Monday, June 20, 2011

Toy car sounds from last century

My granddaughter drives around in her Little Tikes Cozy Coupe at our place. The steering wheel is full of buttons that play car sound effects. The collection of sound effects is mired in early 20th century vehicle technology. Most of the sounds approximate situations mostly unheard of today. The main horn sounds like an old jalopy. You also get backfiring exhausts, an engine cranking like it's about to seize, brakes that sound more suited to an episode of The Roadrunner cartoon and an acceleration sound that sounds like a go-cart.

What I find odd about this toy is that the sounds are so dated - they really don't apply to the driving paradigm anymore. There's no cell phone ringing, no GPS sounds, no modern sounding horn, no whoomping bass from the stereo, no tuned exhaust noises, nothing that would be identified by a late model car.

I wonder if young adults that buy a beater for a car get a subconscious thrill when their loud, obviously-in-need-of-maintenance car sounds most similar to the Cozy Coupe they might have driven when they were little.

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