I realize it’s not really a toy, but it was the electronic device that revolutionized how we listened to music during this era of my toy collecting.  The year was 1979, I was the lucky one who introduced the Sony Walkman to my friends at school and they (like me) could not believe the amazing sound!  It was the first time that you felt like you had a concert in your head with amazing surround clarity.  There is still those that argue that nothing (even today) matches the sound of the Sony Walkman TPS-L2.

It was made of the best quality materials such as a metal case and it had a dark blue leather (or leather-like) cover.  The great thing was you could share the experience with another person as it had two headphone jacks.  At the time, if you wanted to share music you would make your sweetheart a “mixed tape” with songs typically off the radio recorded in hack fashion on a cassette.  The Sony Walkman had an orange button not for recording, but when pressed the “holder of the device” could speak into the mic and talk to the person listening on headphone 2 (it dimmed down the volume) that way you didn’t have to take off your headphones to speak.

Locating the very first Sony Walkman can be somewhat difficult on eBay and when you do find one (that doesn’t have a broken belt or has not been beaten up etc.) it can set you back some money.   They are out there and I will eventually get one.  How else am I going to listen to the racks and racks of cassettes I have in my garage?  Yep, never threw them out and I have had many opportunities to do so.  I keep them in hopes that one day I will own this magnificent piece of my childhood again.  Getting back this piece of history is definitely on my bucket list.

How cool was it to own one?

I can’t even remember the first song I listened to on my iPhone.

Yeah, the Sony Walkman TPS-L2 was that memorable!