How to play Apples and Dolls online
- Walk left and right: left and right arrow keys
- Build a ladder: stand on a flashing spot and press Space
- Climb up or down a ladder: up and down arrow keys
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
In the story, Teddy has had a bad dream and wants his mommy. He cannot jump: to go up a floor he stands on a flashing spot and creates a “stardust ladder”, a beam to the floor above, and all the ladders on a floor must be in place before he can move on. Monsters patrol every floor, and small pictures of Teddy show how many tries you have left.
There are two stages: first you climb to an apple, then to Teddy’s mother, after which the game starts again at a higher difficulty. A floating coloured block is “a kiss from Mommy” and lets Teddy beat the monsters for a short time. The number at the top of the screen is your time, so lower is better. The tune “Little Brown Jug” plays at the start and when you finish.
Tips
- Trick the monsters. Start up a ladder, then drop back down. A monster can be fooled into turning, which gives you a clear path.
- Time the kiss. The power-up is short, so grab it when monsters stand between you and the next ladder.
History
I Want My Mommy came out on ZiMAG’s KidStuff label, aimed at children under nine. A 1983 review in Video Games Player found it fine for small children but too easy for anyone older. The game is closely related to Bit Corporation’s Open Sesame, which has the same kind of floor-by-floor climb with an Arabian Nights theme, and in Europe it also appeared as Teddy Apple. Apples and Dolls is one of several unlicensed renamed copies; CCE also sold it in Brazil as Ursinho Esperto (“clever little bear”).
