Japan's tiny Robot Bands for the home

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 พ.ย. 2023
  • A look at Bandai's Little Jammer Meets Kenwood 'Live Stage' music entertainment system.
    MERCHANDISE
    Techmoan Merchandise is available from
    nerdkeyz.etsy.com/
    SUBSCRIBE
    th-cam.com/users/Techmoan?...
    SUPPORT
    This channel can be supported through Patreon
    / techmoan
    ******Patrons usually have early access to videos******
    OUTRO MUSIC
    Over Time - Vibe Tracks • Over Time - Vibe Track...
    AFFILIATED LINKS/ADVERTISING NOTICE
    All links are Affiliated where possible.
    When you click on links to various merchants posted here and make a purchase, this can result in me earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network & Amazon.
    I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON Sites (including, but not limited to Amazon US/UK/DE/ES/FR/NL/IT/CAN
  • วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี

ความคิดเห็น • 1.3K

  • @OzRetrocomp
    @OzRetrocomp 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1461

    Bandai missed a trick by not doing a licensed version with The Muppets. This would be brilliant with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem plus Rowlf on piano!

    • @PaulTaylor1
      @PaulTaylor1 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      I would like a Bobby Benson's Baby Band version! 😂

    • @xyanide1986
      @xyanide1986 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

      Omg imagine the sales, I want one now too.

    • @ThatGeezer
      @ThatGeezer 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +95

      Muppets version? Got to have Animal on the drums!!!!!

    • @gazzythomas
      @gazzythomas 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +26

      Mna mna

    • @Laundry_Hamper
      @Laundry_Hamper 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Movin' right along (doobie doo, doobie doo)

  • @user-pr1mx7xc3k
    @user-pr1mx7xc3k 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +115

    I'm a long-time Little Jammer fan from Japan! I'm very happy to have these products introduced on a channel with many subscribers like you! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask 👍🏻

    • @AbrahamLure
      @AbrahamLure 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Can you set it up to play whatever songs/instruments you want?

    • @user-pr1mx7xc3k
      @user-pr1mx7xc3k 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      @@AbrahamLure You can only play songs recorded on a cartridge (sold separately). There are many types of cartridges such as jazz, rock, ballad, bossa nova, etc.

    • @kirylsuvorau3930
      @kirylsuvorau3930 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Can woman singer sing as a man?

    • @user-pr1mx7xc3k
      @user-pr1mx7xc3k 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@kirylsuvorau3930 Sadly, there is no cartridge which recorded male voice🥲
      However, so many songs are well-represented without vocals.

    • @CheapSushi
      @CheapSushi 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@user-pr1mx7xc3k Is there a good list of all the songs somewhere? What to search for?

  • @ThomasSielaff
    @ThomasSielaff 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +432

    I've played in bands for decades. These dudes have better timing than many I have known over the years!! 🙂

    • @ToTheGAMES
      @ToTheGAMES 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +25

      Maybe the bass players need a midi controller in their bum too! ;)
      (Bass player here)

    • @error404m
      @error404m 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      I want a drummer whose hat bounces on the high hat.

    • @Murgoh
      @Murgoh 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      @@ToTheGAMES 12:00 even the electronically controlled bassist seems to have some trouble keeping exact time.

    • @raymondo162
      @raymondo162 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      what's the difference between a foot-spa and a drummer ?? a foot-spa bucks up the feet, ................

    • @drworm5007
      @drworm5007 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      I know, these guys are absolute machines.

  • @Heartogold42
    @Heartogold42 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +182

    The Little Jammer Pro (with singer and horn section) is featured in Squid Game during the Red Light Green Light sequence! It always struck me as odd that they had created a little figurine band to play "Fly me to the Moon" in the show, but it makes way more sense to know that it was an actual product!

    • @timmowarner
      @timmowarner 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

      Ohhhhh! Watching this I was thinking "Didn't he already do a video on this? I SWEAR I've seen these before." That's exactly where. =o)

    • @wrockage
      @wrockage 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      yessss!! thank you. i was trying to remember where i had seen it, and i only saw it a couple weeks ago.

    • @applesocks89
      @applesocks89 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      Was looking for a squid game comment!!

    • @Yixdy
      @Yixdy 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Japan like, really likes Fly Me To The Moon, dude. It keeps coming up in Japanese media I watch. Is it literally all Eva's fault?

  • @deleted_redacted
    @deleted_redacted 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +452

    What a neat product. Once again, you've introduced me to something cool that I didn't know existed. Thank you, Mat!

    • @eyeswideshut7732
      @eyeswideshut7732 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      i agree there are loads of products that are mental but ive never come across them myself... i seem to be out the loop

    • @jetjazz05
      @jetjazz05 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      This guy has panache and interest in quirky electronics, but hobbyist levels of knowledge or beyond which makes the videos interesting and informative.
      Honestly I wish schools would show videos like this to students over boring them and having them get C or D grades. At least here you'd be growing a desire to learn and expand your mind, which really is something important to all human happiness. For me personally, in my 30s, it's places like that this keep my hunger to keep learning and exploring alive.

  • @ThiagoMedeirosGeo
    @ThiagoMedeirosGeo 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +216

    I KNEW IT! Ever since I saw a Little Jammer set in action in Kyoto twn years ago, I was completely sure id see it on Techmoan some day. It's an incredible product whose mere existence feels like a fever dream. They had an idea and made it happen!
    The set at the hotel had at least 10 pieces, and there was a female singer. They looked and sounded amazing! The front desk man told me they had already been in service for nearly 20 years.
    Bravo Matt for showcasing yet another fantastic piece of equipment that many don't even dream existed!

    • @lenseeing829
      @lenseeing829 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +18

      the fact that it reached 20 years of continous use really sells the durability/quality of the device

    • @magnetmannenbannanen
      @magnetmannenbannanen 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      i would imagine there would be different price range of the product , so some are probably better than other.

  • @thissmellsokay
    @thissmellsokay 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +76

    This goes beyond novelty for me, you wouldn't think it but it does add the performance element you miss from just listening to music. Obviously it's simplistic looking and sounding but there's something about it.

  • @Deltarious
    @Deltarious 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +85

    Someone suggested a Muppets version of this product, I now *strongly* desire to see you roll the puppets out to do a bit of an impersonation

    • @2760ade
      @2760ade 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Animal on the drums would be something else!!🤣🤣

    • @digitalcatcher
      @digitalcatcher หลายเดือนก่อน

      COPPA: Nope.
      (Demonetizes your Video)

  • @onedeadsaint
    @onedeadsaint 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +33

    2:45 the peeling music always gets a laugh from me!

  • @GauBan2501
    @GauBan2501 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +211

    The first thing I noticed was that the cartridges seem to be identical to the ones used with the WonderSwan. A Bandai produced handheld game console first released in Japan in 1999. The console was created by Gunpei Yokoi (creator of the GameBoy) after he left Nintendo.

    • @ru5t397
      @ru5t397 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +25

      Yeah, I have a Wonderswan and that was the first thing I recognized. Good spot.

    • @TBustah
      @TBustah 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +33

      Agh, you beat me to it. I noticed it as well.
      The SwanCrystal had been discontinued by the time this thing came out. My guess is that Bandai was trying to recoup some of their losses by reusing old tooling, not unlike how the Atari Jaguar molds ended up being reused for that dental camera.

    • @HKT-4300
      @HKT-4300 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +31

      BanDai liked to use carts like this for things like this, and often that means the device under the hood is an actual wonderswan too, the Benesse Pocket challenge systems use a Very Similar Cartridge, maybe this is an undercover WonderSwan as well!

    • @matuslux
      @matuslux 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Yeah, same here. The first thing I noticed as well.

    • @OtterlyInsane
      @OtterlyInsane 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Was just about to post the same. Wonder is the hardware related

  • @llYossarian
    @llYossarian 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    12:17 - It's his actual _hat_ moving for the hi-hat _cymbal_ parts... adorable.

  • @soulchorea
    @soulchorea 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +27

    This has a similar vibe to those old Disney World animatronics - very imaginative and tons of personality in each of the guys - especially the "One - two - three - OW!" 🤣 i love it.

  • @Jhud69
    @Jhud69 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +117

    It’s one of the things I like about Japan, it’s not all that weird for adults to enjoy toys there. My bus driver on a trip in Japan had his driver’s portion of the bus covered in Sanrio plushies and stickers and it wasn’t an uncommon sight.

    • @nvrndingsmmr
      @nvrndingsmmr 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      That's extremely heartwarming!

    • @okitasan
      @okitasan 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      It’s actually an observation that goes back to the 1800s. An early British visitor to Japan noted even adult men being taken by children’s toys (I’m assuming stuff like kendama). Japan has always been known for making toys and they were one of the things that helped to recover their economy after WWII. Combine that with their craftsperson culture and you get some very detailed toys made with love, like the jammer band. I think it’s also why Japanese culture is so well known for its playfulness.

  • @NathanAshe-pumpkinpizza
    @NathanAshe-pumpkinpizza 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +199

    QUESTION: what happens if you plug the wrong one into the wrong socket??
    Does the piano start playing the bass and the base play the drums?
    If so, you can hear the vocals by plugging one of the other guys into the vocal channel perhaps?

    • @WafflePlaneRC
      @WafflePlaneRC 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +22

      Just a guess, but since the vocalist isn't part of the base set, it'd probably plug into the "guest" port if the pro version is anything like this one. Since there's multiple different characters that can use the guest port, the system will need some way to identify what is plugged in there.

    • @RCAvhstape
      @RCAvhstape 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +48

      If this were a Rick and Morty episode, the little robots would revolt and that's how you get Skynet with a MIDI soundtrack.

    • @pedrosmith4529
      @pedrosmith4529 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      @@RCAvhstape I can confirm

    • @volvo09
      @volvo09 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      I would assume they would be mixed up. If it didn't matter then the sockets wouldn't be labeled individually.

    • @Ascania
      @Ascania 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@WafflePlaneRC There is really no need. The guest plugs into the same size socket as the drummer. Keep the motion channels channels the same and you can interchange them. There is really no need to go figure specific here. Yes, the sound coming out of the speaker doesn't match the figure on top of it but that's not much of a problem, is it? And some people might even like that.

  • @TheFlyingBusman
    @TheFlyingBusman 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +27

    Arguably the coolest bit of kit you’ve had on the channel in some time. Absolutely love this.

  • @greendryerlint
    @greendryerlint 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +23

    That is really far cooler than I expected it to be. Would be hilarious to see a hair band version of this. Thanks for another interesting video.

    • @2760ade
      @2760ade 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      I made a similar comment! Imagine the various musician characters headbanging in time to the music! Would be so much fun!😂I'd buy it!

  • @wmkm7144
    @wmkm7144 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +247

    2:36 - How can people say the peeling plastic bit is stupid? I'm happy for each video that has a peeling plastic bit.

    • @GeoffCollinsTravelsfortheHoff
      @GeoffCollinsTravelsfortheHoff 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +44

      Ooh yeah...

    • @mikethedigitaldoctorjarvis
      @mikethedigitaldoctorjarvis 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Nothing wrong with a bit of peel porn ! my favourite part when i unbox an item is the new plastic peel 😊

    • @wimwiddershins
      @wimwiddershins 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +31

      Those people have no joy in existence.
      Oh yeah...

    • @Gadgetonomy
      @Gadgetonomy 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

      Totally agree! It's just a bit of fun and it's also a bit of a Techmoan trade mark. Ignore the whingers.

    • @MarkFraserWeather
      @MarkFraserWeather 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      @@GeoffCollinsTravelsfortheHoff I miss the Ooh yeah when other channels remove the plastic.

  • @grumpyrocker
    @grumpyrocker 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +34

    Surprisingly cute and detailed animation. They really got a lot of character into the performances.

  • @jetjazz05
    @jetjazz05 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +26

    These videos have tremendous editing, video and audio quality. While not all content is as well produced on this platform I'm still excited to see that interesting topics and quality narration exist here. When I was a kid a show like Techmoan's couldn't exist, and while YT has its issues I'm still glad it exists so I can learn about all this interesting stuff from chaps like Techmoan!

  • @MarcWeertsMusic
    @MarcWeertsMusic 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +14

    Really impressed with the animations - both the choice and execution of each tiny move as well as the timing to the music is really impressive. For once, something that looks like a labour of love rather than a made to a budget gimmick. Thank you for sharing the video!

  • @error404m
    @error404m 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    You still see these occasionally in cafes, bars and shops here in Japan.
    There is a key cutting shop near me with the Peanuts version in the window.

  • @awesomestuartjohnston3470
    @awesomestuartjohnston3470 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

    Look mum no computer could do so much with this. A Matt and Sam collaboration could make new characters and instruments even work out how to make new music files to suit what a challenge. I think I could be a fan as well how had I not seen this before.
    As alway brilliant Matt.

    • @svenjansen2134
      @svenjansen2134 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      The frantic energy of look mum and the laid backness of techmoan? It might mix but I'm not sure.

  • @Amon26
    @Amon26 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +19

    As a kid, we used to have a little drummer boy Christmas automaton. I remember stopping once and noticing it was playing in time with the drums in the music and thinking "huwh! it's not just shaking randomly. there's programming happening in this". Anyway, this was cute. Makes me miss your puppet vids.

    • @quinks
      @quinks 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      > Makes me miss your puppet vids.
      So much.

  • @VanCiapp
    @VanCiapp 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +35

    The cartridge resemble a lot the ones used for the Wonderswan series of game console, also manufactured by Bandai.

    • @The_Str4nger
      @The_Str4nger 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      Oh ho ho ho no! Patented Jammer cartridges, old family recipe!

    • @mwk1
      @mwk1 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Do you know what's inside the cartridge?
      I'm asking because if it's playing around 8bit midi "files", maybe tere is a way to create an own set of music that could later be ... "arranged by the band" 😂

    • @ActualCharky
      @ActualCharky 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      That was my first thought. There's a precedent for re-using wonderswan cartridges too- the benessi pocket challenge educational console was basically a wonderswan in a different shell. Considering the wonderswan was discontinued in 2003, I wouldn't be half surprised if they shared some hardware.

  • @panchenima
    @panchenima 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Who's so dull that thinks peeling off the protector film is stupid, i for one love it, glad you're not stopping.

  • @xyanide1986
    @xyanide1986 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +37

    Very cool. Clearly the people who worked on it know a lot about animation, character design and music.

  • @bandombeviews6035
    @bandombeviews6035 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    I’m surprised when they discontinued it they didn’t release some sort of method to create your own arrangements and movements for the band members. It would’ve encroached a bit on the market for cartridges, but it seems like something that the target market would’ve loved

  • @stevemarshsound
    @stevemarshsound 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I, for one, love the plastic peeling music. Gives me a good chuckle every time. Thanks and keep up the great work. Much appreciated.

  • @philcarter9738
    @philcarter9738 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +71

    What an awesome set!
    Had no idea they existed, and I'm pretty sure I heard a few bars of Layla in there too 😀
    Also as a chap in his 40's who like building Lego, adults are allowed toys too 😄

    • @BertGrink
      @BertGrink 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Yes, I heard that bit of Layla too.

    • @pffyespff
      @pffyespff 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      e.g model railways...

    • @Safetytrousers
      @Safetytrousers 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I'm 53, I play video games every day.

    • @BertGrink
      @BertGrink 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@Safetytrousers So do I, and I'm 70

  • @enp82003
    @enp82003 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +73

    I love your joy mat! Thanks for sharing the things that interest you. I got my Sony srf-39fp because of you and dug up my sharp boom box at my dad's place because of the rarity in quality nowadays. Keep pumping out great content!

    • @enp82003
      @enp82003 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@thenutsonyourchin yeah Techmoan did a segment on prison tech. That's how I found out about it.

  • @highnoon9333
    @highnoon9333 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    This is ridiculous but also adorable. I love those little guys. The detail is spectacular and also I like the art style, how they look like clay figures.

  • @martinda7446
    @martinda7446 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    PS. I immediately thought of the puppet bands that played in Thunderbirds... I went to look and refresh the memory. 'Alan's dream from Thunderbirds Are Go' as a search term will get you puppet Hank Marvin and really the most perfect little Shadows jammers in history complete with puppet Vox amplification.

  • @profrumpo
    @profrumpo 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    Another product I've never seen or heard of, I agree with you there is something rather charming about these speaker musicians. Reminds me of the full size versions the demented Doctor Phibes (Vincent Price) had in the classic film "The Abominable Doctor Phibes".

  • @cedarstuff
    @cedarstuff 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

    I bought a limited edition of this, which lets you use three Billy Basses as backing singers and a Dancing Santa as lead.

  • @elwyn5150
    @elwyn5150 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +28

    The series looks adorable and charming.
    There seems to be a lot of potential for licensing. I guess I would love to have seen a little Van Halen series with EVH doing two handed tapping and little David Lee Roth doing high kicks.

    • @treelineresearch3387
      @treelineresearch3387 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      A KISS version would probably sell out in an hour, not only does KISS have a fanatical following, the primary KISS fan age demographic both has money and likes knicknacks.

    • @MrSkerpentine
      @MrSkerpentine 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Would be interesting if it would be possible for people to somehow reverse engineer the coding to allow for custom songs with appropriate movement timing. I wanna see these guys vibe to DragonForce hehe

    • @cactusjackNV
      @cactusjackNV 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I like it vanilla. Too many branded things out there it's refreshing to see something not advertising one thing or another.

    • @GothGuy885
      @GothGuy885 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      that would be friggin Awesome! 😀👍

    • @RobCamp-rmc_0
      @RobCamp-rmc_0 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Max Weinberg 7 from Late Night with Conan O’Brien
      Runaway 5 from Earthbound/Mother 2
      Any three-, four-, or five-piece rock band with cartridges playing their hits
      The possibilities are endless

  • @TacoMaster3211
    @TacoMaster3211 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +67

    You're spot on with the comparison to Christmas villages. I really wish frivolities like these were more acceptable for adults.

    • @NuclearMoonCat
      @NuclearMoonCat 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +21

      To be honest, it is up to us, adults, to normalize this kind of fun. I, personally, stopped giving a crap a while ago, and if something brings me joy, it brings me joy, end of story. I do not let anyone yuck my yum. But, lately I think, things are starting to change, you can see people collecting figurines, plushies, even the Lego franchise is much more directed at adults, these days.

    • @Archer690Channel
      @Archer690Channel 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      it seems like a western thing that once you become an adult you can't use toys anymore unless it's for collecting only, where they live in the box forever never to be used, in japan it seems to be normal, there are tons scenes of people that get dolls, trains, mechas, planes, etc, even if those communities are a small market (comparatively speakinng) they dump huge amounts of money into their hobby, closest proxy i can think of is the warcraft community painting their little figurines.

    • @cactusjackNV
      @cactusjackNV 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Who said they weren't? And who said you have to put the Christmas stuff away on December 26th?

    • @Lishtenbird
      @Lishtenbird 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Hey, woah - if they are, who gonna buy all those diamonds and cars?!

    • @mobius273
      @mobius273 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Honestly put some santa hats on these guys and put some Christmas music in it and it'd be the perfect thing for grandparents lmao

  • @CorporalWobbly
    @CorporalWobbly 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    I'd love to see what Look Mum No Computer could do with one of these

  • @dvdmike007
    @dvdmike007 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +28

    That's amazing, and I have never heard of it before, it's basically multichannel in a weird way

  • @RaccoonHenry
    @RaccoonHenry 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    this thing is so silly and so endearing, it had me grinning and giggling like an idiot. I would really enjoy having one around! didn't expect the prices, though!!

  • @ryanpeck3377
    @ryanpeck3377 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Back in my day if you wanted to see an animatronic band you had to go to Chuck E’ Cheese. Those early 2000’s kids were spoiled

  • @JustaMuteCat
    @JustaMuteCat 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

    I think the most out of place situation I saw a similar set of those was at a orthopedics’ clinic waiting room in Japan. I was fascinated by it.

  • @TsiolkovskySportingLocks
    @TsiolkovskySportingLocks 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +21

    what a totally delightful product. Really brought a smile to my face with its whimsy. Awesome video, really love this type of content.

  • @Gadgetonomy
    @Gadgetonomy 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    Thank you Matt for showing us unique products like this. Very entertaining as always.

  • @treelineresearch3387
    @treelineresearch3387 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    As a product it's really niche and seems like it could have only happened in 90s-00s Japan but it ended up being a lot more adorable than I was expecting and would go great at Christmas time with the right music cart, I was thinking the same thing when you mentioned the little Christmas villages. Too bad this a 20 year old salaryman toy rather than a toy fad from a few years ago, there's probably not enough of them in circulation for someone to have reverse engineered the cart format to enable loading custom music, but Rick Astley is big in Japan so maybe one of the other factory carts has a rickroll on it.

  • @DeviPotato
    @DeviPotato 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

    this is so cute! a wonderful use of MIDI-type music formats, which sound very mundane when listened to on their own but the fact that it's decoding a series of individual notes means you can use it to synchronize stuff to music very easily. i wonder if someone dedicated could make custom music carts for these!

    • @avsystem3142
      @avsystem3142 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      MIDI data is not audio. The sound quality reproducible from MIDI data is entirely dependent on the playback device. If MIDI data is realized by high quality synthesizers or samples it can sound as good as real instruments.

    • @oasntet
      @oasntet 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      @@avsystem3142 Enh. It can sound better than this, certainly (especially upgrading to 16 bit), but I've not heard a MIDI guitar that I'd mistake for a real guitar.

    • @avsystem3142
      @avsystem3142 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      @@oasntet Again, there is no such thing as a "MIDI guitar". I assume you are referring to guitar samples that are triggered by MIDI data. There are composers who can indeed create compositions on a DAW that you would not be able to distinguish from the real thing. You wouldn't necessarily know the difference just by listening to audio only. However, I will give you that such skills are not common and require intimate knowledge of the instrument that they are programming for. Professional academically trained composers have such skills. That is a basic requirement of the profession.

    • @SproutyPottedPlant
      @SproutyPottedPlant 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      MIDI is in your DAW where it is used produce hits you hear on the radio 👍

  • @gylgamesh5
    @gylgamesh5 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    I LOVE PEELING PLASTIC!

  • @qwertyhero1138
    @qwertyhero1138 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I never tire of "OOOHhhhhh YEahhh, ThAts It... Taaake it Oooff" I can't be the only one who'd enjoy watching a compilation of just these segments from over the years. With the audio track looped in the background; naturally. Come on Matt, give the naysayers something else to complain about; as if they haven't enough. Great content, been watching this channel for ages now, always entertaining and/or informative.

  • @Spudcore
    @Spudcore หลายเดือนก่อน

    I like the drummer a lot! He really goes for it. The accuracy of the player's movements is quite impressive.

  • @petermcfarlane5275
    @petermcfarlane5275 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    Cue someone who hacks it to add custom MIDI of recent pop hits, reverse engineers the movement code, and fashions custom characters ...

    • @tomgidden
      @tomgidden 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I kinda want to see a plastic reenactment of "Whiplash". Maybe the "Guest" port can be used to animate an injection-moulded J.K. Simmons throwing a chair.

  • @padraigcollins6525
    @padraigcollins6525 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    Mat, it’s great to see you so pleased with a product. I can see the joy on your face and hear it in your voice. And what a cool little thing it is too.

  • @mattevans7150
    @mattevans7150 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

    I know it would be difficult to read the files off the cartridge, but I wonder what the format of the music is, and if you could feed that format in to either the data in or audio in inputs?
    And have to agree with a muppets version as suggested in other comments.

  • @j__r0d
    @j__r0d 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    oh man, when I noticed they were actually in beat with the music my heart melted! how cute!

  • @Longplay_Games
    @Longplay_Games 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    These are adorable and very silly

  • @JemTheWire
    @JemTheWire 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Quality of sound notwithstanding, I really like this. It really works and is very amusing and fun. Another great video.

  • @vilislacis3337
    @vilislacis3337 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I love the “peeling off plastic” part:)

  • @jonothanthrace1530
    @jonothanthrace1530 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    The plastic-peeling music is my favorite running gag on this channel.

  • @Graham_Shaw
    @Graham_Shaw 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    What a wonderfull novelty product!! I love it!! Thank you for bringing the "Little Jammer" series of products to our attention.

  • @declawedboys1849
    @declawedboys1849 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    The close-up view of them playing really gave me some Earthbound/Mother 2 vibes!

    • @minigolfkid
      @minigolfkid 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I was surprised there’s no version from Mother!

  • @katherinebarlow6446
    @katherinebarlow6446 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    Man I wish there was a christmas version of this for me to be mesmerized by as a small child.

    • @medes5597
      @medes5597 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      There was a Christmas version planned that was advertised but as far as anyone can tell it never got released. Likely because Japan does Christmas differently.

    • @WhatALoadOfTosca
      @WhatALoadOfTosca 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ​@@medes5597Weirdly Japan's biggest Christmas thing is eating KFC. How Japanese ;) Then again we all believe in a Coke branded fella with a beard.

  • @Impossible_Fishy
    @Impossible_Fishy 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I was so happy to see Layla, one of my favorite songs of all time.

  • @MeriaDuck
    @MeriaDuck 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +16

    Some group of designers must've had a fun time designing these figures. Amd the programming (or is it actually midi, even then the response mapping is quite brilliant)

    • @lowdefal6306
      @lowdefal6306 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      Since MIDI is at its basic level just a collection of data commands, you can use some of those commands that aren't directly used for notes, velocity and such to do automation like this. Those commands won't interfere with music playback but they can be embedded alongside the notes. So not only is the physical design excellent, but the ingenuity to use MIDI for something it wasn't designed for is as well.
      It's pretty amazing that the 40 year old MIDI standard is so versatile and relevant even today.

    • @Lishtenbird
      @Lishtenbird 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Fun fact: there is a plugin called MIDI2LR which lets you control Lightroom, Adobe's photo processing software, with MIDI devices.

    • @Safetytrousers
      @Safetytrousers 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      MIDI has long been used to control lighting.@@lowdefal6306

  • @JakeM-dd2tw
    @JakeM-dd2tw 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    The demo song sounds like the band from ‘Earthbound’ on SNES - brilliant 👏

    • @TBustah
      @TBustah 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I keep finding other fans of the series in the weirdest places.
      Anyway, if you're into games, you would probably be interested to hear that the music carts for this thing are actually reused from Bandai's attempt to compete with the Game Boy: the WonderSwan. It had been discontinued a couple years earlier, so I guess Bandai was trying to recoup some of their losses by reusing the tooling.

  • @broadsword6650
    @broadsword6650 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    An "item of momentary delight", ideal for an area that will be passed through such as a hotel foyer or a shop display. I can imagine the delight would fade very quickly.

  • @thomashounsome7737
    @thomashounsome7737 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Those are adorable! Thank you for this video, sir. Made my morning!

  • @gravityissues5210
    @gravityissues5210 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    You mentioned music boxes; in a way it's also like a modern take on the old German and Swiss clocks with the elaborate mechanical figures coming out to play tunes on the hour. (The fact there's an alarm built-it makes it even more-so.) Of course, those old clocks are also worth a fortune and are very cherished, despite arguably being just as whimsical and unnecessary.

  • @RCAvhstape
    @RCAvhstape 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +48

    Never stop the plastic peeling bit. We can't have puppets anymore, but at least we can have that.

    • @LatitudeSky
      @LatitudeSky 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Several channels hit the smoky R&B and sexy talk doing the peel thing. It's become a meme.

    • @burntalive
      @burntalive 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

      You just made me realize I havent seen the puppets in a bit. Now I'm sad...

    • @DevinGates
      @DevinGates 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Savour the peelies

  • @HawthornHawk
    @HawthornHawk 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I have seen this before.. but could not figure out where. Until I saw the singer and video labelled “Fly Me To The Moon” then I remembered it was from the Korean Netflix show Squid Game. One episode ended with the Lil Jammers with singer in a Juke Box diorama singing that song. Which is just version of the song played at the end Neon Genesis Evangelion

  • @Allan_aka_RocKITEman
    @Allan_aka_RocKITEman 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Starting at about 02:44 in this video:
    NEVER STOP doing that, Mat...🤭

  • @a.k.4550
    @a.k.4550 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    Thanks for the video, enjoyable as always! Speaking of the impending marketing season, the movement of those figures sure reminds me of the Mr. Christmas "Santa's Marching Band". Eight figures standing on servomotors that rotate left or right in time to strike notes on tuned bells. Since it's all hardwired with twisted a pair of conductors going from a control module to each figure, it is a real mess to set up or even store neatly. Oh, and no volume control, just the sweet serenade of piercing bells and noisy plastic geared servomotors to define the appropriate holiday mood.

    • @ntheory
      @ntheory 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      We had this and it was always fun! One of the elves developed an issue with his gearbox and would always flub his solo in Joy to the World but that sorta added to the charm.

    • @josemuse4119
      @josemuse4119 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Hallmark also had a set of Christmas animatronic figurines that would synch together to play like a mini orchestra. I believe they were Peanuts characters. I thought the Hallmark sets were expensive at $200 but are a bargain compared to these sets.

  • @iainb1577
    @iainb1577 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    The company directors must have had something strange slipped into their morning coffee, the day the decided to take that to market. That said, I love it.

    • @jC-kc4si
      @jC-kc4si 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Bandai is a toy company, so not out of line with their usual products.

  • @jakethreesixty
    @jakethreesixty 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    2:47 The protective film removal song 😆

  • @bryandraughn9830
    @bryandraughn9830 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love that it's someone's job to come up with stuff like this and make it happen.

  • @captaindebug
    @captaindebug 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    Absolutely fabulous - made me laugh out loud - especially their renditions of Layla and Lady Madonna. So cool.

  • @mattpierce5009
    @mattpierce5009 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    One of the coolest things I've seen in awhile, was really hoping there'd be a MIDI port when you showed the back :)

  • @Lockbar
    @Lockbar 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    A cute toy for somebody who already has everything.

  • @brewsnoop
    @brewsnoop 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    It’s stuff like this that has drawn me to your channel for many years.

  • @twocvbloke
    @twocvbloke 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    The characters all look like they're right out of Bob the Builder, but with a little more animation... :P

  • @jackscott8931
    @jackscott8931 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    What a cool little set, honestly at the start of the video I was thinking what toss, but by then end it has likewise won me over! The attention to detail is amazing. I can't wait to see the pro as the one thing I was thinking was it's a shame about the some of the choppy midi sounds.

  • @arfurmo8844
    @arfurmo8844 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    12:20 love the drummer's high hat.

  • @ynotw57
    @ynotw57 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Mat, this was so cool! Thanks for showing and sharing this sweet and really fun piece of tech. :)

  • @K-o-R
    @K-o-R 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    How utterly charming!

  • @Otakunopodcast
    @Otakunopodcast 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    I love animatronic music things like this. Years ago my mother in law gave us a set of Peanuts Christmas figurines from Hallmark. They are also animatronic musicians, and they play various Christmas tunes, with each of the Peanuts characters playing a different instrument. The cool thing about the set that I have is that the different pieces communicate with each other wirelessly, so there's no wires whatsoever. And the song will dynamically rearrange itself depending on which instruments are available. So if you have only 3 out of the (iirc it was a set of 4) instruments, the song will still sound reasonably correct, minus the missing instrument. I always look forward to Christmastime every year when I can unpack these guys and watch (and hear) them play.

    • @chrisharrington1372
      @chrisharrington1372 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      My in laws have the Mickey Mouse characters playing instruments and it’s similarly delightful. The true next iteration of this idea.

    • @applesocks89
      @applesocks89 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yes we love the hallmark set! Hold on tight to your Linus (trumpet) if you’ve got him!

  • @md7999
    @md7999 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Brilliant! Well done sourcing this amazing tech, simple and fun…

  • @lukeerik2752
    @lukeerik2752 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I like it when the fish sings and WILL NOT STOP until the end.

  • @vernonzehr
    @vernonzehr 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +22

    My first thought was maybe possibly you could replicate this with 3D printing and an arduino or raspberry pi? It wouldn't be simple or cheap but it would be a fun project.

    • @grinningtiki220
      @grinningtiki220 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      I have always dreamed of starting a soda parlor-esq store with a magic and fantasy theme. In the corner would be a band of gnomes playing music. This reignites that dream so much.

    • @gabotron94
      @gabotron94 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      If you got the songs from Clone Hero you have the tracks already separated and with a note chart file you could use as a starting point for the performance

  • @randomnickify
    @randomnickify 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Seriously, I need this with The Muppets band :D
    Edit: those guys should become part of your background set.

  • @parkds
    @parkds 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    That is the most pristinely packaged used piece of tech I have ever seen.

    • @2760ade
      @2760ade 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I don't think it had ever been used! It is in too good condition, and the cellophane was still on the control unit!

  • @l2k55
    @l2k55 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That's really cool. Worth the wait! Great video.

  • @dualityk
    @dualityk 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    It's like having a little slice of The House on the Rock on one's desk. Things can be silly and cool at the same time, and I think this fits that bill just fine.

    • @hannahpumpkins4359
      @hannahpumpkins4359 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I always wanted to live at House on the Rock! I love that place!!!

  • @avsystem3142
    @avsystem3142 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Speaking of peeling plastic. A few years ago I was taking piano lessons at the local community college. Before each class I would arrive early and practice the pieces on one of the several available pianos. The piano I liked the best was a Baldwin Grand in the choir room. It had great tone but there was a piece of peeling protective plastic film across the fall board that looked horrible. When I mentioned it to my piano professor I was told I shouldn't mess with it, the choir professor had a fetish about leaving it in place, for what reason no one knew.

    • @joutoob9
      @joutoob9 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Not a good idea, the plastic is meant to be peeled off. After some years, it partly bonds with the material, and what's underneath will never look like it was supposed to.

    • @avsystem3142
      @avsystem3142 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@joutoob9 Tell me about it.

  • @salromano87
    @salromano87 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I just love your content. I eagerly await your videos each week. Thank you for this .

  • @ThatOtherMikeyGuy
    @ThatOtherMikeyGuy 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Yeah, I NEED one of these. Only feature missing is the ability to blow your own cartridges from MIDI files.

  • @riedlerhotzenplotz4819
    @riedlerhotzenplotz4819 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    I want a death metal Version of that!

  • @williamschroeder3070
    @williamschroeder3070 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    Very cool, I love it! I looked at eBay prices here in the USA, and, yeah, they are not cheap!

    • @markjames8664
      @markjames8664 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      A Little Jammer Pro sold for $1,277.13, so the asking prices are not crazy.

    • @treelineresearch3387
      @treelineresearch3387 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@markjames8664 Mate that's a full set of injectors for my truck. It's not like second mortgage money, but it's pretty crazy for a toy.

  • @davepickering997
    @davepickering997 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Scotty on the piano! That's the ticket, laddie!

  • @century2077
    @century2077 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    One of the coolest things i've seen in a long long time ty so much

  • @BriBCG
    @BriBCG 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Take it off!

  • @ringsystemmusic
    @ringsystemmusic 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Oooooh this was fantastic, can’t wait for the look at the pro version! Might have a whack at duplicating this with an Arduino myself…

  • @ManabiLT
    @ManabiLT 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I've got an alarm clock that's a drum set. You can also play the drums by tapping them with your fingers, so it's along the same lines as "toys for adults." It's a lot of fun to play with!

  • @fflynnful
    @fflynnful 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    The drummers hat is the best part. :)