8 TalkBoy
The TalkBoy is one of those interesting products that, somehow, became a way bigger fad than you would’ve expected. Originally developed as a prop for the film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, it eventually became a consumer product after fans of the movie decided they wanted one.
The premise of the device was pretty simple. It was a cassette player that allowed users to, well, play cassettes. But it could also record and replay audio onto blank cassettes. It was nothing short of a novelty item at the time, but has since entered the realm of nostalgic technology.