If you happen to watched television during the late 1970s and early 1980s, then there’s an average chance that you saw advertisements for the Ronco Company’s products. This is the company that first used television to sell products and send them by mail. The company made a killing during the ’70s and ’80s by selling tons of somewhat unique products with an over-the-top style. These unique products were often adult-oriented things such as the Inside-The-Shell Electric Egg Scrambler and the Pocket Fisherman. However, the folks at Ronco made some items for the kids, too. The most definitive example of this is the Mr. Microphone, one of the most beloved toys during the 1970s. This is why, in this article, we are going to know more about Mr. Microphone.
History and Characteristics
Mr. Microphone was created ahead of its time. For starters, Mr. Microphone was a small AM-Radio transmitter that is enclosed in a plastic microphone looking case. All you had to do to use the device is to turn it on and speak into the mic while you are near a working radio. In a snap, you will be able to hear your voice on to the radio airwaves and become part of its broadcast. Mr. Microphone allows you to sing along with your favorite song, make fun of the deejay, and evaluate advertisements. If you are imaginative enough, you could also take your favorite one-singer song and transform it into duets.
Mr. Microphone allows you to become a radio star and play cool tricks on people. The latter aspect of Mr. Microphone was featured in one of the product’s famous commercials, where they showed a carload of high-spirited hecklers amazed a beautiful femme pedestrian by using Mr. Microphone to woo her and saying, “Hey, good looking! We’ll be back to pick you up later!”
Mr. Microphone gave a combination of fun and a promise of instant stardom. That is why back then, it was a must-have for kids and adults alike. The popularity of Mr. Microphone inspired several similarly-inspired microphone toys, like the Donny and Marie Microphone.
Until the mid-1980s, Mr. Microphone continued to sell in large numbers, which is why it ended up as one of Ronco’s biggest product successes. Aside from that, Mr. Microphone was also dubbed as a product that was ahead of its time because it somehow predicted the rise of Karaoke during the 1980s. It’s easy to imagine that many Karaoke enthusiasts were also former Mr. Microphone fanatics.
Even if Mr. Microphone is not around anymore, the product was able to become a tacky item of high cult status. That is why, until today, it is still considered as a prized item at garage sales and second-hand stores all across the United States. Several toys can give you hours of fun, but only Mr. Microphone can make you an instant star.