# Little Professor

> educational calculator toy made by Texas Instruments

**Wikidata**: [Q6651428](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6651428)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Professor)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/little-professor

## Summary
The Little Professor is an educational calculator toy manufactured by Texas Instruments. It is designed to function as a game calculator, helping users practice mathematics rather than simply performing calculations. The device is noted for its distinct role as a learning tool separate from standard office calculators.

## Key Facts
*   **Manufacturer:** Texas Instruments
*   **Product Type:** Educational toy / Game Calculator
*   **Classification:** Instance of an educational toy
*   **Release Era:** Circa 1976 (based on historical imagery data)
*   **Original Price:** $16.95 (historical retail cost)
*   **Origin:** Made in the USA
*   **Related Entities:** Distinct from the "Wiz-a-Tron" device
*   **Online Presence:** Available in English, German, and Commons Wikipedia editions

## FAQs
### Q: Who manufactures the Little Professor?
A: The Little Professor is manufactured by Texas Instruments, an American multinational semiconductor design and manufacturing company headquartered in Dallas.

### Q: What type of device is the Little Professor?
A: It is an educational toy and game calculator. Unlike standard calculators that solve equations, it is designed to act as a teaching tool for mathematics.

### Q: How is the Little Professor different from other Texas Instruments calculators?
A: While Texas Instruments produces standard calculators and semiconductors, the Little Professor is specifically classified as an educational toy. It is also explicitly differentiated from the "Wiz-a-Tron" product.

## Why It Matters
The Little Professor holds a significant place in the history of consumer electronics as one of the early examples of "edutainment" hardware—devices designed specifically to educate through interactive play. Manufactured by Texas Instruments, a giant in the semiconductor industry founded in 1930, this device demonstrated the capability of electronic technology to aid in childhood development and learning.

By transforming the calculator from a utility tool into a "game calculator," the Little Professor helped familiarize a generation of users with electronic interfaces and digital logic during the 1970s. Its existence highlights the diversification of Texas Instruments beyond industrial semiconductor design into the consumer education market. The device remains a recognized milestone in educational technology, distinguished from contemporaries like the Wiz-a-Tron, and maintains a presence in historical archives and collector communities.

## Notable For
*   **Educational Innovation:** Being an early electronic "game calculator" designed specifically for educational purposes.
*   **Brand Pedigree:** Serving as a consumer product for Texas Instruments, a major American semiconductor company.
*   **Historical Relevance:** Retailing for $16.95 circa 1976, representing an accessible entry point to electronic learning tools.
*   **Global Reach:** Having dedicated Wikipedia entries in multiple languages (English and German), indicating international recognition.

## Body
### Product Specifications and Design
The Little Professor is an electronic device classified as both a calculator and an educational toy. It is visually and functionally distinct from standard calculators, designed to generate mathematical problems for the user to solve rather than providing answers to inputs.

### Manufacturer: Texas Instruments
The device is produced by Texas Instruments (TI), an American multinational corporation.
*   **Headquarters:** Dallas, United States (Coordinates: 32.91, -96.7525).
*   **Industry:** Electronics and Semiconductor.
*   **History:** TI was founded on December 6, 1930.
*   **Scale:** As of the 2021 fiscal year, the company employed approximately 31,000 people.

### Historical Context
Based on archival data and imagery, the Little Professor was a consumer product available in the United States market.
*   **Production:** Units were manufactured in the USA.
*   **Market Data:** Historical records indicate a retail cost of $16.95 circa 1976.
*   **Differentiation:** In product listings and databases, the Little Professor is explicitly listed as different from the "Wiz-a-Tron," another electronic device of the era.