Retro innovation shines in this nostalgic glimpse at gadgets that once dazzled users with promises of futuristic convenience. From rotary phones to early gaming consoles, these relics evoke fond memories of simpler times. Though obsolete today, they paved the way for modern technology, reminding us of humanity’s relentless drive to improve daily life. Celebrating ingenuity across eras, this collection honors pioneers whose ideas laid foundations for the digital age we now inhabit.
1
Pagers
I’m not sure why they became so associated with dads, but pagers kept coming up during my research for this post. So, here it is, to top it all off.
2
Walkman cassette players
How many of you had one of these bad boys? Do you remember what casettes you listened to? We saw the return of polaroids and record players, so… you never know.
We might see some dude rollerblading by with one of ’em going!
3
VHS tapes and VCRs
Not only was it extremely satisfying pushing a VHS tape in, the idea that you could physically hold an entire movie in your hands was pretty rad at the time.
Also, displayin your VHS collection like books on a bookshelf was kind of fun. Remember the movies that came with 4 separate tapes, like Titanic?
4
Boomboxes
I had one of these as a kid, and I distinctly remember falling asleep to my CD (I’m not going to say what it was because I know you lot will tear me apart) every night.
Now, I’ve never personally witnessed a dude walking down the street with one over his shoulder bumping tunes, but one day I’d like to. So let’s bring these guys back, eh?
5
Rotary Phones
They’re wildly impractical nowadays, so I doubt we’ll ever see them again outside of a museum, but you gotta admit they’re pretty f*ckin cool.
While we’re at it… phones that you can physically slam shut to hang up when you’re pissed off? Bring those back, too!
6
NES by Nintendo
Simplicity & hours upon hours of entertainment, all in one little console. This was the bees knees at the time, and while I’m more of an N64 guy myself, I can definitely appreciate the beauty of the NES. Which console did you prefer to play on?
7
Discman CD players
Much like the walkman, the discman had a certain aura about it. The only b*tch was that it skipped far too often, and you essentially had to carry around a small frisbee with cables.
8
Tube Tvs
You can’t tell me these things weren’t mind-blowing at the time, especially with colour. You can’t help but appreciate it, and I defy you to find someone who wouldn’t be at least a little bit excited to come aross one in the wild.
9
Old iPods
I don’t think I’ve seen someone use an iPod since the iPhone took over, but I have to say, they were pretty sweet for their time. Not to mention the fun commercials.
10
Walkie-talkies
Speaking of iPhones, kids these days all have ’em. They’re all Snapchatting and texting each other. What ever happened to the good old days of having a pair of Walkie-talkies and testing the limits of how far you can go with them?
Did any of you guys use Walkie-talkies with your pals growing up?
11
Burned CDs
This probably falls under the Discman category, but I think it’s safe to say we’ve all burned a CD or 10 at some point. My last car, which I had for 11 years, still had a CD player, and all I used on it were burnt CDs. It was awesome.
Did you ever make a mix for a girlfriend or boyfriend?!
12
Camcorders
This little gadget is probably responsible for a bunch of great creators that are killing the game today. From fun home movies to… other fun home movies… these things were f*ckin AWESOME!