Talking Clocks
and the Phonograph Exhibit

Westminster Public
Library, December 2017, Westminster, CO
In April 1878 Edison wrote an
article titled "The
Phonograph and its Future" to identify "probabilities"
for its future. One of those probabilities was 'Clocks."
Clocks.
-- "The Phonographic
Clock will tell you the hour of the day; call you to lunch; send
your lover home at ten, etc.".
For an overview of the history
of talking clocks from 1878 see The
Phonograph and its Future: Clocks.
This exhibit features toy clocks from 1968 to 2000.
Several toy clocks in the 1950's
and 1960's 'talked" by using a miniature phonograph and record
inside the toy, however, the 1968 Mattel-a-Time Talking Clock
was the first toy that was a talking clock and a working clock.

Mattel-a-Time, 1968
In the 1970's and
1980's a variety of children's talking clocks were marketed that
kept time and spoke messages using a small phonograph "record."
These talking alarm clocks featured pop culture characters like
Howdy Doody, Big Bird, Batman, Charlie Brown, Mickey Mouse --
each, with its respective voice, telling the child that it was
time to get up.
In 1979 Sharp released the world's first quartz-based
talking clock2 and in the 1990's computer chips replaced records
in talking clocks.
The following are clocks were displayed in
2017 at the Westminster Public Library, Westminster, CO, in the
Phonographia and Friends of the Phonograph exhibit titled
"Talking Clocks and the Phonograph."







Archie 1983



1985 Little Green Sprout
Talking Alarm Clock and ad, courtesy Minnesota Historical Society


A few other Time
related Phonographia
Say
Kids. What time is it? "It's Howdy Doody Time!"


Disney Mickey
Mouse Clubhouse Time to Play!
(Phoenix International Publications,
©2016 Disney Enterprise Inc.)
"Play-a-Sound"
- Move the clock hands and then press Time to hear
the clock time spoken aloud!
Now its time to say goodbye
To all our company...
See you real soon
(Songwriter: Jimmie Dodd, Mickey
Mouse Club Alma Mater lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company)
The following lists of songs
with Time Connections are just examples. Search for other
lists...there are many.
Spinditty
100+
Songs With Time in the Title
by CARSON MCQUEEN, June 22, 2020
McQueen's Top 10 "Time
Songs"
1. “One Moment in Time” by Whitney Houston

One Moment In Time
(Both sides "A" and "B") [ 7 inch VINYL single. 45 rpm ], Arista
Records 1988
2. “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper
3. “Love me Two Times” by The Doors
4. “Time is on my Side” by The Rolling Stones
5. “Does Anybody Really Know What Time it
is?” by Chicago
6. “Time of my Life” by David Cook
7. “Any Time at all” by The Beatles
8. “Too Much Time on my Hands” by Styx
9. “Big Time” by Peter Gabriel
10. “One Time” by Justin Bieber
On the site Pop
Culture Madness there are 100 songs listed about Time
and Clocks
Here are the top ten from that
list under the heading Past, Present, Future Songs
1. 12 Days of Christmas – various
2. When I’m 64 – the Beatles
3. It Was A Very Good Year – Frank Sinatra
4. Time (Clock of the Heart) – Culture Club
5. Yesterday – The Beatles
6. Time Of Your Life – Green Day
7. Time – Pink Floyd
8. Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper
9. Time In a Bottle – Jim Croce
10. Time Is On My Side – Rolling Stones
And, of course, there are new
songs every year with time connections. And for Phonographians,
when they are released on vinyl, it's even more noteworthy.

The Folklore
"in the trees" edition
deluxe vinyl LP, 2020
Taylor Swift, 2020
- "It's
time to go"

All
items in this exhibit are from the Phonographia Collection
|