Jakks SpongeBob SquarePants TV Game

by Jakks Pacific

Product Features

• SpongeBob SquarePants TV Game packs 5 video games in single controller
• Compact and portable; 8-bit gaming system fun for kids and nostalgic parents
• Child-safe durable plastic stands up to constant use
• Plugs into A/V jacks on any TV
• Recommended for ages 5 and up

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00014BWQ6
• Item model number: 58015
• Our recommended age: 5 - 8 years
• Manufacturer recommended age: 5 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,714 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #30 in Toys & Games > Electronics for Kids > Plug & Play Video Games
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Who doesn't love SpongeBob SquarePants? For instant game-playing, the Jakks SpongeBob SquarePants TV Game packs five fun video games in a single controller. The TV game controller bears the grinning face of everyone's favorite sea sponge -- with a joystick for a nose!

Wherever You Go
Made with durable, hard plastic, the controller is child-safe and stands up to constant use. Compact and portable, it's easy to bring SpongeBob over to friends' houses, grandma and grandpa's place -- or wherever there's a TV.

Simply plug the controller into any TV and turn it on to play. View larger.

Five built-in video games showcase SpongeBob and his friends. View larger.

With no consoles or cartridges required, all this controller needs are four AA batteries and a standard television. Parents don't have to worry about missing games or cords. Simply plug the A/V input jacks that come with the controller into the TV, turn on it and play. It's that easy.

Games Galore
The five built-in video games showcase SpongeBob and his friends from Bikini Bottom. Easy to learn, appropriate for kids, and especially fun for fans of the television show, the games include SpongeBob's Bubble Pop, Super Chum Bucket, Invasion of the Hooks, Sandy's Surf Adventure, and Patrick and the Maze. Recommended for ages five and up, the whole family will enjoy the adventures of this lovable Nickelodeon character. With shared themes and a style similar to "old-school" video games, this 8-bit gaming system is fun for older kids and nostalgic parents as well.

What's in the Box
TV game controller and A/V input.

Product Description

Get your trigger-finger ready for the new SpongeBob SquarePants TV Games. It's a plug and play gaming system that contains five games all packed into the single joystick. This game system showcases the popular sea sponge and his friends from Bikini Bottom. The compact, lightweight controller plugs into any TV with an ATV input jack. Requires 4 "AA" batteries (not included).

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT starter video game system, May 11, 2004

By 

W. York "nursetype" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Jakks SpongeBob SquarePants TV Game (Toy)

I purchased this unit for my younger children ages 6 and 4. I already had a similar "all in one" game system I purchased at big lots, and my kids love it.

This game is like the old activision/atari type games, but with a spongebob theme. My children LOVE IT! Great games for the younger children that want to play video games, but find the newer systems too difficult to understand or controll.

I play the games once in a while also. They are fun. Simple for today's standards, but well worth the price. I catch my 17 year old playing it occasionally, to see how high a level he can reach. So it can't be all bad. He is used to playing Nintendo Xbox, PS1/2 games!

I recommend rechargable Nimh batteries for this. It tends to use up batteries like a cd player would. So the rechargable type works well. Especially when a child leaves the thing on overnight "accidentally".

If you have an older TV without the proper hookups, you can hook up the game to a VCR that is attached to your TV. Works great on my old and new tv consoles.

The all inclusive game systems are a great thing to keep at grandma's or a friend's house, without having to haul big systems or "pieces" around.

For those die hard gamers out there who are into speed, graphics and technology, this is NOT for you. Being 37 years old, I remember when this type of video game was state of the art. But by today's standards, this unit is simple with basic graphics and controlls. A tad slow on the response time from the joystick is the only fault I can see. But this is minimal.

GREAT system for younger kids to enter the video game realm with an up to date theme. Wonderful for the older player to "remember" the good ol'days of video games where practice, repetition and remembering "patterns" helped get us to higher scores and levels.

I can't wait for the "Spiderman" system that is coming out at the end of September this year. Just like this Spongebob Game, I'll be the first to buy it!

UPDATE: March 2011, OK.. I'm 44 years old now, and my kids are 10 & 13 and 23 & 27, and we have two grandkids now. We found the "ol'spongebob" game and put batteries in it and my kids played it for a few days & had a blast with it all over again, but my 3 yr old grandson just LOVES it, & my 2 year old grand daughter thinks it is pretty cool too! This thing lasts very long, and we did end up getting the spiderman, batman etc.. when they came out, and we still have them all, and now I'm saving them for my young grandchildren. Quality simple video game. Can't beat it for the very young children out there (and the older ones sometimes).

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun for Families, June 29, 2004

By 

Patty (New York) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Jakks SpongeBob SquarePants TV Game (Toy)

I bought this for my four year old son since he is a big fan of Spongebob. He LOVES it! The entire family has enjoyed playing it together, something that only games like Mario Kart or Mario Party have done in the past. The games are pretty easy to learn and it helps his hand-eye coordination as well. Another really nice thing about it is that it is not violent like so many games out there today. It is also VERY easy to hook up; we brought it with us to to my parents' house for Father's Day and hooked it up there so all of the kids could play together.

My son has invited many of the kids in the neighborhood over to play, and they have all enjoyed the different games. The only downside is that they have to take turns playing since more than one person cannot play at a time.

Like one of the other reviews said, it does drain batteries, making the colors go out. But buying batteries is still cheaper than buying a video game that can easily get scratched. This is easily worth the $20 that I paid for it!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive For The Price - Great For Younger Children, May 9, 2004

By 

KiWiSouP "kiwisoup" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Jakks SpongeBob SquarePants TV Game (Toy)

I was visiting with my sister and nieces and nephews out of state, and I was startled when I walked into the shared room of my two nieces...SpongeBob EVERYWHERE...even the TV was yellow and had spongebob's face on it. Upon looking through my bag, my younger niece caught a glimpse of my GameCube that I had packed along with my other stuff. I decided to let her play it she didn't really know what she was doing in Zelda, but she didn't seem to care, and I couldn't pry her off of it. I had decided to buy all of my nieces and nephews presents. When I got to the toy aisle of Target, there in front of me was the perfect selection for my niece who was currently at home playing my GameCube. I then began to think about how I would hate to have it broken...so I wasted no time in bringing the gifts home, and within minutes she was playing SpongeBob without an expensive system and actually understanding how to play. Not only that , but I wasn't broke, my GameCube was safe, it fit in perfectly with their SpongeBob themed room, and I was once again the greatest uncle ever.

Hardware - The controller has one button and a joystick which is also Spongebob's nose. On the bottom is an on/off switch and a reset button, along with a place for 4 AA batteries. The cord from the controller runs to your TV or VCR with the white and yellow cords. No expensive system to buy seperatley, and my niece didn't exactly get the point that you can't buy more games for it.

Graphics - Graphics are somewhere between those of Nintendo and Super Nintendo. Anyone who knows what the SMS (Sega Master System) is will find the graphics of this pretty much the same. They may be a little gritty.

Sound - Mono sound that is somewhat repetitive and limited to a limited collection of sound effects that are reminiscent of Atari, but maybe a little bit better. Nothing fancy.

Game Selection - There are 5 games to choose from (See the additional pictures in the gallery). They are all classic games with a SpongeBob spin.

1. Bubble Pop: The same as Breakout, but with a pearl bouncing off of SpongeBob and into bubbles.

2. Invasion Of The Hooks: You must hit hooks with Krabby Patties before they carry off your friends. Very similar to that one game I can't remember the name of where you try to shoot the aliens before they reach your town.

3. The Super Chum Bucket: Donkey Kong, but with Spongebob and PLakton instead of Mario and Donkey Kong.

4. Patrick And The Maze: Navigate Patrick through a seaweed hedge maze to find his friends and play a Simon Says type mini game.

5. Sandy's Surf Adventure: Never got to see in action, but I'd assume it's self explanatory...Moving up and down to avoid obstacles and surf through the water.

Durability - Not sure how durable it is or if it is still working, but for the price...c'mon, you get what you pay for. Included is a warranty card to fill out and send in. I suggest you take advantage of it.

Overall - Great for younger players, but I definatly would not recommend this for older gamers, or people who already have a game system. They probably wouldn't be impressed with the lack of buttons, limited gameplay, and outdated graphics. On the other hand, these things are great features for children who are just being introduced to video games.

Pros:
Great for younger kids
Bargain price
No console needed
SpongeBob is just plain cool!

Cons:
Doesn't stand a chance against today's games and graphics
No expansion, can only play with included games
Uses 4 AA batteries
Durability?