Chase the Chuck Wagon
Chase the Chuck Wagon — frequently asked questions
- Is Chase the Chuck Wagon on Steam?
- No. Chase the Chuck Wagon is not distributed on Steam, so there is no Steam Charts or SteamDB player count for it. Its live popularity is tracked here via Twitch viewership instead.
- What platforms is Chase the Chuck Wagon on?
- Chase the Chuck Wagon is available on Atari 2600.
- When did Chase the Chuck Wagon release?
- Chase the Chuck Wagon was first released on November 1, 1983.
About Chase the Chuck Wagon
In the 80's, the popular commercial for Purina dog food included a dog chasing a tiny chuckwagon across the kitchen floor. Inspired by this, Chase the Chuckwagon was produced by Spectravision and released as a promotional item from the Ralston Purina Company. Buy lots of dog food and you could own this. The simple rarity of this game combined with its historical coolness makes it one of the "holy grail" games. The object is to navigate the dog through a maze in an effort to reach the chuckwagon, while avoiding the dog catcher and other obstacles. If he makes it, an animation shows the dog chasing after the chuckwagon and stopping to eat the dog food that falls out of it.
Summary via IGDB.
Chase the Chuck Wagon on Wikipedia
Chase the Chuck Wagon is a 1983 promotional video game written by Mike Schwartz for the Atari 2600 and distributed by Purina. It was available only via mail order by sending in proofs of purchase to Purina. In the 1970s and 1980s, popular television commercials for Purina dog food included a dog chasing a tiny chuckwagon. The gameplay is loosely based on this premise.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Atari 2600
- Themes
- Action
- Series
- Purina
Details via IGDB.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
Release record
| Territory | Label | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| North America Spectravision | Standard | Very Rare+ |
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1983
- Controller
- Atari Joystick
- Players
- 1
- Authenticity
- Med
Purina's dog-food giveaway, often called a holy grail of 2600 collecting even though it is far from the rarest.
Mike Schwartz wrote Chase the Chuck Wagon in 1983 for a Purina promotion of its Chuck Wagon dog food, which TV ads of the time showed with a dog chasing a tiny chuckwagon. Purina contracted Spectravision to make it, with TMQ Software developing, and customers could get it only by mailing in proofs of purchase.
It is a simple maze game. You guide Chuckie the dog through four maze designs against a timer, avoiding the dog catcher and a bouncing object that freezes you. The promotion was relatively unsuccessful, and the unshipped cartridges were destroyed.
How it was made
Written by Mike Schwartz, developed by TMQ Software and distributed by Spectravision for Purina in October 1983, by mail order only.
Cartridge & preservation record
Program size 4 KB, measured from the preserved dump.
Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.
Worth knowing
- Owned by a 1985 collector. In March 1985 a reader wrote to Electronic Games: "I have collected almost all of the games for the 2600 (Atari VCS). I even have Tooth Protectors by Johnson & Johnson and Chase the Chuckwagon by Ralston-Purina."
Before you buy
Medium risk. No fakes are documented. The box and manual carry much of a complete copy's value, so check that both are present and original. Compare the label and shell against AtariAge's scans for this title and ask for a board photo through the dust door.
Chase the Chuck Wagon screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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