Oddity Archive: Episode 233.5 - Ben’s Junk: The Clapper

[@Larry]

I always wanted one of these seeing it appear over and over in American shows and movies, but they never released it over here sadly. We just have to rough it nowadays and ask Alexa to turn the lights on and off :(

[@mr.horseshoe2301]

Hello you!

[@luisreyes1963]

Believe me, mate. You didn't miss a thing. Oh & HELLO, YOU!! 😁

[@ilovebeingtheultimatebrony6685]

i still have one and use it i love it

[@eaglevision993]

We had them in Germany....needless to say, you didn´t miss anything. It was a nice novelty but rarely used after some days.

[@Tornado1994]

Jolly Ol' Larry, Always giving a Shoutout to other YT Channels!

[@thealrightestguitarist9135]

You only forgot one test, Ben: a barking dog. My parents got a clapper for Xmas in 85 or 86 and I plugged the TV and lamp into it. Everything was great until the dog saw someone walking by and started to bark. Everything turned on and off so rapidly it looked like we were in a disco. I can't even imagine having a Christmas tree hooked up to it with that going on. It would be like your tree was cursing at you in Morse.

[@SarafinaSummers]

XD oh god! I have seizures and that would suck so hard!

[@AdamG1]

The Clicker looks like it's a castanet, which can be found in any concert band's box of percussion junk

[@herbcraven7146]

I haven't had this much fun since that time I discovered the light switch in my bedroom when I was two.

[@Aeduo]

You clapping a bunch of times to try to get the tree going reminded me of a part in the simpsons where homer was repeatedly clapping to turn a light off, and marge telling him they don't have a clapper.

[@lascheque]

I would program crazy patterns with the clap sound of my drum machine and have fun with it.

[@1000huzzahs]

you could program like a laser light show or something with it.

[@lascheque]

@@1000huzzahs Preferably something to drive people crazy with.

[@syxepop]

Ben, that "spare outlet" (6:26) is what is called a PASS-THROUGH, giving you back the one two-prong outlet you lose when you put a Clapper on the wall. Although if you wanted to connect a 3-prong appliance, TOO BAD...

[@craigjensen6853]

Wrong, you just grind the ground pin off or drill a hole in the thing to accept it.

[@SarafinaSummers]

@@craigjensen6853 Unsafe as hell! Just use a 3 to 2 prong adaptor.

[@memyopinionsche6610]

Yeah that plastic talking Christmas tree is horrifying. Nope. I won't even be in the same room with it.

[@miniskunk]

I can imagine the Clapper had the same issue that Alexa has when she hears her name on TV. Clapping on TV no doubt activated it especially when the commercial for it came on.

[@floydian06]

As a Massachusetts resident who was a kid in the early 90's, at the end of Rich's peak, thanks for the blast from the past that receipt elicited. Also, The Clapper was pretty amusing too - I remember those ads running for YEARS. Can't believe they still make the damn thing. Great content, Ben!

[@ChuckD79]

Didn't even know Joseph Enterprises also made The Clicker to supplement The Clapper, and surprised I went all these years w/o realizing that the company also made Chia Pets, despite using identical packaging, the same logo font, etc! Oh, and I distinctly remember the commercial @ 14:26 from the "channel surfing" seen/heard during the opening credits of Wayne's World.

[@JL-sm6cg]

I got the Darth Vader version once, and yes it was so sensitive that ANY noise would turn it on and off, like your Douglas Fir tree did. I didn't look to see if there was a sensitivity dial, though. I tried to return it to the store I bought it from, but I was way outside the 30 day window, so I settled for store credit about 1/6th the value I paid for it. Grrrr! (Why, you ask? I bought it as part of anticipation of me moving long before I actually did.)

[@drwolfpoint]

My grandparents used the original 80s Clapper for their old TV in their Winnebago well into the 2000s. It did work, though the TV's fine tuning needed to be adjusted every time we turned it on. The only reason they quit using it was when their old TV without a remote finally wore out. They did have the clicker, though I think their clicker was just a dog training clicker and not the official one.

[@scott8919]

"Why are her lights going on and off?" "She got the clap from her boyfriend."

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

I have a modern version controlling a floor lamp in the corner of my living room. Works great. Not too many false triggers - once in the while if I drop something like a knife or fork and it bounces just right on the wood floor.

[@WillmobilePlus]

I find these all the time at estate sales. I would use them myself, but it feels fairly cringy, which is ironic because I have Bluetooth outlets that can be activated via my Google speaker. More complex, but looks better when you do it.

[@SarafinaSummers]

I have cronic pain that sometimes limits if I can get out of bed. Having one of these would have been a godsend before Alexa came along.

[@JordanBahrPian-UkePlayer]

Ha! I never knew there was a "Clicker." It's not enough that you're too lazy to get up and turn on or turn off a light, now they know you're too lazy to even clap your hands!

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

I'm sure there must be a Clacker to click the Clicker to activate the Clapper, in case you're too lazy to click the Clicker. There's no end to this gravy train.

[@armron94]

I had a copper in my old house. The house had no light switches for the living room. So that works when I came in the house late night after work. My lamp was on the other side of living room towards the hallway. So that was a lot easier when I came in the house with groceries or anything else I had

[@SarafinaSummers]

I know somebody who's too obese to even clap her hands or use her smart watch to call for help.

[@lensmann4002]

For your Clapper review, Ben, you deserve a round of applause!

[@jimbronie]

I had a competitor to the clapper. It was based on the same thing except it had a little black squeeze remote that looked like a remote control that made a whistle sound when you squeezed it which caused the box to turn on or off. I used that for years in my bedroom when I was too lazy to get up to turn the tv off. But I was always loosing the remote. I had to make a snare drum sound to activate it. I looked on google images but didn’t see any pics of it.

When I first saw the title for this video, I thought you would be talking about one of those clapperboard things like they use in movies. You know, a thing with a board that knocks on top of another board and makes a clapping sound.

[@johnathin0061892]

Running for almost 40 years actually. The ads for it started in the early 1980s.

[@jamesslick4790]

I always wondered if the ads would trigger it, Now I know. Thanx Benny Boy! You saved me $30.00!!

[@post_hit_invincibility9940]

I'm doing academic research on HCI and those devices can be seen as early attempts to create alternative smarthome Human-Maschine interfaces. There are, however, also very early attempts of speech-controlled systems that came out in the early 1990s.

[@DarkPuIse]

Bob Ross would've actually hated being part of the Clapper branding. The guy was notoriously protective of his image. It's only once he died that his likeness began being pimped out everywhere.

[@NickBartolo]

My parents bought a Clapper for my grandmother in the early 80s. Unfortunately she lived next some railroad tracks and every time a train went by the TV turned off and on wildly.

[@fishfingerscustard582]

Clap on...clap off...the clapper!

[@RickinBaltimore]

The "Scribe.Ett"? I don't think I ever remember seeing those back then.

[@luisreyes1963]

I'm surprised you managed to get a hold of the most iconic piece of 80's kitsch, The Clapper! 😆

[@m.k.8158]

I suspect that the reason that the commercial would not activate the Clapper, is likely because because the Clapper is probably more sensitive to low frequency sounds-the tablet you were using has almost no low frequency output due to the tiny speakers in it-try playing the tablet through an external speaker system with better low frequency response(most normal bluetooth speakers are probably good enough). I think that you will probably get better results that way.

[@noralewis5390]

Randomly got one for myself in the 90s and had to get used to not making any loud noises around it or my bedside lamp would turn off when I was reading or if I was online. I was just happy the noise from my modem didn't mess with it - probably because it wasn't loud/sharp enough.

[@jamesmoss3424]

I remember the Clapper when I was a kid and it's still an amazing idea. 😀👍

[@Sir_Uncle_Ned]

I wonder if you can rig up a similar system with a modern voice assistant and IFTTT to get a similar effect for smart lights.

[@rwdplz1]

Ben: "I'm not gonna take it apart." Dave Jones: "YOU SON OF A..."

[@JB-mk4ry]

Love that they paid $100.98 to get an even $75 back.

[@rEdf196]

That NOS vintage Clapper needs a recap (capacitor replacement)

[@SmeddyTooBestChannel]

you should've sung "Clap On, Clap Off!" to the tune of Pavanned for the intro

[@astrosci8864]

Today, we swipe on and swipe off.....

[@coondogtheman]

For the last test try hooking your iPad to that stereo. The audio from your stereo might set it off.

[@mariteaux]

Am I dumb or is that song new? Because I think that might be my new favorite of all the incidental music.

[@OddityArchive]

New-ish. Did it last Summer. This is the first time I've excerpted the final cut.

[@bobrogers4019]

I think Oskar Werner used this in a Columbo episode?

[@joearnold6881]

I remember it being advertised as if it turned the main lights in a room off.

[@GatorGirl]

Thank goodness this thing wouldn't work on pacemakers.

[@audiodood]

lmao

[@smittykins]

I’m sure they ran the original commercial long after the lady at the end shuffled off this mortal coil.

[@memyopinionsche6610]

Yes Ben we believe you bought The clapper not just stolen it. But you don't have to show us the receipt To prove that you bought it.

[@oscodains]

A person really broke $100 bill on a $26 purchase.

[@lockdog_shorts6987]

Ben great vids I've been watching you since 2014 but I want to know will you make another Emergency broadcast salute and if so then when I really enjoy those

[@michaelcarpenter2498]

A Bob Ross clapper. Why do I think Bob would tell you to quit down, he is painting. Ben, go ice up.

[@carlklitzke9455]

That song is great.

[@daftoptimist]

We can laugh at the Clapper all we want, but at least it can’t mine your personal data, unlike some 21st century devices I could name.

[@sideburn]

Looked like it’s really a single clap 👏 clapper

[@rwdplz1]

Noticed that early on into the video, apparently Ben never did

[@OddityArchive]

(copied from further up the thread) It indeed took two claps. One seems to alert the device, then it's a split-second with the second. Sometimes (as seen in the video) my first clap (or whatever I did) didn't quite cut it, so it took me a total of three for the device to pick up on it.

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

The Clapper does kind of like what we might use Alexa, etc. for now. However it might yield unexpected results in the presence of unexpected sharp sound sources: A door slam, a thunderclap, a dog bark, a sound track.

[@KarlWitsman]

We had one in our living room. Sharp sounds would set it off. Our cat, who was afraid of the dark, learned to yowl and turn on the light during the night. A cat that is afraid of the dark? Yep. Oh, I also heard of folks watching the Clapper ad on TV and it would turn their lamps on and off.

[@MushmouthJoe]

I knew lots of people who owned Clappers but I didn't know anyone who used Clappers.

[@craigjensen6853]

Wow, you're a BOSS walking into Rich's and buying a clapper with a $100 bill. And you gave her at least 8 coins to avoid getting 2 in change, I like that.

[@CriscoSnowflake]

My stepdad has a modern version of the clapper for the Christmas tree lights. If his sound system was loud enough the bass would kick the lights off and on.

[@scott8919]

Definitely don't want to use these for a life support machine.

[@Fluteboy]

Here's a thing to try - play *Creep* by Radiohead, and see if it responds to those guitar blasts prior to each chorus! Lights by Jonny Greenwood? Hmm.....

[@rrsaga]

Ch..cha..cha..chia owned this product

[@derekroberts6654]

why not use an HD recording of a live audience applauding and out it on the highest sensitivity

[@BeAGoodDoga]

I really don’t think the clapper was a good idea for use with a reel-to-reel machine. A proper stereo in my opinion could’ve been an alternative…

[@OddityArchive]

It's the only piece of working stereo gear I've got without solenoids or digital triggers PLUS a built-in sound source.

[@BeAGoodDoga]

@@OddityArchive ah, okay.

[@joearnold6881]

I want to get a clapper to turn on Alexa, then teach her to clap herself off. I mean, since nowadays everything just goes on standby, the clapper barely works with anything

[@CyclingSteve]

Being from the UK I only knew The Clapper and Chia Pet from Wayne's World.

[@Legend813a]

Play the 'Card Sharks' theme to it.

[@zEropoint68]

it's like the people who did the clapper commercial actually thought of "hey, if our commercial turns off people's televisions and stuff, they're gonna be mad at us. we better replace the noise with something that doesn't set off the thing we sell." good thing they didn't let douglas fir sing the jingle.

[@audiodood]

We need a full version of 2:24 by the way

[@OddityArchive]

Eventually.

[@audiodood]

@@OddityArchive I will wait with great interest

[@astrosci8864]

What? No ground pole? That will reduce the practicality.....

[@heidifedor]

The smart clapper came out in the 90’s.

[@Atomshamradio]

Or the famous ive fallen i cant get up we are sending help mrs fletcher.

[@Atomshamradio]

Best commercial ever lol.🤣🤣

[@audiodood]

I have a 1984 one lol

[@hullinstruments]

Very familiar with the clapper!! A little gift from my ex girlfriend, (Who likes to be called ”the Flapper” by the way) but my doctor said he’d have it cleared up in no time

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

Still being produced today by the same company, Joseph Enterprises who also makes...Chia!

[@RocketboyX]

"Sound activated power choke"? Kinky.

[@nintendolunchbox]

I have a new clapper. But I have to say. Alexa , turn off the lights.

[@ekimbazray8597]

👍‍👍‍👍‍👍‍

[@SarafinaSummers]

Epilepsy trigger warning for the music in this video during the montage. It's electronic sounding at first. Not good for those with musicogenic epilepsy, at least the kind I have. Ben, you're not at fault, I just took one earphone off.

[@utoobuser101]

I had that exact same Blue lamp during the '80s. Seeing it again brought back some memories

[@Astolfo2001]

Could you activate this thing by snapping your fingers? If so then, I bet the Thanos snap scene in Avengers: Infinity War would be more hilarious in hindsight because of it.

[@OddityArchive]

I'd imagine so. My snapping skills are downright poor though.

[@Astolfo2001]

The virgin Alexa vs the chad Clapper

[@RanFuRe]

Maybe you should invest in one of those clickers :-P

[@OddityArchive]

Couldn't find one (an official, Joseph Enterprises one, that is) anywhere at any price.

[@richierich3541]

The original Alexa

[@mightyfilm]

The fact that licensed The Clappers exist just makes me feel even more depressed than usual and also makes me lose even more faith in humanity. Though, owing to the fact one of them is the Christmas Story Leg Lamp seems pretty apropos for how much they've milked the hell out of that film in the past decade. Still better than that musical.

[@mr3urious]

I know, right? Most of the time they're going to be shoved in the corner of the room so you can't see them. At least with licensed Chia Pets it makes sense.

[@RemiDupont]

Humm, your’s seem to turn on with only one clap… My memories seems fuzzy but I remember something like one clap to turn on and two clap for off. Might be for another model.

[@OddityArchive]

It indeed took two claps. One seems to alert the device, then it's a split-second with the second. Sometimes (as seen in the video) my first clap (or whatever I did) didn't quite cut it, so it took me a total of three for the device to pick up on it.

[@KyleCainNintendoShine]

10:08 SANS UNDERTALE??

[@MikeDest]

【ｓｅｎｄ　ｆｏｒ　ｓｅｅｃｈ】