The Tyco Hot Lixx guitar was an electronic guitar synthesizer toy, manufactured by Tyco Industries and released into the US, UK, and other markets worldwide in 1989.
In the running for one of the most text-book-corny yet still somehow cool-as-ice toys ever made is the Tyco Hot Lixx Guitar. Pronounced 'Licks' I assume, being cool-kid-speak for guitar riffs / melodies, this product was unleashed in the late 1980s and knew its target audience well.
Top of the charts in 1989 were Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, Poison, Roxette, Bon Jovi, woooah yeah I was way too young to appreciate any of that stuff sadly, but somebody a bit older would have been all over it, and the Hot Lixx.
What did Tyco have to say?
From the marketing catalog used at retail toy fairs across the USA in 1989...
Make great sounding music... without a single lesson.
Hot Lixx sounds like a real electric guitar. You put the sounds together to create your own music. Make great sounding music without a single lesson.
- Be the hit of the party
- 1990 Tyco Product Catalog
- You control tempo, echo, and distortion
- Bent notes with the Tremolo Bar
- Play dual 8 note scales
- Play 8 pre-programming multi-note riffs
Features and Performance
As an electronic synthesizer from the 80s, the Hot Lixx guitar sounds very much like an electronic synthesizer from the 80s, but that's not a bad thing - actually those 8 bit beats seem to be getting more and more popular lately, as our 2020s society goes through a kind of 80s revival.
Best of all, Tyco really put some effort into the sound effects, and I'd even go as far as saying they sound a little better than the Hot Keyz, but that's a matter for personal opinion.
TV Commercial
In line with Tyco's business plan for all their Tier-A toy releases, a TV commercial was produced and flooded the airwaves before and after school, aiming to speak directly to the kids who would then nag their parents for this latest gadget that would somehow make even the girls at school think you were cool. Woah! Maybe you could even start your own band!
I've located the best copy I could find and processed that through the latest Artificial Intelligence Video Restoration software which has cleaned it up immensely, and simulated a Full HD picture. Enjoy!
But wait, the Australian TV Commercial was way better!
In Australia, the Hot Lixx was awarded the 1989 Boys Toy of the Year, and given a locally produced commercial which is also well produced and super corny, what an absolute late 80s Aussie masterpiece!
Hot Lixx Guitar in Australia
Croner Toys was an Australian family owned business who grew to dominate the market in Australia with toys primarily supplied by Tyco Toys of the USA. In 1993 the owner of Croner Toys, John Hunter, sold his 75% stake in the company to Tyco Toys Inc., who would now distribute their products locally under their own name. What could never be sold however was John Hunter's keen business sense, and so he went on to form Hunter Leisure, a company that operates to this day, and remains as Australia's largest toy company. I will need to do more research on these guys, their story seems quite remarkable.
Sound Demonstration
Here's a demo from YouTube with a clearly talented Hot Lixx guitarist doing his thing. For me, it sounds better than any Nintendo / NES game soundtrack from the era, which is probably the closest technology I could compare it to from around the same time. It's actually quite lively, right?
There is not currently a Hot Lixx in my collection (yet!) but I'm seeking to rectify that problem as soon as possible, and once I do, I'll have a video up on YouTube with a more complete look at the controls. For now, here's a closeup in the box.
Packing the Power
Like all good toys in the 80s and 90s, this thing required a whole bunch of batteries. 6 x C size batteries in fact, can you imagine the cost! Even buying those as rechargeables must have cost an arm and a leg.
Availability and Collectability
The Tyco Hot Lixx Guitar is still fairly easy to pickup on eBay (see top of the page), there's even a few in a box for a reasonable price. As for whether it's collectable, well I'm kind of surprised these aren't more expensive or harder to find. That's a pretty good indication that it's just not hit the right point in its nostalgia yet, and sooner or later they'll become popular collector items.
For example, most of the Tyco RC cars shown on this site which regularly sell for $350USD+ were selling for only $50 in the 2010s. So how much longer until the Hot Lixx, Hot Keyz, and other simlar toys become popular? Or will they ever? It's anybody's guess.... but I'll be picking one of these up while they're still easy to get.