Buzz Media Links - The Unforgettable Buzz

THE UNFORGETTABLE BUZZ
The History of Electric Football and Tudor Games
Earl Shores | Roddy Garcia
www.theunforgettablebuzz.com
What is The Unforgettable Buzz? “The Unforgettable Buzz is a thoroughly researched and cleverly written study of electric football.
Every Baby Boomer who played the game – and that’s all of us – will love this book.”
– Ray Didinger, Pro Football Hall of Fame Sportswriter and Emmy® Award Winning Writer and Producer
The Unforgettable Buzz is the NFL’s “toy story.”
It chronicles how the growing popularity of a toy and a sport
intertwined through the Baby Boomer years, culminating with
Tudor Electric Football being the NFL’s top earning item from
1967-1976.
But the first and only book ever written on the subject of
Electric Football is about much more than just a game. It’s also
about receiving the best Christmas present ever. That’s what
Electric Football meant to millions who grew up between 1950
and 1980.
Author’s Earl Shores and Roddy Garcia have spent over a
decade carefully weaving the timelines of Electric Football,
Baby Boomer culture, and the NFL into a comprehensive and
compelling toy narrative. With over 300 images and a stunning
cover-to-cover design by Marvel Graphic Artist Michael
Kronenberg, Christmas morning is always just a page-turn
away in The Unforgettable Buzz.
Do you remember when the Greatest Games were played in your living room floor?
For more information about the book or the authors please contact:
[email protected]
www.theunforgettablebuzz.com
P.O. Box 371
Media, PA 19063
(610) 627-9193
[email protected]
THE UNFORGETTABLE BUZZ
The History of Electric Football and Tudor Games
Earl Shores | Roddy Garcia
www.theunforgettablebuzz.com
Praise for The Unforgettable Buzz “The Unforgettable Buzz is a thoroughly researched and cleverly written study of electric football.
Every Baby Boomer who played the game – and that’s all of us – will love this book.”
– Ray Didinger, Pro Football Hall of Fame Sportswriter and Emmy® Award Winning Writer and Producer
"This is such a great book. It immediately took me back to those special moments of my
childhood. Shores and Garcia have done their homework in opening a sacred portal to the
past.”
– Rick Burton, David B. Falk Professor of Sport Management, Syracuse University
“The Unforgettable Buzz is a gem of a book, full of riveting stories and interesting facts. Earl
Shores and Roddy Garcia have done the fascinating history of electric football and Tudor
Games a proud service. Even though it’s 650 pages long (because of its scholarship it needs
that), it bears reading in one long go – or, my preference, lots of daily exciting dips to prolong
the pleasure.”
– Eric Clark, author, The Real Toy Story
"A fascinating and absorbing look at the life and history of one of America's (and my own) bestloved games, all played out against the backdrop of its times, the booming consumer culture
and always-competitive toy industry."
– Christopher Byrne aka The Toy Guy©, author of Toy Time
"Earl Shores and Roddy Garcia have written one of the most in depth histories of toy
manufacturing and the only resource I've seen on electric football. The level of detail they bring
is astounding."
-- Glen Harmon, editor, Action Figure Times
"The Unforgettable Buzz is a must read for anyone who loves football, follows the toy industry,
or wants to connect with a classic game and hobby."
– Doug Strohm, president, Tudor Games
P.O. Box 371
Media, PA 19063
(610) 627-9193
[email protected]
THE UNFORGETTABLE BUZZ
The History of Electric Football and Tudor Games
Earl Shores | Roddy Garcia
www.theunforgettablebuzz.com
The Story The Unforgettable Buzz was inspired by a simple premise: For millions of Baby Boomer boys, finding an
Electric Football game under the tree was "A Christmas Story" moment - that is, receiving the best gift
ever.
Yet the story of Electric Football ranges far beyond Christmas morning. With the fate of Tudor Metal
Products riding on his decision making skills, 23-year-old MIT graduate Norman Sas invented Electric
Football at a time in the late 1940's when both television and football were starting to make their mark on
American culture.
The growing popularity of a toy and a sport intertwined over the next decade, as football became a fixture
on television and Electric Football achieved featured toy status in the Sears Christmas Wish Book.
Mr. Sas' knack for exquisite timing surfaced again when he landed an NFL license for Electric Football
right on the eve of the NFL-AFL merger in 1966. For the next decade Tudor's line of NFL Electric Football
games would provide NFL Properties with nearly two-thirds of its income. This remarkable success came
despite competition from three other Electric Football makers, including one by run a former Tudor
employee.
The Unforgettable Buzz is the first and only book ever written on the subject of Electric Football. But the
book is about much more than just a game. It also chronicles the rise of the NFL and the hyper-expansion
of the Boomer generation toy industry. Only during this unique period of time could Electric Football have
come into existence and flourished as professional football soared to the exalted cultural summit of
"America's Game."
Authors Earl Shores and Roddy Garcia have spent over a decade researching toy industry journals, toy
catalogs, and newspaper archives. They also personally interviewed many of Electric Football’s “key
players” to make The Unforgettable Buzz the definitive telling of the Electric Football story.
And thanks to the amazing work of Marvel Graphic Artist Michael Kronenberg, who designed the book in
its entirety, The Unforgettable Buzz carries the visual impact of a blitzing linebacker.
P.O. Box 371
Media, PA 19063
(610) 627-9193
[email protected]
THE UNFORGETTABLE BUZZ
The History of Electric Football and Tudor Games
Earl Shores | Roddy Garcia
www.theunforgettablebuzz.com
The Authors Earl Shores and Roddy Garcia chased the story of electric football for almost two decades.
During that time they authored numerous articles about the electric football for publications
ranging from the Beckett Football Monthly to Toy Shop, and have been interviewed by print and
video media on both the national and local level. (The Chicago Sun-Times called them the
“country’s foremost collectors of electric football games.”)
Mr. Shores’ long and accomplished writing career includes covering the
International Toy Fair in New York City, as well as writing about sports and toys
for Sports Illustrated, Highlights for Children, the Washington Post,
the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Chicago Tribune, Toy Shop, and Sports
Collector’s Digest.
Earl Shores
Roddy Garcia is the finder of the "unfindable." From mint-in-the-box GI Joe
rarities, to one-of-a-kind Electric Football pieces, to vitally important sources who
existed off the mainstream grid, Garcia has found them all. In addition, Garcia
conducted most of the interviews that went into The Unforgettable Buzz,
producing hours of conversations with the people who were at the center of the
Electric Football universe.
Roddy Garcia
The Designer Joining Shores and Garcia on The Unforgettable Buzz was Marvel Graphic
Artist Michael Kronenberg, who designed the book from cover to cover. Mr.
Kronenberg’s work is highly regarded throughout the comic world. He has
written about comics for numerous publications, and is also the designer and
co-author of The Batcave Companion.
Michael Kronenberg
P.O. Box 371
Media, PA 19063
(610) 627-9193
[email protected]