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What was your first electronic toy?


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Old 20-12-2016, 09:32
Soundbox
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Seems most toys are electronic these days, but thinking back my first electronic toy in the 70's was a Chad Valley Sliderama projector with a Rupert Bear theme. It was a lurid orange projector which took three D cells and you pulled a strip of film through to tell a story in 6 frames. It was very dim and drank batteries.

Just for nostalgia I won an example on eBay this week and tried it out again after a 30 year gap. Well it was actually good fun and I had a laugh using it. Yes, the pictures were a bit blurry and the whole thing glowed orange but it was fun, and that is what a toy is about after all.

So what was your first electronic toy? Was it any good?
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Old 20-12-2016, 09:42
eggchen
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Probably a Bigtrak, or a Starbird Avenger
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Old 20-12-2016, 09:46
hufflestuff
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It was called Merlin and it looked like a large red mobile phone.
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Old 20-12-2016, 10:14
gdjman68wasdigi
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It was called Merlin and it looked like a large red mobile phone.
Had one, 78 they came out
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Old 20-12-2016, 10:48
lemoncurd
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Grandstand Astro Wars.
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Old 20-12-2016, 10:57
lybertyne
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Aside from a BBC computer, I think it may have been an electronic chess set.
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Old 20-12-2016, 11:11
stud u like
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A dachshund that walked and yapped.
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Old 20-12-2016, 11:14
molliepops
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A dachshund that walked and yapped.
I had one of them, my parents had to hide it from me I was absolutely terrified of it. Eyes flashed red !
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Old 20-12-2016, 12:18
johartuk
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SIMON - the game where you had to copy the sequence of bleeps/lights that the game emitted.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-1970S...kAAOSwcBhWUHIM
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Old 20-12-2016, 12:27
sodavlac
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Not sure which came first or perhaps I got them at the same time but it was either a Little Professor or a Major Morgan.

Little Professor looked like a calculator. It would ask you questions and you'd type in the answers. I loved it!

Major Morgan had a touch screen with letters on it. When you pressed them they would produce sounds. I'd say they were musical notes but they didn't exactly sound great, a bit like a bad computer of the 80s. You got little colour-coded overlay cards that you'd slot in and it would teach to play nursery rhymes etc.
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Old 20-12-2016, 12:43
grumpyscot
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Scalextric - got a set in 1961 from my uncle who had been give the set to trail by the manufacturers. I recall it had 2 x Vanwall racing cars. My Dad gave it away when I was 14, as I didn't have time to play with it any more.
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Old 20-12-2016, 12:44
Harvey_Specter
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Seems most toys are electronic these days, but thinking back my first electronic toy in the 70's was a Chad Valley Sliderama projector with a Rupert Bear theme. It was a lurid orange projector which took three D cells and you pulled a strip of film through to tell a story in 6 frames. It was very dim and drank batteries.

Just for nostalgia I won an example on eBay this week and tried it out again after a 30 year gap. Well it was actually good fun and I had a laugh using it. Yes, the pictures were a bit blurry and the whole thing glowed orange but it was fun, and that is what a toy is about after all.

So what was your first electronic toy? Was it any good?
Not sure, either a race track or remote control car, can't remember which would have been first.
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Old 20-12-2016, 12:44
ianradioian
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A little red transistor radio
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Old 20-12-2016, 12:46
JurassicMark
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Can't remember what I had first so I'll list several I remember having in the late 70s / early 80s.

Digital Derby Auto Raceway
Invader from Space
Atari 2600
Electronic Battleship
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Old 20-12-2016, 13:20
Pamthehound
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Rabbit
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Old 20-12-2016, 13:24
annette kurten
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probably a sewing machine but whatever it was was most likely chad valley because my aunt worked there.


we used to get a fair bit of chad valley.
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Old 20-12-2016, 13:25
Les Corker
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Tamagotchi
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Old 20-12-2016, 13:39
ClarkF1
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Speak and Spell.

Had great fun typing in random letters and listening to the result.
Wasn't aware of swear words at that age otherwise it probably would have confiscated really quickly.

Game-wise one of those LCD handheld games where you just had to move a car from side to side to avoid obstacles.
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Old 20-12-2016, 14:36
Philip Wales
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^^ Think mine was a Speak and Spell too
I did get a tape recorder/player sometime around the age of 9 or so too, not a stereo unit mind you just mono.
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Old 20-12-2016, 14:43
Arcana
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Stylophone
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Old 20-12-2016, 14:44
Mark39London
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Was it rampant???
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Old 20-12-2016, 14:45
Pitman
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Rolf Harris xylophone
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Old 20-12-2016, 14:47
Soundbox
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probably a sewing machine but whatever it was was most likely chad valley because my aunt worked there.


we used to get a fair bit of chad valley.
My projector is Chad Valley. Its odd in a way because it is super flimsy but still made in the UK. The instructions even say to expect the lens to have scratches and marks from new.
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Old 20-12-2016, 15:53
tellywatcher73
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I can remember having a speak and spell and a speak and maths..also had a Binatone games console but the only thing I can remember playing on it was the tennis thing that was two white lines and a white dot.
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Old 20-12-2016, 16:02
Laurel1ne
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I was going to say "Operation" but was just reminded by another post that Xylophones existed so that was probably it.

I still have it somewhere, the big problem was the little white wire that connected the stylus, after a lot of use the kinks on the wire started to break

Also had a space invaders hand held, basically just worked by illuminating pre-defined images and would light up and off as they marched across. Unfortunately Christmas Afternoon one of my nephews came to visit and he hammered the keys so heavily that the game was broken by Christmas Day Evening
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