I, too, was very curious about this and was able to find out that when it launched in 1971, the record player was $6.85 [1]. That’s about $46 in today’s money.

I, too, was very curious about this and was able to find out that when it launched in 1971, the record player was $6.85 [1]. That’s about $46 in today’s money. So I guess the question is how many parents today would pay that much for the “good” version of this toy in comparison to how many will pay $10 less for the fraud version. I’m guessing the business case points strongly toward the latter being revenue maximizing. [1] https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalogPage/1971-Sears-Christmas-Book/0068 https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalogPage/1971-Sea... Side note: like others here, I loved the hell out of this thing as a kid and I’m pretty sure we got it as a hand-me-down from my older cousin. It still worked like a champ after many years of abuse.