Accession No

4529.209

Brief Description

Texas Instruments Speak & Spell electronic learning aid, by Texas Instruments, Dutch, 1980 (c)

Origin

Holland (Netherlands)

Maker

Texas Instruments

Class

computer technology; games

Earliest Date

1978

Latest Date

1981

Inscription Date

1978

Material

Plastic

Dimensions

Length 253mm; width 175mm; thickness 36mm

Special Collection

Francis Hookham Collection of Hand Held Electronic Calculators

Provenance

Inscription

“Texas Instruments” (front, top right, on screen)
“Speak
& Spell t” (front, bottom left)
[Texas Instruments logo] (front, bottom right)

Description Notes

Red Texas Instruments Speak & Spell, with orange letter keys and red function keys.

Fluorescent display.
Aid has a number of word games, accompanied by speech.
There is a speaker top left. A rear panel gives model details and patent numbers. A sticker on rear gives operating advice and battery details.
A copyright date below the keyboard is 1978.
A mains socket has been added by Francis Hookham in the right hand side.

This model has protruding letter keys rather than the flat keys of the other model (4529.249). Keys are short-travel, slightly heavy to the touch, and rock forwards to give a soft click upon depression (S Davis 20/8/2007).

References

Events

Description
Speak & Spell had five built-in learning games: Spell, Say It, Secret Letter, Mystery Code, and Word. Spell is the classic word spelling game, wherein the participant must spell ten words after hearing them "spoken" by the unit. The Speak & Spell also had the ability to expand its vocabulary using expansion modules that plugged into a slot near the battery compartment. One such expansion module was a tie-in for the toy's notable appearance in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and asked young spellers to try such words as "geranium" and "extraterrestrial."
- - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speak_&_Spell_(game)

FM:41919