Painterboy

Lore & Background

Painterboy was released in 1986 for the Commodore 64, developed by Chart Top Design. It is based on the 'Father and Son' characters from Tikkurila's TV advertisements, though the game's characters are somewhat caricatured compared to the live-action actors in the ads. The game was sold via mail order only, with a retail price of 67.00 Finnish markka for the tape version and 69.00 mk for the diskette version.

Reader's Guide

The gameplay is divided into two sections: driving and painting. In the driving section, the player must pick the correct paint for the building (e.g., not oil paint for concrete) and navigate an overhead map to the target building, avoiding obstacles like driving off-road, colliding with buildings, or being hit by a train. In the painting section, the player controls the Son and must paint building sections while avoiding dogs, birds, the Father, and the Girl Next Door. The game is notable as an early example of advergaming in Finland, directly tying gameplay to Tikkurila's brand and advertising campaign.

Did You Know?

• Painterboy is one of the first advergames produced in Finland.
• The game was only available through mail order from developer Chart Top Design.
• The retail price was 67.00 mk for tape and 69.00 mk for diskette.
• The characters are based on Tikkurila's TV advertisements, though caricatured compared to the actors.