Telly Turtle
Telly Turtle — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Telly Turtle on?
- Telly Turtle was released on ColecoVision.
- When did Telly Turtle release?
- Telly Turtle was first released on June 3, 1984.
About Telly Turtle
Telly Turtle is basically a port of the LOGO programming language with the main character being a turtle. The keypad buttons of the Colecovision are used to issue commands from a selection presented on-screen and eventually, programs can be formed to move Telly Turtle around the screen in a series of directions. Music and Sound Effects are also added into the mix to broaden the programming experience.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- ColecoVision
- Themes
- Educational
Details via IGDB.
Collector value & authenticity
ColecoVision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about 6 times a year
- Complete: about 4 times a year
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $7.50 in Jul 2009, $9.70 five years ago, and $14.01 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $7.50 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $14.25 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $4.99 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $8.98 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $3.25 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $1.32 | $14.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $3.99 | $21 |
| Jan 2017 | $5.99 | $14.45 |
| Jan 2018 | $11.59 | $18.24 |
| Jan 2019 | $10.00 | $18.69 |
| Jan 2020 | $10.57 | $19.42 |
| Jan 2021 | $10.51 | $22 |
| Jan 2022 | $11.86 | $30 |
| Jan 2023 | $14.79 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2024 | $14.50 | $23 |
| Jan 2025 | $13.00 | $24 |
| Jan 2026 | $11.49 | $30 |
| Oct 2026 | $14.01 | $31 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label |
|---|---|
| North America Coleco | End label: for ColecoVision and ADAM |
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1984
- Controller
- Hand controller (not Super Action controllers)
- Players
- 1
- Authenticity
- Low
A Logo-style turtle graphics tutor for kids, and more a learning tool than a game.
Telly Turtle was a Coleco educational release for the ColecoVision, with Carousel Software credited as developer. Computer Entertainer wrote that it isn't a game at all but a pre-Logo learning experience for children aged five to fifteen, using turtle graphics and graphic symbol commands to take a child step by step into computer programming, with only the hand controller and a few on-screen symbols. The turtle is an open circle with a pointer, and the task is to make it draw shapes.
Electronic Games (May 1984) listed it with the Smurfs, the Cabbage Patch Kids and Dr. Seuss as the stars of Coleco's planned educational games.
How it was made
Carousel Software is listed as developer and Coleco as publisher.
What the press said at the time
“This is a well designed program that is especially valuable for younger children with limited reading and typing skills.”
Worth knowing
- From the ColecoVision manual. An educational programming introduction: the control stick selects commands for Telly and either side button tells him to carry them out.
- From the ColecoVision manual. Four levels of programming are chosen with keypad buttons 1 to 4, and you can return to the option screen at any time with # or *.
- From the ColecoVision manual. A pull-out reference guide to Telly Turtle commands sits in the middle of the booklet for readers who want to skip the lessons.
Before you buy
Plays on the standard ColecoVision controller; Computer Entertainer's description mentions only the hand controller and on-screen symbols, so do not expect an overlay. Loose copies are inexpensive, and a boxed copy carries a clear premium, largely for the manual, which matters for a learning program. No counterfeit is documented.
Watch on YouTube
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