Talkboy

The Talkboy was a portable variable speed cassette player and recorder manufactured by Tiger Electronics (now owned by Hasbro) in the early 1990s. Much like other Tiger Electronics devices of the era, this device was primarily marketed to children and teens.

The Talkboy was originally conceived as a non-working prop for the 1992 movie "", used by Macaulay Culkin's character. In 1993 it was made into a retail version, brought on by a massive letter-writing campaign by young fans of the film. The product capitalised on the success of the film's VHS release. Sales were largely driven by this movie tie-in.

The device itself consisted of a handheld cassette recorder with an integrated grip handle for easy carrying, and an extendable microphone. The function controls were much like any other portable cassette recorder of the day, complete with play, stop, fast forward, rewind, pause, and record buttons. Additionally, and most distinctively, a switch which toggled between normal and slow speed settings for playback and recording was also included. This feature gave the user the ability to manipulate the speed, and in turn, pitch, of the recorded sound to act as a voice changer.

Several spinoff versions of the device were also created, including:
*A pink-colored "Talkgirl", marketed towards females.
*Talkboy FX Plus, an ordinary writing pen with a built-in recorder and six buttons that play sound effects.
*Talkgirl FX Plus, also marketed towards females.
*Deluxe Talkboy.
*Talkboy Jr., a pocket-sized version of the recorder.

ee also

* Yak Bak