ToeJam and Earl (for the Sega Genesis game console) has to be one of the most brilliant and fun videogames ever produced for any game system. It is also one of the best two-player cooperative play videogames ever made.
The game centers around two hip aliens - ToeJam, and Earl - from the planet Funkotron. When ToeJam hands the steering wheel of his spaceship for Earl to drive, they crash-land on the planet Earth. You (and your friend) help ToeJam and Earl navigate the 25 levels of Planet Earth as they search for the parts of their broken spaceship.
ToeJam and Earl is one of the few videogames that I've completely beaten, and have played through again and again. Part of the genius of its design is that each game is randomly generated, so no two games are ever the same. And I must say I've logged quite a bit of playtime, if it drove me to write this strategy guide (originally from 1993).
If a fast Earthling (such as the man with the lawnmower) is chasing you, it may be worthwhile to try to get it to attack Toejam, because he can run faster. Likewise, if someone needs to run and grab something, Toejam can be a better bet because he is faster.
If you have more than one of a present, you can distribute the presents between each other by dropping it, and allowing the other player to pick it up. This is especially useful for the Togetherness present, so that each player has at least one of them. (When you open the Togetherness present, you are transported to your partner's location).
At the beginning of the game, save your money for the Carrot Man. Knowing what the presents are as soon as you can will benefit you quicker. Later in the game, your money is better spent on the Opera Singer, Wizard, Mailbox, etc. The Mailbox is most useful when you know what things are.
Identify mystery presents ahead of others. When you discover what is inside a mystery present, it also identifies all presents of that type if you've never seen them before.
Try to avoid trying presents at random until you identify the Randomizer (and preferably Total Bummer as well). If you can avoid it, do not open mystery presents without identifying them first -- even if you've discovered the Randomizer, a mystery present might still contain one! After Randomizer and Total Bummer, most of the other bad presents aren't all that bad (with the possible exception of Earthling).
If you need to try out presents, a good place is near the elevator to exit a level. You can escape both Tomato Rain and the Rain Cloud presents this way, as well as Earthlings. You cannot escape Rain Cloud with the Doorway (check Tomato Rain with doorway). Also, if you pick something which isn't useful now, but could be useful on the next level (such as Super Hitops, Tomatoes, or Icarus Wings), then you can immediately step into the elevator and use them on the next level. The clock which counts how long your present will last stops while you are traveling in the elevator.
Tomato Rain, which is supposed to be a bad present, can be useful for defeating enemies. Because you can see the shadows of the tomatoes on the ground before they hit, you can avoid them, while your enemies will get hit.
The Boogie Man is especially susceptible to tomatoes (2 to kill). The dentist, likewise. The Boogie Man usually takes enough time between attacks that you can kill him before he attacks again.
The Ice Cream Truck will disappear if it encounters the edge of the Earth. You should lure it towards an edge to avoid it.
Ground-based enemies often have a hard time following you if you run into the narrow, squiggly parts. However, this doesn't work against airborne enemies such as the Cupid or Killer Bees.
Use timing to get past the Nazi Chickens. They cackle for a while after attacking, so you can take advantage of the time to avoid attack. Also, their attack seems to have only one range, so you can actually get closer to them while they are attacking and not get hit. They do not fire directly at you, but instead aim at a spot where you are likely to be if you are in motion. Also, they must stop in place when they fire.
A good strategy for dealing with the ground hog is to carry bad presents such as Total Bummer along with you. That way, if he steals presents, he might steal bad ones instead of good ones. Just drop the bad presents and pick up good ones if you are carrying too many things.
The Rocket Skates can go over water, but not outer space. Keep this in mind, because the best time to use rocket skates is when you have a large expanse of area to maneuver around in. In this case, they are useful to escape things. Rocket Skates also seem to make you invincible to enemies while you are on them. But sometimes, you cannot turn while riding them!
Tornadoes make you invincible to other enemies on the screen, so if you are in trouble and there is a tornado, let it pick you up.
It is a bad idea to use the Doorway to escape when enemies are very close to you, because you can get killed trying to enter the Doorway. Try to use the Doorway in advance of trouble, or as a method of escape if you become stuck on an island.
You cannot take off using the Icarus Wings if you are sinking in sand. Get on plain ground first before trying to take off.
The Telephone is most useful if you use it at the beginning of a level containing a rocketship piece, especially on the harder levels. Knowing where the rocketship pieces and exits are can greatly help you avoid trouble, by allowing you to get what you need and get out fast.
You get the most effectiveness from the Promotion present if you wait until just after you get promoted naturally before using it. But this is a tricky strategy, because it can be stolen from you, and also because you might also need the extra life points or extra life the Promotion would buy you.
If you see food and you already have maximum life points, leave it alone. You might need it later.
If you have the Food present, try to use it while you still have at least a third of your life points left. That way, if it turns out to be bad food, you won't lose a life.
Note that when you revisit a level, the narrow, twisty passageways that you earlier discovered are once again made invisible.
Sometimes you can ditch Tornadoes and Killer Bees by jumping in the water, but this is risky because of Sharks and lack of air.
It is possible to kill the Carrot Man, Opera Singer, or Wizard with the Tomatoes or Slingshot, but this is not really a good idea.
Watch out -- the Opera Singer will also take out the Wizard and the Carrot Man.
If you are reading the school book, and you get attacked by something at the same time, you will not fall asleep.
Sometimes if you fall, and have no Unfall present, it is easier (and safer) to go all the way back down to level 0 and wrap around to the top. You can reach level 0 from level 1 if you have the Icarus Wings, Rocket Skates, or Innertube. Go over the ocean to the lower left corner of the map, then fall through the hole in the middle of the island. Note the extra life you can get in level 0 by getting lemonade from the lemonade stand, and the extra presents on the hidden island in level 1!
If you have Tomatoes (a Slingshot is even better), you can tell the difference between a Mailbox and a Mailbox Monster from a distance. Just start firing at it. Mailboxes are immune to Tomatoes; Mailbox Monsters will pop after a couple of hits.
The Slingshot will autofire if you hold down A while pointing in the direction you want to fire. This can be very useful for attacking something which is coming at you!