Pocket rockers

Pocket Rocker playback device

Pocket Rockers was a brand name for music players from the late 1980s by Fisher-Price , whose market segment was aimed at elementary school students. The mini-cassettes - a 2-track mono miniature version of the 8-track cassette , each prerecorded with two music tracks - were offered exclusively by Fisher-Price himself and included various pop stars, including Bon Jovi , Whitney Houston , The Bangles , Tiffany and Debbie Gibson . Designed more as a fashion accessory than a music player, they were a youthful craze that was banned from many a classroom.

The advertisement used the melody of the song Down on the Corner by Creedence Clearwater Revival .

The production of the Pocket Rockers was discontinued in 1991 after the sales figures fell sharply. Today the devices and cassettes are sought-after collector's items.

technology

The same 3.81 mm (0.150 ″) tape is used in the pocket rockers cassette as in the compact cassette at the same tape speed of 1⅞ IPS. The top two tracks are recorded monophonically for the two tracks per cassette, which means that the tape wound into a compact cassette is played backwards. The two remaining tracks are not used. The tape head in the device is an inverted tape head of a cassette player. The belt drive of the endless cassette according to the technology of Bernard Cousino takes place via a belt-driven capstan .

Artists and pieces of music available at the time

Artist / group	Songs
Bananarama	I heard a rumor
The Bangles	Walk Like an Egyptian / Manic Monday
Beastie Boys	(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)
Bill Haley & His Comets	Rock Around the Clock / Shake, Rattle and Roll
Bon Jovi	Livin 'on a Prayer / Runaway Wanted Dead or Alive / You Give Love a Bad Name
Breakfast Club	Right on Track / Kiss and Tell
Belinda Carlisle	Heaven Is a Place on Earth / I Get Weak
The Champs	tequila
Phil Collins	Sussudio / Don't Lose My Number
Cutting crew	(I Just) Died In Your Arms / I've Been In Love Before
Taylor Dayne	Prove Your Love / Tell It to My Heart
The Fat Boys	Wipe Out / Rock Ruling
genesis	The Last Domino / Invisible Touch
Debbie Gibson	Shake Your Love / Only in My Dreams
Jan Hammer + Glenn Frey	Miami Vice Theme / The Heat Is On
Whitney Houston	How Will I Know / The Greatest Love of All I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) / So Emotional
Michael Jackson	Bad / Beat It Wanna Be Startin 'Somethin' / Another Part of Me
The Jets	Cross My Broken Heart / You Got It All Make It Real / I Do You
Huey Lewis and the News	Doing It All for My Baby / The Power of Love Hip to Be Square / The Heart of Rock & Roll
Kenny loggins	Footloose / Danger Zone
Los Lobos	La Bamba / Tequila
Madonna	Who's That Girl? / Material Girl
Mike + The Mechanics	All I Need Is a Miracle / You Are The One
Ray Parker, Jr. + The Monkees	Ghostbusters / (Theme From) The Monkees
David Lee Roth	California girls
Bruce Springsteen	Born in the USA / Pink Cadillac
Tears for Fears	Shout / Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Tiffany	All This Time / Radio Romance I Saw Him Standing There / Feelings of Forever I Think We're Alone Now / Could've Been
T'Pau	Heart and Soul / China in Your Hand
Wham!	Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Kim Wilde	You Keep Me Hangin 'On / Say You Really Want Me

Web links

• Article about pocket rockers
• Pocket Rockers @ Everything2
• Fisher Price Pocket Rocker Tape Player Fix , databits via YouTube from May 19, 2013
• Pocket Rockers - 1980s endless loop tapes for kids (English), Techmoan via YouTube from April 20, 2018

Individual evidence

1. ↑ This Old Toy - Pocket Rockers
2. ↑ Techmoan: Pocket Rockers - 1980s endless loop tapes for kids (English), YouTube from April 20, 2018