Kids React To Walkmans (Portable Cassette Players)

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Kids react to technology!

This episode: Walkmans!

(Producer) We're mixing it up on you again.

-(Producer) You're not watching a video -Oh no.

-I'm so scared! -(Producer) You're reacting to...this!

Oh. What is this thing?

I already have no idea what it is.

I don't get what it is.

What do I do? Press play?

I don't know what it does!

(Producer) So, do you know what that is used for?

Speaking into it?

Music? A boombox?

Wait, wait, wait.

It's a cassette player, right?

(Producer) It actually is a device that plays music.

So maybe we'll play music today?

Oh, here! Radio AM/FM. Stop, play. Okay.

What're you talking about?!

You gotta be kidding me.

(Producer) But how does it work?

You gotta find "on".

Oh, wait, I see!

Uh, where is the, where is the, where is the...

(laughs) I feel so judged right now!

(Producer) I don't hear any music.

I don't know what to do now.

You open it, put the cassette inside, close it, and then you press play!

(Producer) You actually need something else to get it to work.

Aw, come on. That's cheap!

-A cassette? -(Producer) Yes!

-(Producer) You actually need a cassette. -A what?

-(Producer) Do you know what a cassette is? -No.

(Producer) So we have a cassette.

I've never seen this.

Ooooh! Are these in the movies?

(Producer) So now how does it work?

How do you do this?!

I...know I have to open it.

How do you put it in?!

I am not going to give up!

I'm a survivor!

Okay, I give up.

Do you open the front? Yes! Yes.

I feel like I'm Indiana Jones or something.

(Producer) So right here, on either side, you grab on either side and whoop!

(Producer) And now you do it.

Oh, that was simple.

You guys could've told me earlier.

Which way does it go?

Now which way does it go?

Ugh! This is so hard.

(Producer) Push it all the way in!

That's what happens.

(Producer) What do you need?

You, uh, need...

I'm not sure what you need.

(Producer) How do you hear the music?

(laughs) I don't know!

Do I need to turn up the volume?

(Producer) On these devices, you need headphones or you can't hear anything.

I think that's kind of strange.

This is horrible.

That's the worst thing!

Aw, this is a rip off because you want to listen,

but you can't because you don't have any headphones.

Hand over the headphones. (laughs)

(Producer) So we have some headphones for you.

Oh, my grandpa has these!

I used to have a pair of these!

I'm such a 90s kid, but I wasn't born in the 90s.

I feel so accomplished.

What song is this?

It better be good.

Um...

Was this old time music?

-(music blares) -AAAAH!

(Producer) What do you think of the process?

This thing takes forever!

Too complicated.

I feel so lazy saying this.

You have to actually do stuff.

slimming, isn't it?

You need headphones just to listen to music?!

Did you know how messed up that is?!

Actually, it wouldn't take so long because on an iPad,

you have to go into the internet, find Pandora.

You have to click that thing!

You have to make it play, you know?

(Producer) If you have 20 songs and you wanted

to go to song number six, how would you do that?

You'd have to hit the "next" thing, right? No?

The back button and the start button?

Rewind until it feels about right.

Play it. It's not there.

Okay, keep going! Keep going.

(Producer) You'd have to hit fast forward,

wait for it to go past all the other songs.

So you'd have to guess and stop it and listen and be like,

"Nope, still not the song."

Oh my gosh! I would not want to do that.

I could not imagine living in your guys' days with this.

(Producer) So today you could fit thousands of songs on a phone,

but on a cassette, you could only fit up to about 30 songs.

I feel bad for the people who lived in the 90s.

(Producer) What're you thinking about now?

I'm thinking about how many tapes you would need!

(Producer) So this is called a portable cassette player.

When this came out in the 1980s, it was the biggest thing!

Does that surprise you?

No, because it's just like having a computer or iPhone.

This amazes me, how technology has changed.

I could just imagine you guys as 13 year olds, just like,

"Thug life represent!"

OMG! Do you have a cassette?!

And a portable music player? AAH! OMG.

I have one too.

In the 1980s, it was like,

"Whoa! Something that can play music and I can carry it around

if I have a large pocket!"

(Producer) When these were brand new, they cost $200.

This seems like a bit of an outrage!

For this thing?

I would actually pay for it.

-That's not a lot.

(Producer) Not a lot?

An iPad costs $700.

(Producer) When they came out,

it was pretty much the first time music was something--

-Was invented! -(Producer) No! No, not invented. (laughs)

(Producer) It was the first time music was easily portable.

So people would go running even with this.

With these things on?

You can't run with this!

You'd always be like this by the end.

(panting) Whew! This is really heavy!

I'd be like, "Ugh! Oh my god!"

What if it falls out?

Oh no! My $200 a waste!

(Producer) So now that you've learned all about

this old technology, what do you prefer?

The technology of today for music, or this?

Technology of today. Easy question.

I prefer technology up-to-date.

This is a lot better because you won't break your phone.

-I'd take this in a heartbeat! No. -(Producer laughs)

I'd want my phone!

This is so hard and complicated!

-My technology. -(Producer laughs)

Thanks for watching another episode of Kids React!

Let us know in the comments what yucky old stuff

we have to react to next!

If you used to have one of these, how would you ever live with this thing?!

This thing is so boring!

Wish me luck, guys! I'm going on a run.