  Deluxe Talkboy, with the microphone extended | |
| Type | Voice recorders, sound novelty |
|---|---|
| Company | Tiger Electronics |
| Country | North America, United Kingdom |
| Availability | 1992–1999 |
| Materials | Plastic |
| Features |
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Talkboy is a line of handheld voice recorder and sound novelty toys manufactured by Tiger Electronics in the 1990s.[1] The brand began as a result of a promotional tie-in with the 1992 film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York; the most well-known product was the Deluxe Talkboy, a cassette recorder and player with a variable-speed voice changer that caused toy crazes over several holiday shopping seasons beginning in 1993.
The Talkboy was originally conceived as a prop for Home Alone 2 for the lead character Kevin MacCallister to use to outsmart adults. At the request of writer John Hughes and distributor 20th Century Fox, Tiger designed and built the prop. The company was given permission by the movie studio to sell a retail version of the toy, and it released two cassette recorders modeled after the film prop in 1992 and 1993, respectively. The original model did not have the voice changer of the film version and sold only moderately during the 1992 holiday shopping season. Tiger added the feature to the Deluxe model, which was released in April 1993. Following the release of Home Alone 2 on home video in July and a cross-promotion with Life cereal, interest in the toy spiked. Retailers had severely underestimated demand, and as a result the Deluxe Talkboy was one of the most highly sought-after toys during the 1993 holiday shopping season, selling out of stores across the United States. The product continued to be a best-seller in subsequent holiday shopping seasons. A pink version of the cassette recorder called Deluxe Talkgirl was released in 1995.
The success of the Talkboy cassette recorders spawned a product line of electronic sound novelty toys, including a phone, walkie talkies, and a radio. For subsequent recording devices, Tiger transitioned to digital technology, using solid-state storage and adding sound effects, beginning with Talkboy/Talkgirl F/X+ pens in 1995, which sold more than a million units in 45 days.
- ^ Wong, Venessa (December 6, 2012). "Some Fictional Brands Find Real Success". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Bloomberg, L.P. Retrieved March 21, 2015.