Things called “walkie-talkies” span a range from the “string phone” (essentially the old tin can telephone) through the wired communicators (essentially telephones) to the full-fledged wireless transceivers. You can probably guess which is which in these pictures! Yes, the Micro-Fone to the right and the blue & red Remco Space Commander below are string phones.

To the right is another Remco product, the Remco Electronic, which is a wired walkie-talkie but doesn’t use batteries or any other source of power—making it even more primitive than Alexander Graham Bell’s original telephone patent.

Far left: a real transceiver, the stunning Toshiba ZS-7210A (Japan, c.1965).

Below, some of the kid-magnet boxes these toys came in.

I find collecting walkie-talkies so fun and interesting that I did a book on them called Toy Walkie Talkies. I highly recommend it!

Below left is the Vanity Fair VF-1981 (1980, Korea). In the middle, the Heathkit Jr., made of the thinnest plastic I’ve seen on a product since shrink wrap. It was sold as a kit (USA, 1962).

Right: The sleek, serious Sony CB-200W (Japan, 1970).