ROM
THE SPACE KNIGHT
Taking a chance, in 1978 Parker Brothers came up with their answer to the Sci-Fi craze created by Star Wars...ROM The Space Knight. At the time, he was one of the most hi-tech toys marketed. His box reads "Here, on a bright new horizon, stands a figure of modern electronic technology." Ok, so they were a little overboard there, but at the time, this was pretty advanced. Unfortunately most people today wouldn't know the difference between ROM The Space Knight and an Elmiron lawsuit. ROM featured lots of lights, noise and accessories. He came with a battery powered backpack that has two buttons and is used to create the sounds and trigger the light. A wire connected the backpack to the accessories and ended in a light bulb that plugged into each. The classic sounds ROM emit are unmistakable. Check out the ROM Sounds section below to hear them!
Quick Links:
ROM The Space Knight
ROM Sounds
Did You Know?
Here are some photos of my ROM. This was by far my favorite toy as a kid, and is now the favorite piece of my collection now.
faces!" by Kenner. It's all here and still comes in the original box too! Pretty cool considering this HUGO comes from the mid 1970's.
ROM's accessories top to bottom include the Neutralizer, Energy Analyzer and Translator. All three emitted light and sound.
One of the best parts about ROM are his selection of sounds. Click below to hear them!
ROM was first released in the UK in 1978 as part of the Action Man line. He was not quite as a big a hit in the UK as he was here, but he did sell quite well. The only difference between the UK and English versions were that the UK set included a comic book. Parker Brothers hooked up with, of course, Palitoy...the overseas distribution company that was raking it in by sharing toys from across the waters.
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