Retro Thing

Build A Christmas Tradition With LEGO

These days Lego has a ton of Christmas specialities every year. You can always count on a fresh advent calendar, or even a wintery village. The bricky pickin's haven't always been so good. In fact the overall line of Lego models didn't change all that much years ago. Some models would stick around for a couple years. For example, in 1989, this was pretty much it in the Christmas category. There were a couple of other simple yuletide models back then, but nothing like today's elaborate holiday offerings.

You'll also notice that this model is made up of very simple shapes rather than the more detailed (and often less versatile) pieces you get today. There are also none of those pieces consisting of one big chunk that you could have built from smaller bits. Adult Lego fans humorously refer to these single piece abominations as "POOPS": Piece Out Of Other Pieces. Check out how versatile this 20 year old set is thanks to the variety of simple pieces.


I like these little Holiday sets as they're terrific stocking stuffers, and fortunately Lego still offers these litte sets for a buck or two. They even offer special limited-edition random minifigs for you collector types out there. Kids love these sets, and don't forget... it's okay for grownups to like Lego too.

70's TV News And The Dangers of Dart Guns

This may look like a typical TV news clip from 1977 (from Chicago's WGN Channel 9 as it happens). It's a fairly standard TV news theme from around the holidays. First, spook viewers with the possible threats posed by popular toys, then pit the poor reporter against these perilous playthings.

In this clip, our hapless correspondent shows us the dangers of a suction cup dart that refuses to stick to its target. Many, many times. Okay, that's kind of funny... but stay tuned past the bloopers to see the outrageous 70's newsroom and the atomic yellow blazers on our three correspondents. If anything, Ron Burgundy went too subtle.

Don't touch that dial yet... Channel 9 used to show the local weather in lieu of closing credits. The footage underneath the weather text is test footage of the notorious Shogun Warrior toy. Watch one of the missiles aimed on purpose at the eyes of a goggle wearing kid. These vinyl robots were a massive 2 feet tall - and were massively popular back then. They were super-colorful with wild designs not typical of American robo toys... but the main feature was always the sheer number of projectiles the robot could deploy. The results of tests like the one featured here declared the toy too dangerous to children's eyes and respiratory systems. It's hard to disagree.

The Shogun Warrior is, sadly, a mostly forgotten toy of the 70's, the ban of the toy led to its rarity. I'd actually kind of like one now for my shelf as they are so outlandish and huge, but they command real money on Ebay. You may recall that we featured a Shogun styled Stormtrooper limited edition figure a while back. I've since seen it in person, and it's amazing. Hopefully more Shogun styled toys are in the pipeline. Now that we're adults maybe we can just play with our toys responsibly, and avoid ending up on the evening news.

[Sharp eared Retro Thing readers may recognize the unusual music from the closing credits. The bleeps and bloops are from the seminal electronic music album "The In Sound From Way Out", featuring synth pioneers Jean-Jaques Perry and Gershon Kingsley.]

Thanks to Fuzzy Memories, the amazing online museum for classic TV fans from Chicago and beyond.

related:
Collectible stormtrooper style Shogun toy
Memories of the Zanbots
Qonto: another forgotten late 70's Japanese toy robot

The Sweet Sounds Of The Classic PEZ MP3 Player

In 2005, MP3 players were still an up and coming thing. 512 Megs didn't seem like a ridiculously small storage space, the iPod wasn't yet the only game in town, and we'd come along far enough to have collectioble MP3 players too. One of the first articles I wrote here on Retro Thing was about an unusual MP3 player - one that fit into a Game Boy Color.... but even that one doesn't approach the kitsch value of the the PEZ MP3 player.

News of this nostalgic MP3 player seemed to hit every gadget "blog" (also a new-ish idea at the time) back then. It wasn't an official product of the candy company - rather it was the dream of online entrepreneur Patrick Misterovich, who licensed the iconic design from PEZ. The player is the same size as a genuine PEZ dispenser, and the plastic boy head on top a duplicate of one of the first collectible PEZ dispensers back in 1955.

When you flip open the head, instead of being greeted by that familiar chalky candy, instead there's a power switch. One side of the player features simple navigation controls (forget any playlists here people - this is just a very basic player), as well as the mini USB player for loading up the built in memory. The headphone jack is in the dispenser's nape, and it's all powered by a single AAA battery.

The player was a limited edition of 1200 (though there are conflicting reports,  there may be more out there), with the promise of more designs to come. As it turned out, the plastic faced boy model was the only style to ever hit the market (which seems odd - all you'd have to do for future models is change heads, right?), so this model became a hot collectible. Even when it was new, the player was on the expensive side at $100 for 512 megs of non-expandable memory. Nevertheless, it apparently made Patrick Misterovich an internet millionaire, at least according to one report. These days, your only hope of finding a player is on Ebay where they are quite scarce, and can command over a hundred bucks.

Sadly with all that MP3 player technology crammed into the dispenser, there is no room left over for any candy. I wish they'd left room for at least one of the candy bricks,,. just for emergency purposes, you understand.

related:
the first mp3 player
mp3 player in the shape of a cassette
Elaborate mp3 system for Game Boy that never got very far

Nintendo Light Telephone - Their Craziest Product Ever?

Erik Voskuil writes, "Before Nintendo became a global household name, it already had a rich history producing fun and, in some cases, downright wacky toys and games. The Light Telephone must be one of their most unorthodox ideas to make it into production. The sound picked up by the microphone is coded into the transmitted light, decoded again by the receiving party’s Light Telephone using a solar cell, and played over the headphone. This creates, in effect, a two-way walkie talkie without the use of radio waves."

The Nintendo Light Telephone was released in 1971 to capitalize on the walkie talkie and CB radio craze. each 1.3 kg handset included a telescope to allow precise aiming of the light beam at the solar cell receiver on the other handset, although a tripod would be needed at long range.

Because it's sensitive to bright sunlight, this is one toy that would work best in the dark. That said, it would have been impossible for a pair of kids to have a clandestine conversation at night with a pair of giant flashlights giving away their every move.

The Light Telephone was priced at 9,800 Yen (approximately $27 at the 1971 exchange rate), a hefty price tag that probably limited its popularity. That's a pity, because this has to be one of the craziest, coolest and most collectible Nintendo products ever.

Nintendo Light Telephone [beforemario.com]

Rare Tomy Vinyl Recorder Commands A Stratospheric Price

Eric from miniorgan.com just gave us a heads up on an auction for a rare Tomy Voice-Corder. Released in 1972, this complicated and pricey toy allowed kids to record one-off dub plates on colorful plastic-covered cards which could be sent to friends and family as 33 RPM audio postcards.

The blue recording arm features two needles -- an inner guide needle runs along an inner groove molded into the white center spindle of the platter. The outer needle records your future hit single onto the blank card. The red tonearm is used for playback, although the records are also compatible with standard turntables.

The complete set is currently listed on the Yahoo! Japan auction site. It includes the Voice-Corder with handheld microphone, original box and eight recording cards featuring bewilderingly cute photos of children and animals. Want it? It's yours for the staggering sum of 500,000 Yen -- about $6500.

Voice-Corder Auction on Yahoo! Japan [in Japanese, oddly enough]

More Voice-Corder info at Miniorgan.com

Arcade Cabinets For The Little Ones, The Really Little Ones

Are you 1/12th the size of a normal human being? Or maybe you're trying to create some sort of diorama of an early 1980s mall for your dolls, but keep getting stuck on how to populate the arcade. Or maybe you just want to pose your 6-inch action figures waiting in line for a chance to play Joust. You're going to love Retro Heart.

Handmade in the UK, Retro Heart offers scale models of vintage aracde cabinets and pinball machines. (I know what you're first question is, and the answer is: No, they don't play. They're static models.) About 6 inches tall, each mini arcade cabinet is made from modeling wood and exact-scale graphic decals printed on vinyl. They also have simulated screens, coin doors and joysticks.

Prices range from about $25 to $41, except for the sit-down Star Wars model.

A Bluetooth Enabled Omnibot... That Watches TV?!

Nothing says "Welcome home, Master" quite like your own robot butler offering up a half-gallon glass of cheap whiskey at the end of a long day.

That, apparently, is what Tomy's marketing department had in mind for the Omnibot in the mid 1980s. Sadly, it required a human slave to type the appropriate command sequences on the remote control, which were then recorded on futuristic tape cassettes.

Fast forward twenty five years, And DJ Sures bought a vintage Omnibot from eBay and spent a few days wondering how to modernize it.

He started by disassembling it and giving it a good wash in the dishwasher: "It had a lot of dirt from the previous owner. It was rather disgusting, actually. Once it was clean, I painted it white with plastic paint and primer.

Then I started hacking away at it; adding new features. I added servos for the arms, so they can move now. I also made the head rotate left to right with a servo. I then added a wireless camera between its eyes (looks like a nose lol). I put a wireless microphone in its chest. I used a dual HBridge to control the standard motor and gearset."

The hardware robot controller is an EZ-B, with a servo-swept ultrasonic distance detector that feeds an object and wall avoidance algorithm to keep from scuffing his spiffy new paint job. The robot can even detect if its wheels are stuck.

He continues, "I have enhanced my motion tracking code for better edge detection and increased speed. I have also added a few global variables to his AI which allows him to like and dislike certain colors and shapes. He takes pictures of things he likes and saves them to the drive.

This robot is now currently my autonomous household watchdog and pet. He's always on and his 6 volt 4 amp rechargable battery runs all day. He randomly does things on his own and wanders around my house. It scares some people, but real neat for others!"

One Seriously Hacked Tomy Omnibot

Special Christmas Lego

Traditions come in a lot of different forms, and one that has endured for many years is the special little LEGO sets that come out as holiday treats. The sets are very small, easily fitting into a stocking, and have that classic LEGO vibe. None of those giant single pieces that replace many smaller ones, no elaborate special bits. Just doing what LEGO does best, letting you and your kids create a joyous cubist landscape.

The set pictured here is from 1989. How it's survived this long without being raided for pieces, I'll never know. The suggested model on the front is great, but the back has some great ideas too... after Santa goes home for Christmas, you can use the same pieces to build an eskimo. Or construct a freight haulin' ship for Santa to use next year if the weather is rough and Rudolph has a runny nose.

related:
Lionel train that ran under many Chicago Christmas trees.
Lego Christmas sets from a few years back

Kenner's Action Cow With Amazing Milking Action

When it's the late 70's, and you're Kenner Toys, you're probably doing pretty well with all that cash from Star Wars figures. So you're feeling bold, you want to try new things. After all, Star Wars was a bit of a gamble... who knows what could be the next epoch making toy. 

Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow, course. It's a toy cow that drinks water from a trough when you pump her tail. Because one of her stomachs is loaded with fake milk tablets, the water turns into  “pretend milk” (imagine cleaning the real thing out of her plastic insides) that you coax from her udders. I'm not the only one who finds this more than a little creepy, right? 

My feeling is that if you're interested in this toy, there's a good chance that you already have access to a cow. Or maybe I'm stereotyping here. Plenty of city kids could learn something from playing with the Resusci-Annie of cows. I also figure that more than a few kids took a taste of the “pretend milk” (which they made a point of mentioning no less than three times in the ad). With the giant success of their Star Wars & other toy lines of the time, perhaps Kenner was in the mood to experiment. With results like these, it was probably best that they waited until the next Star Wars movie. 

If the toy were made by Mattel's Hot Wheels division, perhaps they would have warned “some cows not for use with some sets”...

related:

Barbie's dog eats his own poop
Unfortunately named game: Ballbusters
“High Class” toy watch from gumball machine

Massive, Mesmerizing Toy Car Track

When I saw video of this mesmerizingly beautiful art installation by Chris Burden, I couldn't help but think of the simple orange plastic tracks I used to build as a kid for my Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. Mine weren't labyrinthine cities. They were gravity-fed drag races set off from the seat of a chair.

A couple years ago, I picked up a reproduction of my old track set as a gift to my nephews. (I got suckered in by the retro packaging.) Mattel appears now to only sell track sets involving animals and aliens, though big box stores apparently carry simpler sets. There's also Blu Track, a flexible double track available in absurd lengths (100 feet for $165).

Burden's 1,200-car noise machine, meanwhile, is headed for a long-term loan at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

[thanks, Nick D.]

related:
Slot Car Racing In Brooklyn
Gimp my ride: Hot Wheels manufacturing errors

Sir Sampleton - Your iPhone Can Sing Like A Casio SK-1

I don't usually sling around the word “genius”, but I'm pretty sure that Paul Slocum is one. You might remember his name from the brilliant Atari cartridge he created called Synthcart. Pop this in your 2600 and your 70's game console becomes a playable analog synth. 

His newest project is Sir Sampleton, a project to bring back the fun of sampling random audio to play on a mini keyboard. Paul is an old friend, so I can speak with confidence about his love for the old Casio SK-1. His Sir Sampleton app has that fun lo-fi Casio spirit, and yet it fits in your pocket. It's a very unadorned interface, but the simplicity belies how much cool stuff you can do with it. 

A child will like monkeying with it, just as much as a musician will find it gratifying. At only $3US, it's also quite a bit cheaper than a real Casio these days. Just search for “Sampleton” in the App Store.

Link: 

Softoft Techech homepage

Related: 

Casio SK- in pink
Casio SK-1 in Muppet

A Toy Record Player That Doesn't Need Records

Paging through the Sunday ad circulars recently, I was stunned to see Target selling a brand-new Fisher Price Music Box Record Player. (You can also get it at Urban Outfitters, natch.) Most of today's kids are unlikely to understand the concept of music being purchased on physical media — let alone the concept of vinyl records. Nonetheless, it seemed like a potentially cool gift for someone who doesn't want to go trolling through flea markets or online auction sites for an original.

Alas, today's model is not the analog marvel of the old one. The original had you cranking up the record to play notes on a music box that was crammed into the "tone arm."

The new version requires batteries. The new records don't have the nubs to activate the notes, they have smooth rings around the whole disc. (Target's own product shots actually show both the "old" and "new" style records, confusingly enough. The Christmas toy catalog stuffed in my Sunday paper, however, clearly shows the new style.) A helpful Amazon commenter named iSkyscraper explains why the records look different:

Evidently someone realized that it was far less expensive to use a 25 cent memory chip and a speaker instead of all those mechanical parts (sturdy though they were), so the new player works as follows:

The record head has four pressable buttons which line up with four ridge positions on the discs. Each disc no longer has "bumps" for notes, but instead simply has a combination of four continuous ridges. The memory chip identifies which disc is being played by the ridges depressing the buttons. The wind-up still turns the disc manually, but all it does is tell the speaker to play while turning. ... You don't really need the disc at alls - just wind it up (so the chip knows the music is "on"), and press the buttons under the head with your fingers to activate different songs.

The phrase "you don't really need the disc at all" is what really struck me. This new record player is merely an illusion.

The original Fisher Price Music Box was artificial, sure, but it at least was a sensible abstraction of a real LP. Its modern namesake isn't an abstraction at all. It's a push-button music toy with a slightly more complicated button scheme. It's a record player in which you don't really need the record at all.

Al Flosso: The Magic Of Magic

Somewhere between dinosaurs and astronauts, every boy goes through a magic phase. I did, and the fascination never vanished. Though it took me several years to learn that the fun is more than just the gimmicks and props that come with a Marshall Brodien Magic Kit. It's more about the style and zing of your performance.

Many of us can remember back to getting a magic kit. Did you hungrily devour the secret instructions as eagerly as I did? That's why so many of us know the mechanics of the "disappearing milk" jug, and we understand the secret of the "Chinese Linking Rings". Before you ask; if you don't know these secrets, the magician's code prevents me from telling you! As mysterious as they may be, the props are only a small part of what makes magic fun to watch. Even if you know the secret to a magic trick, it's still a delight to see a really good performance of it. It's like hearing a cover version of a favorite song. It may be the same base material, but what's interesting is how each band reinterprets it. The song can can either be a simple mechanical copy, or a wonderful new creation.

This 1952 clip from "It's Magic" features Al Flosso's hysterical version of "The Miser's Dream", a classic magician's trick. He performed on Coney Island for decades, honing his performance into what you see here. It is so funny, so fast, so amazing, so outside of what you expect to see, that it's easy to forget that you've seen this trick a hundred times before. The gadget lover in me adores the clever mechanics and secret gimmicks that come along with tricks like these, but it's that human touch that makes genuine magic.

link:

learn more about the amazing Al Flosso

"Lost" 1970's Star Wars Toy Commercial From Japan

You may recall a while back when we told about a new project by Super7 to create the first jumbo "Shogun Warrior" type toy in 25 years. The giant figure is a Star Wars stormtrooper, and it's available for order right now. The creators have also crafted a mock TV commercial that looks like it could have easily come from the 1970's. As if we need more persuasion to get one...

Miserable Model M View-Master From The 1980s

I've been a huge fan of View-Master 3D all my life. It wasn't until I was an adult that I discovered the older scenic reels. When View-Master started in 1939, it was originally intended for what we might today refer to as virtual sight seeing. It was decades later in the late 60s that the line morphed into being more of a childrens toy (admirable that the standard for the reels has stood throughout the product's entire lifetime. Any reel will mount into any viewer ever made).

The Model M viewer is from the late 80s and wasn't available for very long. I briefly thought that the Model M might have an advantage over more conventional viewers as the clear back would theoretically let in a lot of light. The transparent plastic is more to inspire the fascination of children as they watch the reel advancing mechanism work. As it turns out, the structure of the internals actually block out some of the image. Makes you wonder how this got off of the drawing board.

The curious shape is actually somewhat reminiscent of the first spindly View-Master Model A, so I guess it might be somewhat interesting for that reason. Though if using it occludes part of the dazzling 3D imagery within every View-Master reel, it's probably better to just put it back in the toy box.

related:
Ultimate View-Master
View-Master reels that talk!
View-Master 3D Trivia Quiz board game