Here Come The Watchmen

Every once in a while something so hop and hot comes along that it defies explanation and makes us view the world in an entirely different light when it comes to just what qualifies as both friendly and trendy.  Previous powerful and puzzling examples along these lines include Crocs, Crystal Meth, and the music of Huey Lewis & The News.   However, seeing as we pride ourselves on being your friendly guide to the latest trends we here at Trendliest are going to do our damnedest to explain the latest trend in portable TV technology, the resurgence of The Watchman or if we were to take the plural form, “Watchmen.”

Not Sure What This Poster Has To Do With Re-release of Portable TVs

Unless you live in a cave, the area you live in has more likely than not been inundated with confusing advertisements featuring  costume clad beings hyping the release of the rehash of this electronic wonder first released by the Sony Company in 1982 in Japan.  The original Japanese prototype was a man who wore 8 watches on each arm and constantly updated the time in funny voices.  However, Sony soon realized there was no way to replicate this in their factory and instead focused on another definition of the word “watch” noting that people like to “watch” TV.

Rejected Prototype for the Original WatchMan

The new and improved Watchman made it’s debut in Europe and the United States in 1984 and the public went absolutely gaga over it.  People were hungry for a televisual aid not quite the length of the average man’s penis that they could tote along with them just in case they weren’t going to make it home to catch their favorite local news telecast or reruns of “Too Close For Comfort.”  Watchmen also became excellent time killers for those who were made impatient by the mere thought of waiting on lines, due to the fact that they were illiterate and would have no other means to entertain themselves other than shouting obscenities at passers by as they waited on line to dance at the Palladium.

The Watchman: The Face of Innovation

The pocket tv phenomenon began to peter out  in the 90’s well before the  advances of HDTV, wireless internet,  and the ability to watch all of your favorite shows on your iPod,  but it’s inexplicably all the rage yet again even with the switch over to digital television.  Apparently some merchandising brainiacs over at Warner Bros. thought it would be a wonderful idea to license the former fad and re-release it accompanied by a massive marketing campaign.  As it turns out their hunch was right on the money.  Watchmen were released this weekend to a clamoring public who ate up the seemingly obsolete innovation to the tune of $55.4 million.  While there have been a few glitches in the technology such as causing users to turn blue or have their facial features shift around while gazing at such a tiny screen, the reviews have been largely positive.

We here at Trendliest didn’t exactly head down to the Circuit City and snatch one up one of these “Watchmen” to see what all of the fuss is about, but we’re going back to our childhood home this weekend to try to dig our old one  up and sell it on ebay…because that’s where the real money is…and in this economy anything that can net us the real money is certainly friendly and trendy.