Since my young boy loves to mash keyboard buttons, I thought it would be a good idea to get him something of his own.
Many new toys have lcd screens in them and I'm trying to avoid getting him addicted to screens as much as possible.
So why not have a look into what we used to play with a couple of decades ago. Off I went on the hunt for some retro toys.
I found and ordered 2 Tomy toys:
In 1977 Tomy released a plastic typewriter toy that mimics a typing experience.
For each button press, the carriage on top moves, giving the illusion of typing.
Unfortunately I was not able to find any Dutch or English version of it, so resorting to the French one.
=> Tomy's Tutor Typer @ ToyTales
=> Photo of the Tutor Play Computer
Skip forward to 1984 and Tomy released a computer look-a-like. When you see it in action, it's hard to imagine that this is a purely mechanical device, no batteries included or needed!
Typing on the orange keys or yellow spacebar will unveil hidden squares and pressing the red return key will 'scroll' the screen down.
=> Tomy Tutor Play Computer @ ToyTales
=> Video demonstration by Nostalgia Nerd on Youtube
It's amazing to see that a toy from decades ago still functions flawlessly.
I can't imagine buying a new toy today and expecting it to still function after 40+ years!
As expected, the button mashing is a great success. The typewriter is currently his favorite, probably because it is so insanely LOUD. When pressing keys it also gives a strong mechanical feedback, just as you would get in a real typewriter.
More toys? Have a look at:
=> 90's Kids Trackball | Forgotten Gadgets of 2001-2002 | My Wanted List of Retro Toys
You can get in touch through Mastodon:
Retro Typing Kids Toys was published on 2024-01-16
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