The schematic diagram is dated 21 Mar '51 but sample games began shipping to distributors in February 1951 per Billboard Feb-24-1951 page 65.
Phil Harris released a song called "The Thing" in October 1950 which became a novelty hit for many weeks. It's the story of someone who finds a box on the beach and is vehemently shunned by anyone to whom he tries to show its contents. The actual contents of the box were never identified, as far as we know, but NBC-TV had a Christmas 1950 promotion to give it a different meaning, suggesting it represented the seasonal desire to help the needy. Harris was slated to appear on numerous TV shows during the month prior to Christmas Eve, to provide a clue as to the song's meaning.
