Speak & Spell
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES 1978
The first know-spell
Back then they built hardware to last – fully working Speak & Spells still litter eBay today. This is the 1980 version, with a flat keyboard instead of bumpy buttons.
A n ‘educational toy’ — two words that strike fear into the heart of any child.
It must have been quite a shock in a late-1970s world of exciting new electronics to tear off that wrapping paper and face a hunk of plastic designed to help you spell. “But the Atari VCS was right over the page in the Argos catalogue!” you’d say, lip wobbling. “But this is educational,” your grinning parents would respond, while your grandparents tutted about how ungrateful you were. And then you’d grudgingly settle down with it… and discover it was actually quite a lot of fun.