Atarinational Pac-Man Day

Atarinational Pac-Man Day was an event held on April 3rd, 1982 to promote the release of Pac-Man for the Atari 2600. Pac-Man and Blinky mascot costumes appeared in various major cities across the U.S., handing out items such as hats, t-shirts, and stickers to children, as well as taking photographs. No subsequent Pac-Man Days followed in 1983 onwards, but it can be presumed the holiday always takes place on April 3rd.
== 1982 Joystik Magazine article ==
It was only a matter of time or maybe it was Pac-Karma. Whatever the reason, it was wonderful. As the foundation for a multimedia promotional campaign for the Pac-Man home video cartridge, Atari designated April 3, 1982 as National Pac-Man day. On that Saturday, in larger-than-life costumes, Pac-Man and his advisory Speedy (the red Monster) toured 27 major U.S. cities. They were transported via special Pac-Vans equipped with the sounds of the Pac-Man game.
In each city, they visited hospitals and donated computer systems and game cartridges to the patients-And for the first time ever, a video character threw at the first ball at a baseball game. They also visited shopping malls and gave out T-shirts by the dozen. And prominent mayors even presented them with keys to their cities.
Seem like a lot of travelling for one day? Well, fortunately, video images can be reproduced to appear simultaneously in as many places as necessary.
== Known locations ==
* Seattle, Washington
* Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
* King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
* Phoenix, Arizona
* Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
* Atlanta, Georgia
* Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Dade County, Florida
* Rochester, New York
* Tampa, Florida
* Baltimore, Maryland
*Paris, France
== Trivia ==
*It seems that several Pac-Man Day events had contests, such as a Look-A-Like contest and a Sound-A-Like contest.
*The costumes used for Pac-Man Day were later featured in the music video for "Pac-Man Fieber", a German cover of Pac-Man Fever.
== Gallery ==
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File:Atari stickers.jpg|A "National Pac-Man Day" sticker from the Pac-Man Trading Cards
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Category:Real-World
Category:Real-World locations and events