In the late 1960s through early 1970s (1967-1972), the Kenner Toy Company of Cincinnati came up with an unusual format using a cylinder that revolved at 33 1/3 RPM and cut the same way as a standard disc LP. It contained anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes of music per cylinder, with spacing to indicate different tracks. They only marketed it, poorly, as a “jukebox” for kids. It looks like they licensed just a handful of songs, mostly of very little Interest to anyone except for a Fifth Dimension track plus maybe one from the Beatles, the rest being mainly public domain children’s songs. Only two to four different cylinders of music were produced. When Kenner became the exclusive dealer of Star Wars toys, virtually all former toys like this were abandoned, which is a shame because this jukebox could have been incorporated into the Star Wars universe for the Star Wars bar.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else had ever heard of this, and if somehow it could be revived, as some sort of novelty. Who would have engineered this, and could it be done again? I am sure the patent(s) is/are available.
-
ArchaicRecords
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: USA: Lexington, KY
Weird LP cylinder format made by Kenner Toy Company of Cincinnati
archaicrecords.com
-
grooveguy
- Posts: 430
- Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 5:49 pm
- Location: Brea, California (a few miles from Disneyland)
- Contact:
Re: Weird LP cylinder format made by Kenner Toy Company of Cincinnati
Now THAT is interesting! Thanks for posting. I had young kids back then but never came across this item in any toy stores. Heck, I'd have bought one... for me! A browser search doesn't bring up a lot, but there was one image file that linked to a YouTube video of this jukebox in operation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM9YSzs09JE
I wonder how they molded that cylinder; maybe the same way Edison finally figured out how. Amazing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM9YSzs09JE
I wonder how they molded that cylinder; maybe the same way Edison finally figured out how. Amazing!
Re: Weird LP cylinder format made by Kenner Toy Company of Cincinnati
Hi,
When I first listened to the link, I thought it was stereo as the clips and pops were left and right. The music is definitely mono. The quality was way better than you would have obtained from the built in speaker. I read down in the comments and saw that he replaced the original dead crystal pickup with a ceramic stereo unit. I would have summed it to mono to reduce the noise, but still very cool!
Mark
When I first listened to the link, I thought it was stereo as the clips and pops were left and right. The music is definitely mono. The quality was way better than you would have obtained from the built in speaker. I read down in the comments and saw that he replaced the original dead crystal pickup with a ceramic stereo unit. I would have summed it to mono to reduce the noise, but still very cool!
Mark
-
grooveguy
- Posts: 430
- Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 5:49 pm
- Location: Brea, California (a few miles from Disneyland)
- Contact:
Re: Weird LP cylinder format made by Kenner Toy Company of Cincinnati
You're right, Mark. Ping-pong clicks and pops are far more distracting than mono ones. It's been decades since I looked for (and easily found) a mono crystal/ceramic pickup; are they still made, I wonder? I wasn't aware that stereo ones were available, but never had to look for one. I remember when my dad replaced the pickup in our '50s-vintage Magnavox "Hi-Fi" with a Sonotone 'Titone' turnover cartridge. To my junior-hi ears the Sonotone didn't sound nearly as good as the stock pickup.