Mattel Football II Documentation
Two editions of Mattel's instructions for the handheld Mattel Football II game (model 1050) are hosted here. Both are copyright Mattel, Inc. 1978, Hawthorne, California, and printed in Hong Kong. Neither is a service document.[1][2]
| Document | Print code | Pages | File |
|---|---|---|---|
| Here's How to Play Football II | 1050-0920 | 16 | |
| How to Play Football II | 1050-0920(B) | 9 |
Here's How to Play Football II (1050-0920)
[edit | edit source]A 16-page booklet printed in black and red. Its pages are numbered 1 to 13 after two unnumbered opening pages, with the warranty on the back cover. Contents, with the printed page numbers:[1]
- Unnumbered: cover; the teams, and how to put in the battery.
- 1: controls drawing (including the AC adaptor plug) and the control keys; the four speeds in two levels.
- 2-4: status key, how to read the status display, score key, how to read the score display, arrow keys, kick key, pass key, how to operate the controls.
- 5-6: the playing field, starting the quarters, the end-of-quarter buzzer, sound effects, how to play the game, kickoff.
- 7-12: running, the scrimmage, being tackled, passing, interceptions, punting, field goals, safety, touchdown.
- 13: taking care of the game and the battery-wear notice.
- Back cover: the 90-day limited warranty and the Mattel Electronics Repair Center.
How to Play Football II (1050-0920(B))
[edit | edit source]A shorter nine-page edition with the same rules, rearranged. It adds Mattel's method for taking the battery off its snap, a worked first kick-off ("Let's try it!"), a table of the simulated sounds and what each means, the game-time rules, and winning hints. Its last page carries the www.handheldmuseum.com footer.[2]
What these booklets do not contain
[edit | edit source]Neither booklet has a schematic, parts list, board layout, current consumption or adaptor rating. The only fault advice is that malfunctioning player blips or score display are the first sign of a worn battery. Out-of-warranty repair was by return to the Mattel Electronics Repair Center for a $10.00 service charge.[1][2]
The two editions agree that the faster Level II speeds are selected by holding KICK while switching on. The Handheld Museum's page on the game names PASS instead.[1][2][3]
Pages that cite these documents
[edit | edit source]- Mattel Football II: power, controls, speeds, game rules.
- Mattel Football II General Maintenance: battery fitting and removal, adaptor, care.
- Mattel Football II Troubleshooting Guide: the switch-on sequence, the sounds, game time and the battery-wear notice.
- Mattel Football II Capacitor Replacement Guide: the supply.
Sources
[edit | edit source]The 16-page edition is from the Internet Archive item football-ii-handheld-electronic-game-manual-mattel-1978 (uploaded 2021). The nine-page edition is from manuals-handheld-games-Mattel-Football2 (uploaded 2011 by the textfiles.com manual library).[4]
Here's How to Play Football II
[edit | edit source]
Download: Mattel Football II Instructions (1978).pdf
How to Play Football II, revision B
[edit | edit source]
Download: Mattel Football II Instructions (1978, revision B).pdf
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mattel, Inc., Here's How to Play Football II (1978, 1050-0920), File:Mattel Football II Instructions (1978).pdf: every page read for this description.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mattel, Inc., How to Play Football II (1978, 1050-0920(B)), File:Mattel Football II Instructions (1978, revision B).pdf: every page read for this description.
- ↑ Handheld Museum, "Mattel Football II" (retrieved 2026-10-19): "if you hold down the 'Pass' button while turning on the game, you effectively get Pro 3 or Pro 4 difficulty settings".
- ↑ Internet Archive items football-ii-handheld-electronic-game-manual-mattel-1978 and manuals-handheld-games-Mattel-Football2 (retrieved 2026-10-19).