If you were a child growing up in the late 90s or early 2000s, odds are you remember the most entertaining and hilariously nonsensical way of listening to music: HitClips.
September 27th, 2018
Nicole Gallucci writes an ode to these peculiar devices and takes us on a trip down memory lane on her latest article published on Mashable.com.
HitClips initially debuted as toys in select McDonald’s kid’s meals but became so popular that they transitioned to the main toy/electronics market.
From 1999 to 2004, HitClips captivated the minds of budding young music lovers, and over the years, the brand ambitiously moved from primary listening devices to tiny CD players and fun extras.
Back in the day, a player cost $20.00, and a cartridge went for $3.99, which seems like a lot of money, even now. But the price seemed worth it back then considering the collectible tunes quickly became status symbols for America’s youth.
The anatomy of most original HitClips devices was the same. Each player was about two inches long, had a slot for the chip, a single headphone wire that connected to an earpiece, a “Play” button, and a clip on the back so that users could conveniently fasten the devices to their clothing.
It’s been about fourteen years since HitClips were discontinued, and though they’ll always hold a special place in our nostalgia-hungry hearts, the thought of a resurgence today is genuinely laughable.
Nowadays iTunes gives you a 1:30 song preview for FREE, and charges $1.29 on average for a single track. So why would anyone go back to paying more for less music?
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This article is a re-post, with small modifications, of “HitClips: Remembering the most absurd way we listened to music” an article published on mashable.com by Nicole Gallucci.
Click here to visit the original content.
