Love Tester

Summary

The Love Tester is one of the few products Nintendo sold outside Japan in the 1970s. By measuring the conductivity of the skin, potential couples can “check” with this device whether they fit or not. The partners hold hands, each using their other hand to grip one of the device’s contacts. On a scale of 1 to 100, the Love Tester then uses a needle to show the degree of agreement and thus the supposed intensity of infatuation.

This electronic toy is invented by Gunpei Yokoi, the later inventor of the original Game Boys. Yokoi, at that time only 28 years old, is actually only looking for an opportunity to get girls to hold hands with him – by the way, he creates one of the first big sales successes for Nintendo.