Never-released original color 24 x 36 poster for the classic 1981 Atari arcade game Centipede, which depicts a nude female model with centipede-inspired body paint emerging from mist and a trio of large mushrooms. The lower portion features a light blue Atari logo and the game’s classic green logo wraps around the periphery of the poster image. Rolled and in very good to fine condition, with tack holes to corners, scattered small creases, and light edgewear, none of which truly detract from the stunning artwork.
From the collection of former Atari employee Wendi Allen, who worked for Atari coin-op engineering as both a hardware and software engineer, and as the principal electrical engineer who ushered Atari's vector graphics hardware to market. Allen notes: ‘When Centipede was getting ready to be marketed, the art department created a somewhat surrealistic poster containing a lady painted in green to represent a centipede. A small number of these posters were printed, but management felt it was too risqué to distribute. The art department was told to create a G-rated poster, which they did. The original posters remained within Atari.’
