We’re back with another installment of our list of 80 unbelievable gadgets from the ’80s! This time we’ve got numbers 60 through 51, each more unbelievable than the last. Get ready for a blast for the past with these gadgets, and stay tuned for more gadgets coming soon!
Number Sixty: Tamiya Grasshopper RC Car. One-upping the classic Tonka truck, this 1984 car was battery-operated. It has become a classic over the years.
Number Fifty-Nine: Acorn BBC Micro Model B. When this console was released in 1981, it was widely regarded to be the UK’s best home computer. It was known by the nickname “beeb” and included an analog joystick port and 1MHz bus connection.
Number Fifty-Eight: Androbot Topo. This robot, introduced in 1983, fell in line with television viewers’ adoration of The Jetsons. The android could be controlled with a joystick and was 36 inches tall.
Number Fifty-Seven: LEGO Brick Separator. Introduced in 1988, this brick separator helped kids everywhere take their inventions apart with ease. The alternative to using this was just using brute force that most little kids didn’t have, so it truly was a lifesaver at the time.
Number Fifty-Six: Roland TR-808. The iconic Roland TR-808 was introduced in 1980 and quickly became well known for its affordable price and professional features. Afrika Bambaataa’s album Planet Rock was recorded on this lovely gadget.
Number Fifty-Five: Commodore 1530 C2N Datasette. Introduced in 1984, this gadget was a great alternative for people who couldn’t afford floppy disks. Though the speed of data transfer was slower than a floppy disk’s, it was still considered to be one of the most useful gadgets of the time.
Number Fifty-Four: Desktop Fax Machine. Introduced in 1989, this machine was a real game changer, especially considering email didn’t yet exist! People used this fax machine to share documents with each other (among other things).
Number Fifty-Three: Kenner Star Wars “The Force” Lightsaber. Yes, Star Wars was as big in the ’80s as it is now! Introduced in 1980, this lightsaber was the best of any other lightsaber on the market, as the plastic was not as flimsy as the other ones being sold at the time.
Number Fifty-Two: Sega Master System. This was Sega’s first gaming console and quickly became huge in Japan. It was introduced in 1986 and was able to play both cartridges and programmed cards.
Number Fifty-One: Praktica MTL-5B. Finally, the Praktica MTL-5B was introduced in 1985. There was a limited quantity of these made, so only professional photographers were able to get one.
