2-XL - Wikipedia

2-XL (2-XL Robot, 2XL Robot, 2-XL Toy) is an educational toy robot that was marketed from 1978–1981[1] by the Mego Corporation, and from 1992–1995 by Tiger Electronics. 2-XL was the first "smart-toy" in that it exhibited rudimentary intelligence, memory, gameplay, and responsiveness.[2][3] 2-XL was infused with a "personality" that kept kids focused and challenged as they interacted with the verbal robot. Learning was enhanced via the use of jokes and funny sayings as verbal reinforcements for performance. 2-XL was heralded as an important step in the development of toys, particularly educational ones. 2-XL won many awards, and Playthings, a toy industry magazine, placed 2-XL on its 75th anniversary cover as one of the industry's top-ten toys of all time.[4] The 2-XL name is a pun of the phrase "To Excel".[5]

The toy was invented and licensed for manufacture by Michael J. Freeman, inventor, Ph.D. and was patented.[6] 2-XL exhibited rudimentary intelligence, memory, gameplay, and responsiveness. Dubbed the "Toy with a Personality," 2-XL could respond verbally to the user depending upon which "input or answer" buttons were chosen.[7] 2-XL during its run was one of the most popular toys in terms of market revenue and was dubbed the Talking Robot with a mind of its own.[8] The toy was voiced by Freeman,[9] using a synthesizer to make his voice a high-pitched robot-like sound; it was through this process that Freeman developed 2-XL's personality. 2-XL was first introduced in 1978 by the Mego Corporation, a publicly traded US-based toy company in New York City[10] and it subsequently became a success.[10][11][12] The toy was sold in different countries and the tapes were translated into seven foreign languages.[13] Games were also developed for the toy.[10]

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