…which is sort of interesting, really, cos that’s the whole point of retro, isn’t it? That it comes back once in a while. Otherwise it’d be called ‘stuff we’ve forgotten and won’t dredge up for the purposes of a blog post’. Still, it can’t be ignored that retro is going to be a theme as we run headlong into Christmas – and we’re positively drowning in it (not actually, you understand).
Chief amongst them is undoubtedly the Big Trak re-release that we’ve been shamelessly sending to TV shows. Did you see it on This Morning the other morning? It was featured along with the equally nostalgia-tastic (nostastic?) Stylophone, which was used, bizarrely, by one of Sam & Mark to play the This Morning theme tune. Now there’s a sentence you don’t hear everyday.
We’ve also got a mammoth category on the site that’s jam-packed with retro goodness, all manner of things for you to get your milk teeth into. So pop over here for that.
If you were up early on Sunday morning, you would’ve seen our very own EllaWoot showing off the very latest gadgets with that slightly sarcastic host who ignores guests unless they talk about football. Of course, they only feature the very best in new gadgets, so it’s no surprise that a couple of our own products, namely the Paper Jamz Guitars and the Pebble Charger.
If you’re quick you can see the whole lot on the iPlayer (it begins at about 1:13:40, if you want to skip all the clips of Porridge and interviews with choirmasters), but if you’re at work and unable to enjoy it on your screen, here are a couple of screengrabs:
I can’t claim to be any kind of authority on the new incarnation(s) of Dr. Who, but as I understand it it’s generally regarded as A Good Thing. They need to sort out that synthesised orchestral score, though – what’s the deal with that? Anyway, the Doctor himself is prone to the odd bit of wild flailing, and what better IWOOT product for him to have on one of the myriad keyboards in the TARDIS than our Panic Button?
Have a look at this screenshot (via the lovely @technicalfault):
Good one, Doc. Wonder what happens when you press it? Maybe IT Helpdesk get sent an email.
Everyone of a certain age (why do I get the feeling that soon all of these posts are going to begin with that phrase?) will be familiar with the epic sales and popularity battle that dominated the home entertainment explosion of the 1980s. It was either trusty VHS, with its superior recording time that eventually trounced the, frankly, inferior Betamax system.
Even though the tapes themselves were smaller and sleeker (manufacturers apparently were given the size of a paperback book as a guideline), the Betamax couldn’t compete with the might of VHS for a number of reasons. Sony’s pre-cursor to the Betamax format was the Umatic – a format that allowed 1 hour of recording time. “Wow,” consumers must have enthused, “that’s two whole episodes of ‘Only Fools & Horses on one cassette!”, while Sony failed to realise that one of the major pitfalls of such a small capacity was that it wouldn’t allow room for a Hollywood movie.
JVC, the main manufacturers of VHS, succeeded in realising and quite cleverly kick-started the video rental business. No longer were forgotten classics only viewable on wet Sunday afternoons at the Odeon – you could get hold of them and watch them from your sofa. It strikes a resemblance to one of our own most important entertainment movements of the last five years or so, the notion of catch-up TV. Even though it was possible to record TV broadcasts via VHS, it has never been so easy to actually view them as it is now.
So VHS royally tanned the hide of its home entertainment rivals. Well done, VHS! But what about the Betamax? Bizarrely, since its demise, its place in public consciousness has recently become one of affectionate nostalgia. Wall-E watches his copy of ‘Hello Dolly’ on Betamax, the Mighty Boosh memorably created a monster out of spools of Betamax tape, and even Dr. Who is in on the act, happily destroying Maureen Lipman by erasing her off one. So even if it didn’t take off, the Betamax format obviously still has a place in the hearts of those who admit to being of that certain age.
It’s progressed to the point whereby people are actively trying to save and revive the format as it is threatened with total obsolescence. The slightly unhinged very sane folk at savebetamax.org need your support!
So you’ve seen our Christmas advert, you’ve marvelled at its clear, concise, humorous message that simultaneously celebrates and debunks the very essence of a noughties festive period, and you’re wondering – “how on earth did they manage to make that happen? Elves or something?”
Luckily for you, we bribed someone to document the day as something of a memento of what was, in all honesty, super. The results are below:
Who knew it took so much effort? IWOOT’s sincere gratitude goes to everyone that made the ad possible! If you’re very unlucky, we might post some videos JimboWoot and I made on-set later this week. Cinematic masterpieces they are not.
Like it or not, the festive season is well and truly sneaking up on us. The weather’s turned, the IWOOT Christmas catalogue is out (perfect loo-reading, if you’ve got one) and, best of all, our telly ad is almost ready to fill up HD screens across the nation! So, just for you, we’ve got the whole thing here ready to enjoy:Â
Ah, doesn’t it make you feel warm inside? Come back later for the special ‘making-of’ video, where you can see the furrowed brows and inestimable professionalism of everyone involved.
It seems that zombies are the least of our worries – dinosaurs have invaded Germany.
We’re joking of course – but they could’ve done a better job of acting surprised than the decidedly ‘not fussed’ host and his junior accomplice. The moment when the first dinosaur runs out is pure theatre (even if it’s not quite as surprising when you see the puppeteer’s legs), and as baffling as it is surprising – the virtue of the whole clip being in German means we’ve no idea that this might even happen. But the reactions, though. Come on. Wouldn’t you be delirious with fear? Or, if you knew they weren’t real, giggling like a goon? Apparently these stoic professionals (with Valkyrie hats on) are apparently wise to even the most deadly predators:
Yes, it sort of tails off towards the end, but still. Jurassic Park may be the daddy (I still remember seeing it in the cinema and watching the velociraptor kitchen scene with my hands over my mouth in terror), but these puppets make the whole concept of a live-action dino-flick tantalisingly close. Very impressive.
It dawned on me after I wrote the post about the Jet Pack that I don’t take enough chances in life. And it made me more than a little depressed. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be, surely? I’m not even thirty and my idea of a good night involves a good book, a home cooked meal and maybe a bath later in the evening (sometimes with lavender – so what? It helps me sleep). There has to be more to life than this.
So, after much running around in mental circles (metaphorically speaking – though the alternative does sound like fun) I have come to a decision. I am going to leave the comforting shell of the IWOOT office and pursue something pure. Something that will make me feel alive. I am going to BUY the Jet Pack.
Lots of people have tried to stop me. Family, friends, colleagues, some people I told at the bus stop – not one of them thinks this is a good idea. But I’m through listening to other people, or common sense for that matter. This is something I need to do.
So, it’s with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to all of you. I’ve really enjoyed writing for IWOOT and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it. I’m sure you would have let me know if you hadn’t – that’s what the comments are for, after all. I’m off to pursue my dream. I’m going to become a rocket man!
After sifting through hundreds of emails I’m very pleased to announce the winner of our Transformers Goody bag. Let’s give Dave from Southampton a huge round of applause – he correctly named the MechRC as the IWOOT product designed by a Transformers artist, and he even remembered to include the link to the product page. He’ll be receiving a Transformer goody bag in the post, courtesy of Paramount Studios.
Now you may be asking yourself “How on earth do they choose the winners without being biased?”, and you’d be perfectly justified in asking. Well, I’ll tell you. I passed the buck completely and used a random number generator, courtesy of Random.org. I’d heard that quite a few organisations have opted to use their wonderful site for competition purposes, so I checked out their testimonials and decided to give them a shot.
This competition has been quite a success (in spite of the fairly shaky start) so I’m hoping that our marketing team can come up with loads of new and exciting goodies to give away in the near future. In the meantime: watch this space.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (cert 12a ) was released at cinemas everywhere on June 19 and to celebrate the release we’re giving you the chance to win a Transformers goody bag!
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the eagerly anticipated sequel to the summer blockbuster of 2007; the battle for Earth is not over and the Autobots are in a race against time to stop the Decepticons from destroying the planet and the universe. Both the Autobots and the Decepticons are on a world wide search for the remaining pieces of the AllSpark and the location of the Matrix of Leadership. Once again Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) must become a hero and team up with the Autobots, lead by Optimus Prime, to stop the Decepticons in this global, epic battle to save the world from destruction.
Your Goody Bag prize includes: a fold up keyboard, a transforming 4 way USB port, a circuit board notebook and an ‘Autobot’ t-shirt!
EDIT:As so many of you rightly pointed out, it just isn’t a competition without a question (yes, I know – I’m rubbish) so without further ado:
Q. One of our products was designed by a Transformers Artist. Which one? Send your name and the correct answer with a link to the product page to eddywoot@gmail.com
The winner will be chosen at random. EDIT:The competition closes at Midnight, Friday 3rd July – competition is open to UK residents only. SIGH – you’ll have to forgive us, this is the first time we’ve been allowed to run a competition.
