Jill Russell Loves Heritage Electronics at Urban Outfitters

By Venus Zine Staff
Published: November 23rd, 2010 | 12:00am

When I was a kid, I often tossed my Barbies aside to play with my older brother’s toys, which were always indisputably cooler than mine: the Atari 2600, the original NES, He-Man figurines (including the wholly awesome villain Skeletor and his evil feline companion, Panthor), and G.I. Joes. But one item that really sticks out in my memory is a battery-operated plastic Fisher Price record player, an item Urban Outfitters is now selling alongside other retro electronic goods.

It was red and yellow, and came with colorful LPs that played “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “London Bridge,” and such—and the discs fit into a secret compartment within the player itself. I loved the act of putting the records in place and setting the needle in just the right spot so that the sound came pouring out. (The practice came in handy when I scored my very first real vinyl record, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which I promptly played out on my parents’ turntable.)

So in addition to my beloved plastic player, UO is also bringing back some other blasts-from-the-past sure to strike a chord with anyone reared in the ‘80s (and ‘70s and ‘60s): the transparent trimline phone, the portable synthesizer, and a mid-century-inspired transistor radio.

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Jill Russell is Venus Zine's editor in chief.