Canada shares the world's longest undefended border with the Odyssey²'s country of origin, so it made sense for O2 games to be sold there. But Magnavox faced a problem: many Canadians speak French, so the English packaging made for the American market wouldn't sell up north.
At first, Magnavox solved this by printing cardboard slipcovers that were placed over American boxes. These covers featured the game title and description printed in both French and English, and allowed the box art to be viewed through a hole in the front. A French version of the game's manual (identical to the English version other than the language) was included with each Canadian game. Unfortunately, the slipcovers had to be removed before the boxes could be opened. Many slipcovers were therefore thrown away, making them rather uncommon today. They undoubtedly represented an extra printing cost as well, so they ultimately weren't a very good solution to the language problem.
Right about the time the Challenger Series hit the market, North American Philips started using the same kind of plastic boxes that they used in Europe and Brazil to sell games in Canada. Plastic-box Canadian releases contained French and English manuals, but they also contained a one-sheet of the box art that displayed the game title in both languages. This insert served as the "cover" of the box, and was undoubtedly cheaper to produce than the slipcovers had been.
Canadian cartridge labels are extremely generic and were adhered with cheap glue, so they often fall off. They all feature the same photo of a console and TV screen playing Speedway!, regardless of what game is actually on the cart. French and English game titles are shown above the photo. Occasionally, regular American-labeled carts turn up in Canadian boxes, and it's possible that a few European Videopacs were sold in Canada as well. Videopac 38: Munchkin is frequently seen in Canadian Odyssey" lots sold online.
The Database lists only those Canadian games that have been seen with combination French/English packaging. Each game is listed by its French title to distinguish it from its American counterpart.
Title | No. | Publisher |
---|---|---|
Associations!/Logix!/Devinettes! | AJ9407 | Magnavox |
Baseball! | AJ9408 | Magnavox |
Bataille de Blindés!/Chasse Aux Sous-Marins! | AJ9403 | Magnavox |
Billiard À Blouses! | Magnavox | |
Blackjack Style Las Vegas! | AJ9401 | Magnavox |
Conflit Cosmique! | AJ9411 | Magnavox |
Confrontation en 2100 Aprés J.-C.! | AK9416 | Magnavox |
Démolition!/Destruction! | AA9427 | Magnavox |
Dynastie! | AK9421 | Magnavox |
Envahisseurs Extra-Terrestres! | AA9428 | Magnavox |
Football! | AJ9402 | Magnavox |
Golf Électronique! | AJ9410 | Magnavox |
Guerre aux OVNIS! | Magnavox | |
Hockey!/Soccer! | Magnavox | |
Invasion Intersidérale! | AK9414 | Magnavox |
J'ai le Bon Numero! | Magnavox | |
K.C. Broyefer! | AC9435 | Magnavox |
La Course Folle!/Tête-À-Queue!/Crypto-Logic! | AJ9400 | Magnavox |
La Grande Chasse de Broyefer! | AC9442 | Magnavox |
La Guerre des Nerfs! | AK9417 | Magnavox |
Les Défenseurs de la Liberté! | AC9436 | Magnavox |
Machine À Boules! | AK9415 | Magnavox |
Machine À Sous! | Magnavox | |
Math-A-Magic!/Echo! | AJ9405 | Magnavox |
Pierre et la Pioche! | AC9437 | Magnavox |
Prenez L'Argent et Filez! | Magnavox | |
Singeries! | AB9432 | Magnavox |
Ski Alpin! | Magnavox | |
Soccer de Table Électronique! | AA9423 | Magnavox |
Volley-Ball! | Magnavox | |
Voyage dans l'espace! / Sauvetage par hélicoptère! | AB9432 | Magnavox |