The Tyco Hot Keyz was a musical toy manufactured by Tyco Industries and released in the US, UK, and many other countries worldwide in 1990.
Officially called the "Hot Keyz Computerized Electric Twin Keyboards", it is a "Keytar"-like mysical toy with an 8 bit analogue synthesizer built in that's fun to play for both kids and adults alike!
What's it like to play?
Despite the keyboard-like buttons, this is more of a beat synthesizer and DJ device where it plays one of several tracks and you modify the sound, rather than play notes yourself. It more or less sounds like any other late 80s - early 90s analog sound machine - think of your Nintendo Entertainment System while you're playing Super Contra, it has that 8 bit analogue charm and zero hint of bass or midrange. Nice!
Features and Performance
The Hot Keyz has a strap and hangs over your neck like any other guitar / keytar, and provides two separate keyboards for music making. The top black keys are for bass lines, and the rear white keys for lead. Sound comes from its built-in 8ohm speaker.
Other features include:
- 8 pre-programmed accompaniment riffs or single notes (white keys)
- 8 riff keys and single notes (black keys)
- 8 effect keys with LED control grid inc. vibrato, voice, and envelope effects
- Wah-Wah Joystick and twin pitch shift buttons
- Tempo control
- Three musical scores
- Stereo output jack
- Shoulder strap
A real synthesizer
As a real analogue synthesizer, the Hot Keyz has found a home in the modern electronic music scene, and despite its simplistic nature, according to reports online there's plenty of fun to be found for those with a sampler and the skills, thanks two its stereo output jack.
Those looking to repair or mod the unit can find a full schematic available at the Circuit Bending Wiki here. Nice!
Original Prototype
Below is a photo that apparently shows a prototype of the Hot Keyz from the collection of one of the original toy designers, after his valuables went into auction on eBay. I cannot confirm the accuracy of this, and so must take it at face value. It certainly would'nt be the first time a Tyco protype was sold on eBay, that's for sure.
Availability and Collectability
The Hot Keyz is widely available on eBay, and surely sold by the truckload back in the day, as there's no shortage of them. A typical "untested" (read: probably broken) unit will set you back around $50 bucks, with good units closer to $100 and nice boxed ones fetching $200, though these prices are at the time of writing and will vary widely over time.
As for collectability, well it's unquestionably a cool piece of toy history, with some serious 80s and 90s nostalgia vibes and an inherent wow-factor. Personally I'm looking to add one to my collection, though postage from the USA is killer, so I'm hopeful someone downunder has a decent one they'd like to part with! If that's you, feel free to contact me anytime!
