Dendy () is a series of home video game consoles, an unofficial hardware clone of Nintendo's third-generation Famicom. Dendy was produced by Steepler since late 1992, and assembled in Taiwan from Chinese components. It was mainly sold in Russia and post-Soviet countries. Manufacturing assembly grew to add the Subor factory in China and at Tenzor factory in Dubna town in Russia.
The Dendy lineup was divided into two categories: the basic Dendy Classic and the budget Dendy Junior, which differ in design, quality, and price. The Classic is a copy of the Micro Genius console of Taiwan TXC Corporation and was produced in the same factory. The Junior was made from cheaper system on a chip technology specifically for Steepler. A Dendy Pro version with one wired and one wireless gamepad was sold from only one small batch.
Because the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System were never officially sold in post-Soviet states, the Dendy achieved great popularity in the region. It was promoted through television programs and video game magazines. Dendy became a household name in Russia and began to be applied to the rest of the Famicom hardware clones, colloquially called Famiclones, and to other consoles. After the bankruptcy of Steepler, sales of the original Dendy ceased in 1998, and at the time, according to various estimates, between 1.5 and 6 million units were sold. It is believed that it created a market for video games and game consoles in Russia.
History
Beginning
In 1992, businessman Viktor Savyuk came to the Steepler company with a proposal to create and sell TV game consoles with removable game cartridges under the Dendy trademark. Before that, the company had been supplying Hewlett-Packard products, system integration, and localizing the Windows 3.x operating systems into Russian with the CyrWin package. The company's founders planned to develop a gaming division, and in September 1992, Savyuk joined a newly established division.
Savyuk established contacts with Taiwanese console manufacturers and expressed interest in their products. Steepler did not consider selling the original Famicom, as it was three times more expensive than existing bootleg clones, and Nintendo was not interested in the CIS countries market. Eventually, Steepler made a deal with TXC Corporation, a Taiwanese firm that produced Famiclones and sold them under the Micro Genius brand. The first console sold by Steepler under the Dendy brand was the Micro Genius IQ-501, which went on sale as the Dendy Classic. In creating the name, Savyuk chose the English word for Dandy - a man who emphasises physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies. The letter "a" was replaced by an "e" for easier reading in Russian.
The console's mascot, the elephant Dendy was drawn by Russian animator Ivan Maximov. The console was advertised on Russian television with the slogan "Dendy, Dendy, we all love Dendy! Dendy — everybody plays!". The "Neschastniy Sluchai" music band recorded the commercial, with the music written by keyboardist Sergey Chekryzhov, and the slogan was created by guitarist Andrey Guvakov. Animation for the clip was also made with the band. The commercial started running two weeks before the start of sales, and was broadcast by Video International.
Dendy went on sale on December 17, 1992, for 39,000 rubles (then equivalent to ). However, a mistake in introducing the device to the market made the first batch with the PAL-I video standard, whereas the SECAM-DK standard was required instead. The whole first batch was repaired in Moscow. The first brand shops were opened in Moscow on Petrovka, Krasnaya Presnya and in the passage leading from the Teatralnaya metro station to the GUM department store. By February 1993, sales were up to 3,000 consoles per month. Games were profitable, and Steepler managers traveled to the regions to find regional dealers and purchase advertising.