Texas Instruments LITTLE PROFESSOR - Let’s FIX it | 12 Days of FIXMAS Day 9

[@DistinctlyAverageRepairs]

Who received one of these for Christmas and was disappointed because it wasn’t a ‘proper’ toy?! 😮

[@shawnwright4129]

I had one of those! Come to think of it, I still do. And I'm 51. There was a way I could reset it by pressing two keys at once, but I forgot how. Mine was a lot bulkier than this one and had red light up numbers, not a calculator screen. I'm guessing mine came from late 70s or very early 80s. This one looks more of late 80s? The first one came out in 1976, I believe, and are still made now.

[@DistinctlyAverageRepairs]

The very first Little Professor model was launched in 1976 and had red LED numbers and, as you say, was much bulkier so it sounds as though you have an original one. The model I fixed is newer and I think you are right, it dates back to the 80s.

[@billysmidway7032]

I got one when they were new in the late 70’s and I still have it with my Merlin and a few other early games. I struggled with math and my Little Professor actually helped me learn much better by practicing my addition and subtraction but my ability to do multiplication and division in my head was (and still is) lacking in ability. One of my relatives had this newer version. I was also disappointed in how cheaply it was made and the LCD wasn’t as cool as the red display in the original. It’s still fun to see them getting repaired and acknowledged on KZbin.

[@DistinctlyAverageRepairs]

This newer version really was basic - I was surprised at how little there was to it when I opened it up. I agree, the red LED numbers were cooler - I tried to get one of the original ones for this video but couldn’t find a broken one at a reasonable price when I was putting the series together. Funny you should mention Merlin - you may be interested in the Fixmas episode which goes live on 22nd Dec 🤫😜

[@chrislaustin]

I for sure remember seeing these as a kid, but I don't think me or my sister ever had one. If either of us did receive one, I could see my sister having it over me, as she was a honors student, and I can barely use a calculator to this day. Lol

[@SimonCallahan]

I had one of these, but it was used and, like this one, it didn't really work. I had no idea what it really did besides be a fancy looking calculator. Now I know it was supposed to be a toy.

[@DistinctlyAverageRepairs]

Items like this fell into the category of ‘educational toys’. The colourful front panel and comical professor graphic on the screen was all it needed to be called a toy. It certainly wouldn’t have been my idea of a toy if this had been given to me on Christmas morning 😂

[@chrislaustin]

To answer the question would this still be poular today? Mmmmm, do kids even still use calculators anymore? My son just graduated HS this past year, and his education was entirely different from mine. I guess if they slapped SpongeBob on it instead of the Professor they might sell some, but doubtful otherwise(which is a sad thought honestly).

[@DistinctlyAverageRepairs]

I guess most kids would use the calculator on their phone these days? You can still buy these Little Professor calculators - they are solar powered now. Maybe they are more suited to younger children who don’t have their own phone?

[@chrislaustin]

@@DistinctlyAverageRepairs The fact they are still making this speaks volumes, but it might just be nostalgia that keeps these selling. If I was in Walmart and saw this 15 years ago, I would have for sure grabbed one for my son, as I would have remembered it from my childhood and thought it was cool. The few rare times he needed a calculator, we just let him use the little cheap solar one my wife kept in her purse. And in high school he used one of those expensive graph calculators, which is now collecting dust. LOL

[@DistinctlyAverageRepairs]

That may well be the case, they sold millions of these things when they were first released so there will be an awful lot of people around the world with the memory. My partner told me that this was one of her favourite ‘toys’ when she was younger. This and the Speak & Spell. We obviously have very different ideas about what a ‘toy’ is 😂

[@chrislaustin]

@@DistinctlyAverageRepairs Everybody loved the "Speak & Spell", not because it was a fun toy, but because it could speak, and at the time, that was smart phone levels of entertainment. But yeah, now we know better. LOL

[@DistinctlyAverageRepairs]

Absolutely! Half the fun of this channel (for me at least) is buying stuff that I either had or wanted as a kid and reminding myself how far we’ve come. Kids today have no idea! 😂