phantom Manor, Spider-Man: For King and Country, Star Trek - The Next Generation Blinded by the Light, Tales from the Cryptkeeper: If Wishes Were Hornets. In December 2019, the same user uploaded the following eight tapes to the Internet Archive: Careers & You - Scholastic Series, All Time Top Topics, Jurassic Facts, Monsters, Myths, & Dinosaurs, Say Hello to Famous Folks, Treasure Chest of Facts and Fun, Trivia Time, and World of Science. Additionally, in December 2019, eBay listings were discovered for Italian Tiger 2-XL tapes. These revealed ten previously unknown titles that were released in Italy.

On January 7th, 2020, TropesAreDangerous uploaded Incredible Sports Feats onto the Internet Archive. Between March 7th and March 29th, 2020, TropesAreDangerous uploaded 9 games onto the Internet Archive. Those games being Scholastic Series: Fun With Words, Scholastic Series: Geography and You, Scholastic Series: Safety First, Storymaker, Sports World, Stars & Planets, Oceans of Fun, X-Men: Deadly Games, and X-Men: Ghosts that Haunt Us.

United States Releases

As with the original Mego 2-XL, the U.S. release of the Tiger 2-XL is more well-documented than releases in other countries. Fan-sites have compiled a total of 44 U.S tapes that are known to have released. Four other tapes appeared on Later 2-XL boxes, but it is unknown whether they were produced. The Scholastic Series was released in 1994, as the last proper series of tapes for the system. However, a single tape, a Power Rangers tie-in, was released in 1995 shortly before Tiger discontinued the system.[2] Some of these tapes have made their way online through the Internet Archive. There is also a web-browser-based 2-XL simulator produced by Mouser of DonationCoder.com, which allows users to interact with a virtual 2-XL and play some of the tapes.[3]

International Releases

A small number of non-U.S. releases have been documented on 2-XL fan-sites. At least five tapes were released in Germany by the toy company, Joker. These releases are known from pictures of German packaging that were posted to a 2-XL fan-site. Audios clips from two of these tapes have also been uploaded online. At least four tapes were released in Italy by the company Gig, who rebranded many toys from around the world for the Italian market. Three of these tapes were found on a Gig promotional flier, which also contains blurry images of six tapes. The titles on these six items are not legible. An audio clip from one of these tapes has been uploaded online. At least five Spanish-language tapes are known to exist via a YouTube video by "Forever Toys", but it is unclear if this was a release in Spain, Mexico, or another country. At least one tape was known to have been released in France, but the distributor is unclear. All of these releases were based on existing U.S. releases from Tiger, but they were performed in their countries’ native languages. Finally, the Tiger 2-XL was released in the United Kingdom by toy company Tomy. These tapes, like the U.S. releases, were recorded in English by Michael J Freeman. However, at least one tape had noticeable differences from the U.S version. [4]

Title Status Year of Release
2-XLebrations! Existence Unconfirmed N/A
African Safari Found 1992
All-Time Top Topics Found 1992
Amazing World Records Lost 1992
Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Tale of the Phantom Manor – Nickelodeon Found 1994
Batman: Carnival of Crime Found 1993
Batman: The Sizzling Scheme Found 1993
Careers & You - Scholastic Series Found 1994
Count on 2-XL (possibly released as “Count On It”) Existence Unconfirmed N/A
Count On It – Scholastic Series Lost 1994
Fascinating Facts Lost 1992
Food Facts and You Lost 1992
Friends From Far Away Existence Unconfirmed N/A
Fun and Games Lost 1992
Fun With Words – Scholastic Series Found 1994
Geography and You – Scholastic Series Found 1994
Incredible Sports Feats Found 1992
Jurassic Facts Found 1993
Jurassic Park: Chaos in Jurassic Park Found 1994
Letter Perfect Lost 1993
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Attack of the 100 Foot Teenagers Found 1995
Monsters, Myths, & Dinosaurs Found 1992
Music Maker Lost 1993
Nature & You – Scholastic Series Lost 1994
Oceans of Fun Found 1993
On the Go! Existence Unconfirmed N/A
Pet Parade Lost 1993
Planet Earth Found 1992
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!: The Strange & True Found 1992
Safety First - Scholastic Series Found 1994
Say Hello to Famous Folks Found 1992
Spider-Man: For King and Country Found 1994
Sports World Found 1992
Stars and Planets Found 1993
Star Trek – The Next Generation: Blinded by the Light Found 1994
Storymaker Found 1992
Superman – The Man of Steel: A New Hero in Town Lost 1994
Superman – The Man of Steel: Mayhem in Metropolis Lost 1994
Surprise Package Lost 1992
Tales from the Cryptkeeper: If Wishes Were Hornets Found 1994
Treasure Chest of Facts and Fun Found 1992
Trivia Time Found 1992
Voyage to Outer Space Found 1992
World of 2-XL Found 1992
World of Animals Lost 1992
World of Science Found 1992
X-Men: Deadly Games Found 1994
X-Men: Ghosts That Haunt Us Found 1994

German Releases

Title English Translation Status Description
Geschichten, die Noch Keiner Kent Stories That Nobody Knows Yet Lost This was the German release of the U.S. tape, Storymaker.
Das Galubt Kein Mensch That Does Not Believe Man Partially Found This was the German release of the U.S tape, Fascinating Facts.
Dinos, Monster und Gespenter Dinos, Monsters, and Ghosts Lost This appears to have been a German release of the U.S tape, Monsters, Myths, & Dinosaurs, although it curiously substitutes Ghosts for Myths.
Unser Planet Erde Our Planet Earth Lost This appears to have been a German release of the U.S tape, Planet Earth.
Die Welt des 2-XL Pre-school Facts & Fantasies Partially Found This was the German release of the World of 2-XL, which seems to have been the introductory tape in all countries.

Italian Releases

Title English Translation Status Description
Il Mondo di 2-XL The World of 2-XL Partially Found This was the Italian release of the “World of 2-XL”, which seems to have been the introductory tape in all countries.
Nel Mondo Della Musica The World of Music Lost This appears to have been the Italian release of Music Maker.
Agenti Sergeti e Detective 2-XL Detective Lost The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
Viaggio Nello Spazio Space Travel Lost This appears to have been the Italian release of the Voyage to Outer Space.
Il Nostro, Planeta, La Natura, L'Ecologia Our Planet, Nature, Ecology Lost This was probably the Italian equivalent of the U.S "Planet Earth" tape.
Il Mondo Della Scienza The World of Science Lost This was probably the Italian equivalent of the U.S. World of Science tape.
Il Mondo Del Misterio The World of Mystery Lost The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
Il Mondo Degli Animali The World of Animals Lost This was likely the Italian equivalent of the U.S. World of Animals tape.
Il Mondo Dello Sport The World of Sports Lost This was likely the Italian equivalent of the U.S. Sports World tape.
Alla Scoperta Del Corpa Umano Discovering the Human Body Lost The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
Giochi Ed Indevinelli Games and Riddles Lost The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
Miti e Leggende Myths and Legends Lost The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
Le Cose piu strane ed Incredibili The Strangest and Most Incredible Things Lost The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.
Viaggio Nella Storia Journey Through History Lost The U.S. equivalents, if any, for this tape are unclear.

Spanish-Language Releases (Country Uncertain)

Title English Translation Status Description
El Mundo de 2-XL The World of Music Partially Found This was the Spanish-language release of The World of 2-XL.
El Mundo de la Ciencia The World of Science Lost This was the Spanish-language release of World of Science.
Monstruos, Mitos, y Dinosaurios Monsters, Myths, and Dinosaurs Lost This was the Spanish-language release of Monsters, Myths, and Dinosaurs.
Unknown #1 Unknown Lost This appears to have been the Spanish-language release of Planet Earth, but the only images have the title obscured.
Unknown #2 Unknown Lost This appears to have been the Spanish-language release of Fascinating Facts, but the only images have the title obscured.

French Releases

Title English Translation Status Description
A la découverte de 2-XL The World of 2-XL Partially Found This was the French release of the World of 2-XL, which seems to have been the introductory tape in all countries.

Known U.K.-Modified English Releases

Title Status Description
Sports World Partially Found Differences have been documented with the wording of question #15 and the options on question #16.

Gallery

A U.S. commercial for the Tiger 2-XL (Courtesy of GeorgeVHS).

Video evidence of the Spanish-language Tiger 2-XL tapes (Courtesy of Forever Toys).

An Italian commercial for the Tiger 2-XL (Courtesy of Latte e Cartoni Time Machine).

A demonstration of the U.K. release of the 2-XL by Tomy (Courtesy of Robot Elixir).

  • Italian flyer showing at least three tapes released by Gig in Italy (Courtesy of theoldrobots.com).

    Italian flyer showing at least three tapes released by Gig in Italy (Courtesy of theoldrobots.com).

  • Flyer for the first 12 U.S. titles for the Tiger 2-XL (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).

    Flyer for the first 12 U.S. titles for the Tiger 2-XL (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).

  • A Power Rangers tie-in released for the Tiger 2-XL. Supposedly, this was the last tape released, and the only one released in 1995 (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).

    A Power Rangers tie-in released for the Tiger 2-XL. Supposedly, this was the last tape released, and the only one released in 1995 (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).

  • German packaging for a Tiger 2-XL tape. This one reveals the titles for four German releases (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).

    German packaging for a Tiger 2-XL tape. This one reveals the titles for four German releases (Courtesy of 2xlrobot.com).

  • front of Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing four cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).

    front of Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing four cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).

  • back of Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing five cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).

    back of Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing five cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).

  • front of another Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing four cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).

    front of another Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing four cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).

  • back of another Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing six cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).

    back of another Italian Tiger 2-XL packaging, showing six cassette titles (taken from eBay listing).

References

  1. ↑ Documentation on how the Tiger 2-XL used the compact cassette tapes. Retrieved 15 Jun ‘19
  2. ↑ Listing of U.S. Tiger 2-XL tape releases. 15 Jun ‘19
  3. ↑ Mouser's 2-XL simulator, containing both Mego 2-XL 8-track games and Tiger 2-XL compact-cassette games. Retrieved 15 Jun ‘19
  4. ↑ Information on non-U.S. releases for the Tiger 2-XL. Retrieved 15 Jun ‘19
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