ToeJam & Earl

n/a

ToeJam & Earl
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Virtual Console, PlayStation 3, Steam, RealOne Arcade, Nintendo Switch Online
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Johnson Voorsanger Productions M2
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code JP 1992-03-13 ¥6,8006,800 G-4066 US 1991-10 $59.9559.95 1020 EU 1991-11 1020 UK 1991-11-18 £34.9934.99 1020 SE (Rental) 199x AU 199x CA 199x 1020 BR 199x KR 199x GM8027JG JP ▼ 2006-12-02 600pts600 US ▼ 2006-12-25 800pts800 EU ▼ 2006-12-22 800pts800 DE ▼ 2006-12-22 800pts800 AU ▼ 2006-12 800pts800 US ▼ 2003-01-09 US ▼ 2011-01-26 $4.994.99 71166 EU ▼ 2011-01-26 €4.494.49 71166 UK ▼ 2011-01-26 £3.993.99 71166 AU ▼ 2011-01-26 $6.996.99 71166 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.990.99 71166 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71166 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.790.79 71166 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.351.35 71166 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.990.99 71166 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 71166 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.790.79 71166 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.351.35 71166 US ▼ 2012-11-06 $4.994.99 NPUB-30796 EU ▼ 2012-11-07 €4.494.49 NPEB-01001 DE ▼ 2012-11-07 €4.494.49 NPEB-01001 UK ▼ 2012-11-07 £3.593.59 NPEB-01001 AU ▼ 2012-11-06 $6.256.25 NPEB-01001 KR ▼ 2012-11-07 ₩6,2006,200 NPHB-00500 TW ▼ 2012-11-07 NT$156156 NPHB-00500 JP ▼ 2021-12-17 SUBsub US ▼ 2021-12-16 SUBsub EU ▼ 2021-12-17 SUBsub UK ▼ 2021-12-17 SUBsub AU ▼ 2021-12-17 SUBsub

ToeJam & Earl (トージャム＆アール) is a Sega Mega Drive action strategy game developed by Johnson Voorsanger Productions and published by Sega. Starring two extraterrestrial rappers who crash-land on Earth and must re-assemble the missing pieces of their spacecraft, it was first released in the United States in October 1991, and was generally well-received for both its charming parodies of 1990s urban culture and for its funk-inspired soundtrack. The success of ToeJam & Earl was followed by a sequel, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, and helped to establish the duo as one of Sega of America's earliest mascots.

With a notably lighthearted tone, ToeJam & Earl's carefree design and fun characterization resulted in the game becoming one of Sega of America's more fondly-remembered original titles, both upon its release and into the modern era. Today, the duo are still strongly-associated with Sega's name in the United States, and has ensured the franchise still sees modern ports and newly-developed games.

Story

ToeJam and Earl, two funky aliens from the planet Funkotron, are flying through space busting out funky beats in their Righteous Rapmaster Rocketship when Earl is given the driver's seat. Flying the rocketship recklessly, Earl crashes into an asteroid, causing the ship to make a crash landing on Earth, a planet filled with incredibly dangerous lifeforms, especially humans. Now, ToeJam and Earl must explore the planet and find all 10 pieces of their rocketship so they can return home.

Gameplay

A two-player session in a 'Random World'.

The game takes place in a surreal isometric world representing Earth, where land is in the form of a stack of randomly-generated floating islands (though a 'Fixed World' with 25 pre-made islands is also available). In each of the game's 25 islands, the player must find the elevator that will bring them to the next level. Occasionally, a rocketship piece will be hidden somewhere on an island, although the player is not required to collect it right away before moving onto the next island. Every island besides the first is surrounded by a void, falling in at any time will cause the player to fall to the previous level.

Each level can have different features, with some features only being found on specific levels. Roads will slightly increase ToeJam and Earl's movement speed when walked on, though sand will gradually cause them to sink, reducing movement speed. They can swim in water, but doing so will drain their health and lead to drowning. Various hidden paths that connect multiple islands together can be discovered by walking along the edges.

Most inhabitants of Earth will attack or otherwise hinder ToeJam & Earl when they spot them, often causing varying degress of damage, stealing presents or immobilising them in some way. Some Earthlings are not hostile at all and will help them in exchange for money.

The player has a rank shown on the bottom of the screen with their health and number of extra lives, and begins the game at the rank of 'Wiener'. As the player scores points by uncovering squares of the map and opening presents, their rank will increase at certain point values. When the player increases in rank, their maximum health increases, and for every third rank reached (Poindexter, Bro and Funklord), the player receives an extra life. The player is able to increase in rank eight times. The ranks and their point requirements are listed below:

1. Wiener: 0
2. Dufus: 40
3. Poindexter: 100
4. Peanut: 180
5. Dude: 280
6. Bro: 400
7. Homey: 540
8. Rapmaster: 700
9. Funklord: 880

The game can either be played with one or two players. In two-player mode, if ToeJam & Earl wander too far apart, the game will go into a horizontal split-screen mode so both players can keep track of their characters, with the screen returning to normal once the characters reunite. If ToeJam & Earl walk into each other horizontally, they will high-five, causing the player with the most health to give a little to the player with less health, and presents can be shared between both players if they are on-screen together. If one player loses all of their lives, they can also take a life from the other player to come back into the game.

The game ends when the player(s) finds all 10 pieces of the spacecraft.

By default, sneaks and causes a character to use an Action Present's ability, when applicable. pulls up a player's inventory. switches to a map of the current island. While viewing the inventory, pressing toggles the title between "OPEN" and "DROP", while pressing does what the title specifies. The standard button commands can be configured on the "What" screen before starting a new game.

Items

	Presents
	Presents are scattered around the levels that can be collected and used at any time. The effects of each present box are randomized each time the game is played, and must be identified by opening them or using the Wiseman's services. Some presents have helpful effects, such as restoring health, temporarily bestowing special abilities (referred to as 'Action Presents'), or revealing hidden sections of the map. Others, however, can do more harm, and can do things such as summon enemies, cause the character to fall asleep and leave them open to attack, or randomize the effects of all the presents. Each player can hold up to a maximum of 16 presents. If a player has reached that maximum, they must open or drop presents they already have if they want to pick up any more. Presents wrapped in a "?" are always random, and will turn into another present when identified by the Wiseman. A full list of presents can be seen in the sub-section below.
	Food
	Food comes in all sorts of varieties, and will heal different amounts of health or cause damage depending on its quality. The types of foods are listed below: "Not bad" (small heal): Bacon 'n' Eggs, Candy Cane, Cereal, Watermelon "Yummm!" (moderate heal): Cherry Pie, Fries, Pancakes, Pizza "Wow!!" (heavy heal): Fudge Cake, Fudge Sundae, Hamburger "Ick" (small damage): Moldy Bread, Old Cheese "Yuck!" (moderate damage): Fishbones, Slimy Fungus "Gross!!" (heavy damage): Old Cabbage
	Buck
	Currency which is required for various services on Earth. Can be found on the ground or inside presents.
	Telephone
	Randomly spawns nearby, and will constantly ring until it is found, revealing a few panels on the map. If a telephone is left unanswered for too long, it will disappear.
	Mailbox
	Mailboxes can be used to order presents for delivery when approached. Each mailbox offers three random presents, each having different prices. Of course, a present cannot be ordered if the user doesn't have enough bucks, or has too many presents. However, a mailbox may actually be a monster (see the Earthlings section for more information).
	Elevator
	These will take ToeJam and Earl to the next level. In a two-player game, both players need to enter the elevator together to reach new levels, but if one player is on a lower level and needs to catch up, they don't need to wait for the other player to use the elevator.
	Rocketship piece
	One of the 10 pieces needed to rebuild the Righteous Rapmaster Rocketship. A hint will be displayed if a level contains a ship piece.

Presents

	Super Hi-Tops / Bonus Hi-Tops
	Allows ToeJam and Earl to run at high speed by holding while moving. If they run towards the edge of water or land, they will leap into the air for a set distance, which the player(s) can do to cross gaps. The player(s) starts with presents containing "Bonus Hi-Tops" at the start of a new game. In a one-player game, the player has four of these presents, while each player starts with two in a two-player game.
	Rocket Skates
	Rocket Skates propel ToeJam and Earl at ridiculous speeds fast enough to travel across water, and will not be able to stop until the present runs out. The player(s) can crouch by holding , then jump by releasing it, though they will also automatically jump when the present is activated or when reaching the edge of land, and they will not be able to change direction while in mid-air. This combined with the high speed makes this present very unwieldly to use.
	Spring Shoes
	These allow ToeJam and Earl to jump large distances by holding and releasing . The longer the button is held down, the farther they'll jump, though they will be bouncing on the spot after each jump, leaving them vulnerable until they stop bouncing.
	Icarus Wings
	These allow ToeJam and Earl to fly in the air and cross large gaps in the terrain by repeately pressing to flap. They are one of the most useful presents in the game, but they have a relatively short timer compared to other Action Presents, and if they run out during flight, the player(s) will fall and bounce on the ground.
	Innertube
	These inflatable pool toys allow ToeJam and Earl to travel through water without having to hold their breaths. They are particularly useful in levels with large bodies of water, such as levels 4 and 10.
	Tomatoes
	Allows ToeJam and Earl to throw tomatoes at Earthlings to pop them. Pressing throws a tomato in the direction ToeJam or Earl are facing.
	Slingshot
	Allows ToeJam and Earl to shoot tomatoes with greater speed and range than regular tomatoes. Pressing shoots a tomato in the direction ToeJam or Earl are facing.
	Rose Bushes
	Allows ToeJam and Earl to plant rose bushes where they stand with , which can be useful for blocking off any Earthlings that may be chasing them. Only one rose bush can be planted by the same player at a time - planting a new one will make the last one die, and rose bushes will immediately die if they are planted on roads or sand. The player must also be moving while planting rose bushes, as they will take damage from their thorns.
	Food
	Can randomly be good food, which will restore health, or bad food, which will cause damage. The chances of the food being good are 70%, and are calculated separately for both players when shared in a two-player game (it may be good for one player, and bad for the other).
	Fudge Sundae
	Always great food, restoring a great deal of health.
	Rootbeer
	A soda that will restore a small amount of health, but will make ToeJam or Earl burp constantly for a short while, making it impossible to sneak past sleeping Earthlings.
	Extra Life
	Awards an extra life.
	Extra Buck
	Awards an extra buck.
	Jackpot
	Awards five extra bucks.
	Promotion
	Raises the user's score to the amount needed for the next promotion.
	Telephone
	Spawns a telephone next to the user.
	Doorway
	Spawns a doorway that will lead a player to a random location in the current level.
	Decoy
	Spawns a balloon in ToeJam or Earl's likeness that will distract Earthlings until it is popped. Useful for escaping danger.
	Boombox
	Spawns a boombox that will distract Earthlings with funky beats for a short period of time. Useful for escaping danger.
	Un-Fall
	Sends the user to the highest level reached if they have fallen to an earlier level. This appears only in a one-player game - it is replaced with the Togetherness in a two-player game.
	Togetherness
	Brings the user to the other player, which is useful if both players need to regroup immediately. This appears only in a two-player game - it is replaced with the Un-Fall in a one-player game.
	Tomato Rain
	Causes tomatoes to fall from the sky for a set period of time, hitting players and Earthlings alike. The player(s) can predict where tomatoes will land by seeing the shadows and avoid them as necessary.
	Earthling
	Spawns a random Earthling.
	School Book
	ToeJam or Earl will read a school book which will bore them to sleep, similar to being left idle for too long. Repeatedly mash the buttons to wake them up.
	Rain Cloud
	Spawns a rain cloud above the user's head, which will periodically zap them and cause damage for a set period of time.
	Total Bummer!
	Instantly kills the player(s) when opened, taking away a life. Avoid this present.
	Randomizer
	Randomises all the presents in the game. All previously identified presents will be forgotten. Avoid this present.

Earthlings

Some Earthlings may be found sleeping, and it is possible to sneak past them by holding when an Action Present isn't active. Earthlings that are known to sleep are marked with an asterisk (*).

	Crazed Shopper* (Spenditallinadae)
	Women pushing shopping carts around occupied by crying children. While they have moderate movement speed, they will frequently stop to look around or yell at their children, so they are not very dangerous.
	Wiseman (Carrotus Smartus)
	A friendly old man identifiable by his carrot suit. When approached by a player, he will identify any unidentified present the player may have for two bucks per present.
	Wahini (Hawaiinus Bootius Shakium)
	Hawaiian girls performing hula dances. While they are not hostile themselves, their dancing will cause ToeJam and Earl to uncontrollably do a hula dance of their own, and the closer they are to the Wahinis the harder it is to resist. This can serve as a form of annoyance to the player(s), especially if hostile Earthlings are nearby.
	Insane Dentist* (Painus Maximus)
	These crazed dentists will chase after players and poke them with their dental drills. They are fast and their drills are painful, but they'll laugh maniacally after dealing damage, offering a window of escape.
	Cupid (Cupidus Stupidus)
	Cupids fly about in the air and will make themselves a source of frustration for the player(s) by firing love arrows. Getting hit by an arrow will render ToeJam and Earl lovestruck, which will scramble their directional inputs for a short while. A Cupid can be knocked out of the sky and popped by colliding into them using Super Hi-Tops, Spring Shoes, Icarus Wings or Rocket Skates.
	Hamster in a Rolly Ball* (Rodentia Nottoosmartium)
	Hamsters inside rolly balls that will chase after any player they see and flatten them. They are the slowest Earthlings in the game and don't do much damage, thus are not particularly threatening.
	Boogie Man (Pygmyus Scaremtadeathium)
	Boogie Men attack by sneaking up to a player and scaring them, dealing moderately high damage. They are invisible though their shadows can be seen when they move, and are especially dangerous when in groups.
	Nerdherd* (Geekus Dorkia)
	A pack of nerds who wander around aimlessly at a fast speed, trampling on a player if they get in their way.
	Mole (Diggus Theifius Yawannakillum)
	Moles burrow underground, chasing a player at high speed. If a mole catches a player, it will steal some of their presents. Moles can only be hit by tomatoes when they periodically stop to look around.
	Santa (Ho Ho Hoium)
	Santa will be seen rummaging through his sack. If he sees a player, he will equip his jet pack and fly away. It is possible to sneak up on him from behind using and make him drop some of his presents. When Santa stops to look around, the player should stop moving and wait for him to resume rummaging.
	Angry Bees (Buzzius Stingium)
	Bees that travel in a swarm, chasing any player they see. They are rather slow, but their stings can deal repeated damage and can easily push the player(s) off cliffs. There are two kinds of bees as identified by the original manual: Normal Bees, which are prone to giving up their chase due to memory lapses, and Deadly Bees, who are more single-minded and relentless in their pursuit.
	Wizard (Prestidigium Healum Ferabuckium)
	A friendly Earthling who will offer to fully heal a player for one buck when approached.
	Mailbox Monster (Mailboxium Donttrustium)
	Some mailboxes, particularly in later levels, may actually be monsters in disguise, who will rapidly chase a player and deal heavy damage. A good way to tell whether a mailbox is a monster or not is to check for peering eyes from a safe distance, hit them with tomatoes or use a Boombox.
	Lil Devil* (Devilus Pokium)
	Small red devils that will chase a nearby player with pitchforks. They are slow-moving and their pitchforks deal minimal damage, which combined with their tendency to stop chasing and dance on the spot makes them the least threatening of all hostile Earthlings.
	Shark (Fishius Notsoniceum)
	Sharks inhabit the waters, where they will give chase to any player they see with a Jaws-style fanfare. They deal moderate damage, which combined with health being drained for swimming makes them particularly dangerous, but being limited to water makes them very avoidable.
	Tornado (Spinnus Makemesickium)
	Tornadoes appear in deserts and will attempt to catch a player within their vortex, and if successful will carry them away somewhere with no way to break free, often dumping them away over the starry void. A good tactic to avoiding tornadoes is to maneuver around them at the last second.
	Fat Man & Mower (Americanus Suberbium)
	Fat suburban American men who will mindlessly chase after a player with their lawnmowers at a rather fast speed. The lawnmowers deal significant damage and can hit the player multiple times, resulting in easily lost lives.
	Opera Singer (Fattus Singus Irritatus)
	Dressed like a valkyrie, an opera singer will follow a player around, offering to sing if they pay her three bucks. Her singing is loud enough to pop every on-screen Earthling, which can make for a useful bodyguard if the player has a lot of bucks, but her service is very situational.
	Chickens with Mortars (Cluckus Artillarus)
	A flock of chickens wearing spiked military hats that will fire tomatoes at the player(s) from a distance. The player must keep moving in order to avoid being hit. They are especially dangerous if there are multiple groups in one place.
	Phantom Ice Cream Truck (Driverus Insanicus Ghostium)
	Perhaps the most dangerous Earthling in the game, these are ghostly ice cream trucks who suddenly appear from thin air and chase players at very fast speed, squashing them for serious damage. They turn invisible whenever they reach the edge of land or water.

Jam Out

A Jam Out session.

A 'Jam Out' feature is accessible from the "What" screen when starting a new game. In this mode, the player can use any of the buttons on both Control Pads to make ToeJam and Earl bust out beats on animated backgrounds. Before starting, the player is given the option to have the base melody of any of the six songs in the game accompany the player's beats, or play without any music accompaniment.

Selecting 'Crazy Sounds' starts a special Jam Out session where , and will play random sound effects from the main game, and pressing any direction on the D-Pad will randomise the associated sound effects. Pressing  START  on the first Control Pad cycles between each of the game's songs, while  START  on the second Control Pad cycles between the full song, the base melody only, or silence.

To exit Jam Out and return to the "Who" screen, the player should press and hold  START  on either Control Pad for a few seconds.

Achievements

Main article: ToeJam & Earl/Achievements.

Development

One of Greg Johnson's main influences for ToeJam & Earl's design was the early computer game Rogue, a dungeon crawling game developed around 1980 for Unix-based mainframe systems and released as public domain software. He first played Rogue while studying bio-linguistics at the University of California in San Diego and would often stay up long nights playing the game, leaving a permanent impression on the designer.

Production credits

Main article: ToeJam & Earl/Production credits.

Digital manuals

• 

  Steam manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini US manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini EU manual

Magazine articles

Main article: ToeJam & Earl/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: ToeJam & Earl/Promotional material.

Artwork

• 

  Concept artwork of the characters ToeJam & Earl.

• 

  Artwork of the character ToeJam.

• 

  Artwork of the character Earl.

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 70 ACE (UK) 0 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 73 Computer Game Review (US) NTSC-U 79 Console XS (UK) PAL 93 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 70 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 70 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 80 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 68 Game Power (IT) 72 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 84 Gamers (DE) 73 GamesMaster (UK) 70 Games-X (UK) 90 Game Informer (US) 90 Game Zone (UK) PAL 89 Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J 80 Hobby Consolas (ES) 87 Joypad (FR) PAL 94 Joystick (FR) PAL 88 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 72 Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J 71 Mega (UK) PAL 91 Mega Force (FR) PAL 85 MegaTech (UK) 87 Mean Machines (UK) PAL 87 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 87 Player One (FR) 75 Play Time (DE) 95 Sega Power (UK) PAL 91 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 93 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 88 Sega Force (UK) PAL 94 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 73 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 77 Video Games (DE) 62

	79
Based on 36 reviews

ToeJam & Earl

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual Poster PCB

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, SE (Rental)

Mega Drive, AU
Cover

Mega Drive, AU (alt)
Cover

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, KR
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, CA
Cover

Technical information

Main article: ToeJam & Earl/Technical information.

External links

• Sega of Japan Virtual Console pages: Mega Drive
• Nintendo catalogue pages: US, UK, AU
• ToeJam & Earl on Steam
• ToeJam & Earl on PlayStation.com: US, KR
• ToeJam & Earl on PlayStation Store: US, UK, AU, KR, TW
• ToeJam & Earl tribute page by Chris Sykes at skutter.net

References

Games in the ToeJam & Earl Series
	ToeJam & Earl (1991) | ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (1993)
	ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth (2002)
	Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl (2012)
	Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl (2013)
ToeJam & Earl related media
	ToeJam and Earl Rap (1991) | Sega Tunes: ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (1996)