The ’80s and early ’90s were a magical decade for gadgets for kids. Computing power and display technology were evolving and cost effective enough to penetrate the toy market in a big way. Purely mechanical toys evolved into electromechanical toys and gave birth to the digital toy revolution. For example, LED games of the ’70s were replaced by Tiger LCD games which were replaced by the Nintendo Gameboy and so on.
Companies also began to innovate on educational toys for kids, whether it was teaching them about electronics, programming, or offering educational games. Additionally, electronics became cheap enough to expand what toys were capable of doing, from playing music to increased interactivity. As a child of the ’80s, I had many of these toys and played with them much longer than a kid’s attention span would dictate.
A year ago, one of my first posts for GeekDad was a popular article reminiscing about five of these more educational toys. I’ve taken those and added five more that I have the fondest memories of – whether they were my own or my neighbors toys which were coveted the most. And hoping to instill that same child-like wonder in my kids, I’ve also included what the modern equivalents are in the market today.
Science Fair Electronic Project Kits
(flickr user: mightyohm)
What is was: Arthur C. Clarke has said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. As a kid in the midst of an increasing technological revolution, electronics were at the heart of that. Learning electronics was made easy through the Science Fair Electronic Project Kits found at Radioshack. Through the project guides, kids could construct various ‘experiments’ by attaching wires to terminal springs that make circuits. The terminal springs would wire in components such as LED segment lights, photo sensors, resistors, diodes, etc. While it was fun getting the projects to work, the manuals lacked in depth explanation as to what was happening in the circuit to produce the project’s result.
Why it was awesome: First, it was a simple buy for parents. Everything you needed to get your child interested in electronics was right in the kit. You didn’t need to breadboard or solder. I remember a distinct feeling of accomplishment making a high-water alarm or a light-sensor game with the realization that the bundles of wires springing up from the kit were actually doing something!
Modern equivalent: You can still pick up variations of the 100-in-1 kits, but their popular replacement seem to be Snap Circuits by Elenco. All of the components are mounted on a plastic base with a contact on either end which interconnect with each other and the plastic base that projects can be mounted to. Each component also has the electrical diagram symbol for that component drawn on it so it can help you read schematics. For that reason alone, I like these better.
VTech Pre-Computer 1000
A Precomputer 1000 in a Thrift Store (flickr user: mikek)
What it was: One of many educational computers hitting the market during the early ’90s, the VTech Precomputer 1000 wrapped learning in a quasi-game format that taught kids about science, history, geography, math and typing — or as much as quizzes can teach anyone about anything. But at least in two player mode you could school your friends by buzzing in your answer first.
Why it was awesome: The Precomputer 1000 featured a slimmed down version of BASIC called Pre-BASIC, and the wire-bound manual featured several programs and games which could be typed in to RAM. The programs were there to teach you the basics of programming computers and demystified many of the built-in games and quizzes by showing you how to make your own. However, programming was quite challenging as you could only view one line with 20 characters across the LCD display. Debugging was limited, and you lost your program if you replaced the battery.
Modern equivalent: VTech is still making educational laptops for kids that feature similar learning activities as the Precomputer 1000. These are packaged to look like mom and dad’s laptops enticing kids to play on their own. However, none of the current models in their catalog feature access to a programming language.
Also, the XO-1 from the One Laptop Per Child organization is much more advanced in capability and features a bevy of educational software, though less focused on general knowledge and more on applied knowledge. OLPC’s learning model is based on exploration, trial and error. And there are are plenty of learning tools to foster such exploration such as an offline wikipedia, music composition software, and Pippy, a Python Programming Language/environment. (Read GeekDad’s previous coverage of the XO-1).
Etch-a-sketch Animator
What it was: Like a traditional Etch-a-Sketch, the Animator featured two knobs and a screen and allowed you to make drawings. But instead of a mechanical stylus removing aluminum powder from the screen, the Animator featured an LCD matrix and the knobs would move a cursor around the screen. Pressing a button would allow you to turn individual pixels on and off. Once a drawing was made, you could save it to memory and make another. Careful planning and ‘flipping’ back to previous drawings (not unlike traditional animation) allowed you to create a sequence of drawings. You could program the sequence to flip to any drawing in any order to create the illusion of animation.
Why it was awesome: It was kind of like a computer and more complex then making a flip book. You really weren’t programming, you couldn’t interact with it like a game, and the metallic sound effects were a really weird choice. But in the ’80s, you felt like you were creating something amazing.
Modern equivalent: While there is plenty of software available that allow kids to make simple 2-D animation, the killer application for portable animating fun is an upcoming Nintendo DSiWare titled called Inchworm. Still in beta but under negotiations with Nintendo for an upcoming release, Inchworm features a wide variety of features including a color pallet, various pen styles, basic shape drawing, layers and onionskin animation. Numerous tutorials are on the Inchworm website, including demonstrations on a web-uploading feature that will allow people to share their animations outside of the Nintendo DSi.
Casio VL-1 Keyboard
(wikipedia.com)
What it was: A relatively inexpensive keyboard, sequencer, and calculator (!) that featured 5 built-in sounds, 10 rhythms, recording functionality, and the ability to create your own sound by modifying Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release (ADSR) values. It was a fun toy to play around with as building your own sounds was the highlight of the toy. But it was monophonic (only one note at a time) and the built-in sounds were astonishingly bad. Plus the demo song teased you into thinking you could change sounds on the fly.
Why it was awesome: It was small, portable, and programmable. It didn’t matter that you couldn’t get faithful piano or violin sounds out of the thing. I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect toy for a budding musician, but it is perfect for a music geek. You could spend hours and hours adjusting the ADSR values creating crazy synth sounds. Plus, was your keyboard also a calculator?
Modern equivalent: The Korg microKorg modeling synthesizer is bigger, badder, and while more expensive than the VL-1, it is infinitely more usable, mostly due to the Korg being an actual instrument and not a child’s toy. Featuring multiple waveforms to model, multiple filters, two ADSR envelopes and a vocoder, it’s a great synthesizer for beginners. But is it kid friendly? Hard to say. The more features you throw at the thing, the more difficult it is to program and likely the less fun a younger kid might have, but older kids won’t be limited like we were with the VL-1. Consider this a call for the Casios of the world to bring back a programmable synth toy.
Erector Sets
Difference Engine made with an Erector Set (flickr user: joegratz)
What it was: The classic toy construction set that has been around since 1913, Meccano Erector sets were made of metal containing girders with holes that could be attached with nuts and bolts and other shaped elements. The pieces allowed you to build a variety of models including cars, planes, windmills, bridges, etc. Budding mechanical or civil engineers got a taste of constructing models or building toys in a much more grown-up way.
Why it was awesome: To a kid who mostly played with plastic toys, erector sets represented a graduation of sorts to a more advanced toy. The models were similar to some of the stuff you could build with Lego, but you got to use real tools to assemble your project.
Modern equivalent: Fortunately, Erector sets are still around. Meccano has smartly segmented their product line around age groups, having kits with all plastic parts for the 2-4 year olds, through advanced wifi-controlled robots. But the classic kits are where it’s at, with generic pieces that don’t limit the imagination. Lego may be the most popular construction toy, but it’s nice to see options still available.
My First Sony
What it was: An unabashed attempt to hook kids on Sony gear when they were young, My First Sony was a line of kid-friendly electronics such as a Walkman, cassette recorder with a microphone, and headset walkie-talkies. They were brightly colored and very geometric; just look at the crazy triangles on that headset!
Why it was awesome: Sony was king in the ’80s. The Walkman was the iPod of its time. If your parents bought you a My First Sony product, you must be somebody pretty special. The tape recorder with the detachable microphone was my favorite. Somewhere there must be a surviving cassette tape with my friends and me playing DJ.
Modern Equivalent: It’s hard to pin down a modern equivalent to the My First Sony. The product line is dead, but the idea remains. There are plenty of kid-friendly versions of popular consumer electronics such as MP3 players, camcorders, or cameras. Unfortunately, none have the dead simplicity and huge buttons that made My First Sony so accessible for kids.
Electronic Organizers
A Citizen MD400
What it was: I’m not going to lie to you – my friends and I were all dorks growing up. So much so that we drooled over electronic organizers at our local Radio Shack. Tiny computer-like devices that stored contacts, calendars and appointments, memos, alarm clocks and calculator functions. They were cheap at around $20-30 and they measured their storage in the number of records they could save. And if you doubt that electronic organizers could be toys for kids, don’t forget that InfoGenius made a personal organizer cartridge for the original GameBoy.
Why it was awesome: It was more for pretend then actual organizing, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself right now. But it was like holding a tiny computer in your hand; it had a display, a keyboard, memory for storage, and later models had menus with icons (yes, I went through several of these). Looking back, however, it’s really no surprise I’m a GTD guy today.
Modern Equivalent: It’s really surprising how little these devices have changed over the years. Most look like ’90s PDA’s and all pretty much do the same thing. Having an iPhone or even an iPod touch means I would never need one of these today. If I were that kid today, though, I’d probably go retro-chic with a Palm Pilot. All the features of an electronic organizer but not the connectivity or apps resembling anything Apple makes.
Armatron
An Armatron (flickr user: unloveablesteve)
What it was: Another Radio Shack toy, the Armatron was a robotic arm that you could move along various axis to pick up and place small objects. There was a ‘game’ of sorts by way of the energy meter. Essentially a timer, the energy meter would deplete as you used the toy, so you tried to accomplish whatever tasks you set out to do before the timer was up.
Why it was awesome: Robots. And a wicked dose of the movie Short Circuit. And it had orange accents and was industrial looking. Did I mention robots? I can’t remember that we ever played the game.
Modern Equivalent: The Armatron exists in name only today, owned by a company called Power Gear and is basically one of those hand-extension gripper toys. Weak. However, there is something called the Robotic Arm Edge made by OWI that looks pretty similar. Not only do you get to build the robotic arm yourself, you can also get a USB interface cable and some software to program the arm. Wicked.
Mr. Microphone
What it was: Mr. Microphone was a microphone with a built-in AM transmitter allowing you to tune in to yourself over the radio. I didn’t have a Mr. Microphone, but one of the many copy cat products in the ’80s. While Mr. Microphone was first, mine had a chip-tune synthesizer built in along with various songs that you could sing along with. It was yellow, which I thought was cool for some reason. (My many thanks to anyone who can help me remember who made it in the comments!)
Why it was awesome: Playing DJ with the My First Sony tape recorder was great and all, but we weren’t broadcasting. It was the Mr. Microphone that enabled us to operate our little pirate radio station out of my bedroom. Incidentally, I later did some radio production while in college and have since become an amateur music producer. No doubt a lot of these toys had an influence on my interests growing up.
Modern Equivalent: You can still get FM transmitting microphones, but apparently they’re only for girls, sporting brands such as Hannah Montana, Bratz and Disney’s Mickey or Minnie Mouse. With options limited, want to rock out and practice your soldering skills? Go for the FM Wireless Microphone Kit. Bonus: Assembly required.
Hit Stix
What it was: Drum sticks attached to a little amplifier/speaker module that allowed you to play drums on anything. They even allowed you to AIR DRUM! Yeah, there some electronics voodoo going on there that made air drumming produce drum sounds. Being the ’80s, they also featured a neon yellow/orange color scheme.
Why it was awesome: My dad is a musician and had a big influence on me growing up. We had a real drum set in our basement along with a PA and speaker stack for guitar, bass and vocals. I learned to play the drums by playing along with music over the PA. That 350-watt Peavey Amp gave me all the volume I needed to hear the music over my drumming. When I got the Hit Stix for my birthday, I could then play drums in my bedroom along with the radio. That was cool, but looking back I wonder who the toy was really for…
Modern Equivalent: While the Hit Stix were cool for the air drumming aspect, they tone bank they had available was fairly limited. A drum pad would be a much better and more faithful replacement. The Kawaski Drum Pad seems to be a good option for the budget-conscious toy buyer. A bunch of pads plus a bunch of sounds equals a bunch of fun! Looking for a drum set without the drums? Check out the ION IED12 Pro Session Electronic Drum Set. It’s not so much a toy as the Hit Stix are, but again, it’s a lot quieter than real drums would ever be.
Any others?
Do you have a favorite electronic toy from your childhood? Let us know in the comments!