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75-520: The Talkboy was originally conceived as a prop for Home Alone 2 for the lead character Kevin MacCallister to use to outsmart adults. At the request of writer John Hughes and distributor 20th Century Fox , Tiger designed and built the prop. The company was given permission by the movie studio to sell a retail version of the toy, and it released two cassette recorders modeled after the film prop in 1992 and 1993, respectively. The original model did not have

150-454: A Reagan Republican worldview. In response to this, P. J. O'Rourke wrote that: I have no idea how, or if, John voted ... John and I never bothered to talk much about our politics. What we did talk about was the 20th century's dominant scrambled egghead bien pensant buttinski parlor pinko righty-tighty lefty-loosey nutfudge notion that middle-class American culture was junk, that middle-class Americans were passive dimbulbs, that America itself

225-699: A game developer to license, and the game designers have to work within constraints imposed by the film studio , under pressure to finish the game in time for the film's release. The aim for the publishers is to increase hype and revenue, as the two industries effectively market one another's releases. Film license video games have a reputation for being of poor quality; for example, Amiga Power awarding Psygnosis 's three film licenses ( Dracula , Cliffhanger and Last Action Hero , all reviewed in June 1994) 36% in total ; that magazine being cynical towards licensed games in general, with The Blues Brothers being one of

300-507: A second-season product, and manufactured only as many units as retailers had ordered. Interest in Talkboy grew after the July 27 release of Home Alone 2 on VHS , which included an advertising insert that confirmed the toy was a real product; 10 million copies of the movie sold by December. Sales of Talkboy continued to increase as the result of a cross-promotion with Life cereal that advertised

375-530: A child, was "Vacation '58", later to become the basis for the film National Lampoon's Vacation . Among his other contributions to the Lampoon , the April Fools' Day stories "My Penis" and "My Vagina" gave an early indication of Hughes's ear for the particular rhythm of teenspeak, as well as for the various indignities of teenage life in general. His first credited screenplay, National Lampoon's Class Reunion ,

450-425: A commercially attractive proposition in the case of blockbuster film franchises. Although increasingly also a domain of previously established novelists, tie-in writing has the disadvantages, from the writers' point of view, of modest pay, tight deadlines and no ownership in the intellectual property created. Tie-in products may also have a documentary or supplemental character, such as "making-of" books documenting

525-475: A cover of " Don't You (Forget About Me) ." The One Tree Hill episode titled "Don't You Forget About Me," broadcast on February 1, 2010, ended with a scene similar to the ending scene of Sixteen Candles. It also contained references to other Hughes movies such as Home Alone . The 2011 Bob's Burgers episode " Sheesh! Cab, Bob? " also paid homage to Sixteen Candles. The teen comedy Easy A (2010) starring Emma Stone paid tribute to Hughes and his films at

600-473: A director was 1991's Curly Sue . By that time, in 1991, his John Hughes Entertainment production company had signed various deals with 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. Actor John Candy created many memorable roles in films written, directed or produced by Hughes, including National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), The Great Outdoors (1988), Uncle Buck (1989), Home Alone (1990), Career Opportunities and Only

675-533: A film he wrote and produced about a child accidentally left behind when his family goes away for Christmas, forcing him to protect himself and his house from a pair of inept burglars. Hughes completed the first draft of Home Alone in just 9 days. Home Alone was the top-grossing film of 1990, and remains the most successful live-action family comedy of all time. He followed up with the sequels Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in 1992 and Home Alone 3 in 1997. Some of

750-417: A film, based on a comic book which was the original media property. In several cases, a novelization has been released based on a movie which was in turn adapted from an original novel. In such cases, it is not uncommon to see the novelization and a film release of the original novel side by side on the same shelf. These tie-ins can be considered as forms of "free advertising", as they create more exposure for

825-453: A futuristic recording device would be needed; he and the film's distributor 20th Century Fox wanted something that was realistic yet appeared to be cutting edge . Nancy Overfield-Delmar, the vice president of marketing for 20th Century Fox licensing and merchandising, said: "It was important to John that Kevin not use something already out in the marketplace. Kevin has to be one step ahead of other kids." Weeks before filming on Home Alone 2

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900-554: A heart attack. He was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital , where he was pronounced dead at age 59. Hughes's funeral was held on August 11 in Chicago; he was buried at Lake Forest Cemetery . It was attended by his wife, his two children, and his grandchildren. The pilot episode of the NBC comedy Community , broadcast on September 17, 2009, was dedicated to Hughes. The episode included several references to The Breakfast Club and ended with

975-703: A lot (...) She [Marion] would be critical of what John would want to do". Hughes was a fan of the Beatles, and allegedly knew a lot about movies and the Rat Pack . After dropping out of the University of Arizona , Hughes began selling jokes to well-established performers such as Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers . Hughes used his jokes to get an entry-level job at Needham, Harper & Steers as an advertising copywriter in Chicago in 1970 and later in 1974 at Leo Burnett Worldwide . During this period, he created what became

1050-456: A maker of only teen movies, Hughes branched out in 1987 by writing, directing, and producing the hit comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles starring Steve Martin and John Candy . His later output was not so well received critically, with films like Dutch (1991), written and produced by Hughes, performing poorly at the box office. Films like Uncle Buck and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation , however, proved popular. His final film as

1125-402: A media property, original novels or story collections inspired by the property, or republished previously existing books, such as the novels on which a media property was based, with artwork or photographs from the property. According to publishing industry estimates, about one or two percent of the audience of a film will buy its novelization, making these relatively inexpensively produced works

1200-429: A phone, walkie talkies , and a radio . For subsequent recording devices, Tiger transitioned to digital technology, using solid-state storage and adding sound effects, beginning with Talkboy/Talkgirl F/X+ pens in 1995, which sold more than a million units in 45 days. The original Talkboy model was a cassette player and recorder that was conceived as a prop for the 1992 film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York . In

1275-500: A really big high school, and I didn't know anybody. But then The Beatles came along and changed my whole life. And then Bob Dylan 's Bringing It All Back Home came out and really changed me. Thursday I was one person, and Friday I was another. My heroes were Dylan, John Lennon and Picasso , because they each moved their particular medium forward, and when they got to the point where they were comfortable, they always moved on. In 1963, Hughes's family moved to Northbrook, Illinois ,

1350-406: A screaming backpack, with the promise of escalating royalty payments that would limit the risk to Tiger Electronics. To design the as-yet-undeveloped recorder prop, Hughes and Shiffman met at Shiffman's office several times after 20th Century Fox made an introduction between the two. Hughes's original concept in the script was for Kevin "to have a gun", but Shiffman thought it was impractical since

1425-448: A suburb of Chicago. There, his father found work selling roofing materials. Hughes attended Grove Middle School, later going on to Glenbrook North High School , which gave him inspiration for the films that eventually made his reputation. He met Nancy Ludwig, a cheerleader and his future wife, in high school. As a teenager, Hughes turned to movies as an escape. According to childhood friend Jackson Peterson, "His mom and dad criticized him

1500-810: A three-film deal with Universal Pictures . Hughes's directorial debut, Sixteen Candles (1984), won almost unanimous praise when it was released in 1984, due in no small part to its more honest depiction of navigating adolescence and the social dynamics of high school life in stark contrast to the Porky's -inspired comedies made at the time. It was the first in a string of efforts about teenage life set in or around high school, including The Breakfast Club (1985), Weird Science (1985), and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), all of which he wrote and directed, and Pretty in Pink (1986) and Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), which he wrote and produced. To avoid being pigeonholed as

1575-767: A tribute to Hughes's work. A retrospective of clips from Hughes's films was followed by cast members from several of them, including Molly Ringwald, Matthew Broderick, Macaulay Culkin , Judd Nelson , Ally Sheedy , Anthony Michael Hall and Jon Cryer , gathering on stage to commemorate Hughes and his contributions to the film industry. Hughes's work has also influenced a new generation of millennial filmmakers, including M. H. Murray of Teenagers fame, who has cited Hughes as one of his main influences. In interviews, Murray stated, "I loved how John Hughes wrote teens ... They were flawed in this genuine sort of way." Kelly Fremon Craig , who wrote and directed The Edge of Seventeen , also cited Hughes as an influence. Hughes

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1650-603: A waiting list of more than 500 people for the Talkboy. Rosenberg said that special security agents were required to meet each of Tiger's air shipments arriving from Asia for protection. The company's manufacturing plants in Hong Kong were running 24 hours a day to produce Talkboys in an attempt to keep up with demand, and daily air shipments were being delivered overnight across the United States. Only three stores – Toys "R" Us, Kmart, and Wal-Mart – were scheduled to receive shipments

1725-504: Is a point-and-click adventure and Neuromancer (1988) is a graphic adventure . Action games based on novels are less common ( William Shatner's TekWar (1995), a first-person shooter ). Novel tie-ins were published less frequently after the 1990s, with developers only taking risks with stories that had already been licensed for films. Tie-ins are considered an important part of the revenue-stream for any major media release, and both planning and licensing for such works often begins at

1800-461: Is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film , video game , television series , board game , web site , role-playing game or literary property . Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original property, and are a form of cross-promotion used primarily to generate additional income from that property and to promote its visibility. Common tie-in products include literary works, which may be novelizations of

1875-420: Is referenced in the song "Hello Chicago" by the collaborative project between Jesu and Sun Kil Moon , and appears on the album 30 Seconds To The Decline Of Planet Earth . Mark Kozelek recalls a phone conversation with Hughes in which Kozelek asked him for $ 15,000 in order to release his album Songs for a Blue Guitar (released by his band The Red House Painters). Hughes agreed, stating "You're young and on

1950-580: Is the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers . Tie-in works may also tell new stories in the form of sequels , prequels and other spin-offs, creating an expanded universe based on the original work; for example, the many books, comics and video games set in an expanded universe based initially on the first Star Wars trilogy. In 2015, the New York Times noted the flourishing market for TV series tie-in novels, coinciding with

2025-771: The National Lampoon magazine. He went on in Hollywood to write, produce and direct some of the most successful live-action-comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s. He directed such films as Sixteen Candles , The Breakfast Club , Weird Science , Ferris Bueller's Day Off , Planes, Trains and Automobiles , She's Having a Baby , and Uncle Buck ; and wrote the films National Lampoon's Vacation , Mr. Mom , Pretty in Pink , The Great Outdoors , National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation , Home Alone , Dutch , and Beethoven . Most of Hughes' works were set in Chicago at

2100-576: The Brat Pack group. Hughes was born on February 18, 1950, in Lansing, Michigan , to Marion Crawford, who volunteered in charity work, and John Hughes Sr., who worked in sales. He was the only boy, and had three sisters. He spent the first twelve years of his life in Grosse Pointe, Michigan , where he was a fan of Detroit Red Wings right winger Gordie Howe . One of Howe's #9 jerseys, sent by Howe himself,

2175-505: The games based on the last two films of the Harry Potter film series, where one reviewer criticised some of the game's missions and side-quests as being unrelated to the film's storyline. Video tie-in licences for novels tend to be adventure games . The Hobbit (1982) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy are text adventures , whilst I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995)

2250-517: The Dantes nom de plume include Maid in Manhattan , Drillbit Taylor and Beethoven . In 1994, Hughes retired from the public eye and moved back to the Chicago area. The following year, Hughes and Ricardo Mestres, both of whom had production deals with Walt Disney Pictures , formed the short-lived joint venture production studio Great Oaks Entertainment. Hughes worked in Chicago, while Mestres

2325-494: The Deluxe Talkgirl, a pink Deluxe Talkboy that was marketed to girls. Shiffman said, "We think the [Talkboy] name may have prevented us from reaching the full market". The Talkboy cassette recorder was popular again in 1996, with Playthings listing it as a "standout" on its survey of the year's most popular toys. It continued to sell well into the 1997 holiday shopping season, according to The Morning Call . Speaking about

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2400-460: The Lonely (both 1991). Over the years, Hughes and Candy developed a close friendship. Hughes was greatly shaken by Candy's sudden death from a heart attack in 1994. "He talked a lot about how much he loved Candy—if Candy had lived longer, I think John would have made more films as a director", says Vince Vaughn , a friend of Hughes. Hughes's greatest commercial success came with Home Alone (1990),

2475-456: The Talkboy F/X+ pen to be one of the most popular toys among shoppers during Thanksgiving weekend in 1995. In March 1997, Tiger began a year-long promotion with Nabisco to place offers for Talkboy F/X+ toys on 30 million packages of Oreos , Chips Ahoy! , Nutter Butters , and Ritz Bits , along with a million-dollar television advertisement campaign. The trademark for the Talkboy brand

2550-441: The Talkboy's staying power, Chris Byrne, editor of Market Focus: Toys , said that it sold "phenomenally well because it's a good toy". The success of the Talkboy cassette recorders spawned a product line of electronic toys. In 1995, Tiger released the Talkboy F/X+ and Talkgirl F/X+, which are writing pens with a 12-second recorder, three-speed playback, and six buttons that play sound effects. Designed by Ralph Osterhout for Tiger,

2625-574: The United States to purchase 10 Talkboys. Shiffman said, "There is not a story we haven't heard". Target reportedly ceased issuing rain checks for Talkboys after receiving more than 20,000 requests from customers. By mid-December, the retailer had been out of stock of the toy for a "couple of weeks" and confirmed any additional shipments would not go onto store shelves due to their commitment to fulfill rain checks. Eighteen days before Christmas , one Toys "R" Us store in Clinton Township, Michigan, had

2700-441: The cassette tape that was included with each unit was initially blank, the toy's packaging featured a "try me" element that allowed recording in stores but was being abused. To address the complaints, Tiger altered the packaging to prevent people from recording without first purchasing the toy. Even despite the changes, the issue persisted as some consumers purchased the toy, recorded profanities, and then returned it to stores where it

2775-407: The character would need to travel with it through O'Hare International Airport in the movie. Shiffman told Hughes to let him work on the idea, and his team at Tiger subsequently built a prototype in three weeks. The ensuing design for the Talkboy featured a handle that would allow the device to slide onto a hand and a retracting microphone so it would look "more lifelike". Following the success of

2850-407: The creation of a media property. Tie-in products also include other types of works based on the media property, such as soundtrack recordings, video games, or merchandise including toys and clothing. A novelization is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, comic strip or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before

2925-669: The famous Edge "Credit Card Shaving Test" ad campaign. Hughes's work on the Virginia Slims account frequently took him to the Philip Morris headquarters in New York City, which allowed him to visit the offices of National Lampoon magazine. Soon thereafter, Hughes became a regular contributor; editor P. J. O'Rourke recalled that "John wrote so fast and so well that it was hard for a monthly magazine to keep up with him." One of Hughes's first stories, inspired by his family trips as

3000-468: The few exceptions. One of the first movie tie-in games, Atari's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) was deemed so bad it was cited as one cause of the video game industry crash . Such poor quality is often due to game developers forced to rush the product in order to meet the film's release date, or due to issues with adapting the original work's plot into an interactive form, such as in the case of

3075-634: The fictional Shermer High School and were coming-of-age teen comedy films. Many of his most enduring characters from these years were written for Molly Ringwald . While out on a walk one morning in New York City in the summer of 2009, Hughes suffered a fatal heart attack. After his death, his legacy was honored by many, including at the 82nd Academy Awards by actors he had worked with such as Ringwald, Matthew Broderick , Anthony Michael Hall , Chevy Chase , and Macaulay Culkin among others. Actors whose careers Hughes helped launch include Michael Keaton , Hall, Bill Paxton , Broderick, Culkin, and members of

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3150-529: The film, the main character Kevin McCallister (played by Macaulay Culkin ) uses the Talkboy to outsmart adults; he successfully makes a reservation at the Plaza Hotel by slowing his voice down with the toy's variable-speed voice changer to pass himself off as an adult, and later he records incriminating statements by the burglars Marv and Harry. Originally, writer John Hughes specified in his script only that

3225-447: The increasing cultural significance of quality television series. The increasing number of previously established novelists taking on tie-in works has also been credited with these works gaining a "patina of respectability" after having previously been disregarded in literary circles as derivative and mere merchandise. Some video games are tie-in licences for films, television series or books. Video game movie tie-ins are expensive for

3300-404: The invention of home video, but continue to find commercial success as part of marketing campaigns for major films. They are often written by accomplished writers based on an early draft of the film's script and on a tight deadline. Tie-in books are sometimes reprints of novels rebranded to tie in with their film adaptation. As an example, after Roderick Thorp 's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever

3375-478: The media property. Tie-ins need not have a direct association with the property; for example, a particular pizza company can offer coupons that are associated with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films, but that specific pizza company itself does not necessarily have to appear in the films. By this association, however, the pizza company is exposed to a bigger audience. If a media property does well,

3450-691: The media, save a select few in 1999 to promote the soundtrack album of Reach the Rock . The album was compiled by Hughes's son, John Hughes III, and released on his son's Chicago-based record label Hefty Records . He also recorded an audio commentary for the 1999 DVD release of Ferris Bueller's Day Off . In 1970, the then-20-year old Hughes married Nancy Ludwig, whom he had met in high school. Together they had two children: John Hughes III (born in 1976) and James Hughes (born in 1979). They were together until his death in 2009. Nancy Hughes died on September 15, 2019. Michael Weiss argued that Hughes's films expressed

3525-404: The most highly sought-after toys during the 1993 holiday shopping season, selling out of stores across the United States. The product continued to be a best-seller in subsequent holiday shopping seasons. A pink version of the cassette recorder called Deluxe Talkgirl was released in 1995. The success of the Talkboy cassette recorders spawned a product line of electronic sound novelty toys, including

3600-474: The original Home Alone (1990), which grossed $ 285 million in North America, the third-highest amount at the time, an extensive marketing and cross-promotion campaign was undertaken for Home Alone 2 . About 80 licensed products were released to tie-in with the movie, while corporate partners included Coca-Cola , Bloomingdale's , Kids "R" Us , and American Airlines . As part of the campaign, Tiger

3675-545: The rise, and I'm just an old man living in Chicago". British indie pop band The 1975 cites Hughes as an influence in the band's music. Maisie Peters released a song called "John Hughes Movie" in 2021. Hughes's films served as inspiration for the style and tone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Homecoming directed by Jon Watts , who took inspiration from films such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off . Writer Movie tie-in A tie-in work

3750-546: The same author; for example, while Stephen King 's novella " Apt Pupil " was adapted to the eponymous film , King's collection Different Seasons , which featured the story, was reprinted as Apt Pupil: A Novella in Different Seasons . Similarly, novels were published to tie in with the films Minority Report and Paycheck , featuring Philip K. Dick's original short stories " The Minority Report " and " Paycheck ". The official organization linked to writing media tie-ins

3825-501: The subsequent films he wrote and produced during this time also contained elements of the Home Alone formula, including the successful Dennis the Menace (1993) and the box office flop Baby's Day Out (1994). He also wrote screenplays under the pseudonym Edmond Dantes (or Dantès), after the protagonist of Alexandre Dumas 's novel The Count of Monte Cristo . Screenplays credited to

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3900-416: The toy and the Home Alone 2 video cassette on the side panel of cereal boxes. Tiger relied on the Home Alone 2 movie tie-in and the advertising insert in home copies to promote the toy. Once demand surged, retailers tried to increase their orders, but Tiger found itself with insufficient time to produce enough units. On Black Friday , one store sold out of 288 Talkboys within half a day. Ultimately, Tiger

3975-459: The toy combined solid-state storage and a voice-recording computer chip into the form factor of a pen. Shiffman called it a "breakthrough product in the industry" for making digital recording technology available in a low-cost toy. The technology for altering voice pitch and modulation was licensed from its developer Janese Swanson . The product retailed for $ 20 and sold a million units in 45 days. A poll conducted by Arthur Andersen LLP found

4050-498: The toy on Black Friday within an hour of their 7 a.m. opening. Wal-Mart indicated in mid-December that it was experiencing extended shortages of the toy. Within the last two weeks of the shopping season, Michelle Healy of Gannett News Service said the Deluxe Talkboy was "almost impossible to find". Roger Goddu of Toys "R" Us called it "without question the single most surprising item in our entire inventory". In 1995, Tiger released

4125-402: The very earliest stages of creating such a property. Tie-ins provide both an important way of generating additional income from a property, and a way of satisfying the desires of fans who enthusiastically support a popular media property. The lineage of tie-in works can be quite convoluted; for example, a novelization might be done of a video game, which was based on a television series, based on

4200-419: The very end, where Stone's character states she wishes her life were a John Hughes movie, by showing various clips of Sixteen Candles , The Breakfast Club , and Ferris Bueller's Day Off . After Hughes's death, many of those who knew him commented on the impact Hughes had on their lives and on the film industry. Molly Ringwald said, "I was stunned and incredibly sad to hear about the death of John Hughes. He

4275-503: The voice changer of the film version and sold only moderately during the 1992 holiday shopping season. Tiger added the feature to the Deluxe model, which was released in April 1993. Following the release of Home Alone 2 on home video in July and a cross-promotion with Life cereal , interest in the toy spiked. Retailers had severely underestimated demand, and as a result the Deluxe Talkboy was one of

4350-645: The way through [1994]", and predicted that 20th Century Fox releasing Home Alone 2 for television broadcasts "would spur demand all over again". The Deluxe Talkboy was popular once again during the 1994 holiday shopping season, with many media outlets reporting it as one of the hottest-selling toys. Tiger said in November 1994 that it expected the Deluxe Talkboy to sell out for a second consecutive year. Kmart and Target stores reported swift sales around Thanksgiving, with one Target location in Fort Myers, Florida , selling out of

4425-597: The week before Christmas. Tiger said it would continue shipping Talkboys past New Year's Day. Rosenberg blamed the frenzied demand for Talkboys on retailers shifting away from the inventory practice of stockpiling, while the St. Petersburg Times faulted the burgeoning "just-in-time" delivery model through which stores used computer-based delivery systems to handle advance ordering. In December 1993, Rosenberg said that Tiger anticipated "high demand for [the Deluxe Talkboy] going all

4500-545: Was a sleeper hit , catching many retailers off-guard with its popularity during the 1993 holiday shopping season. Tiger spokesman Marc J. Rosenberg said that retailers at the American International Toy Fair earlier that February had not predicted such high consumer demand, placing orders that were 300 to 400 percent below what demand actually turned out to be; only Toys "R" Us had ordered enough units, according to Shiffman. Tiger did not anticipate high demand for

4575-413: Was a flop and that America's suburbs were a living hell almost beyond the power of John Cheever 's words to describe ... We were becoming conservatives—in the most conservational sense. There were things that others before us had achieved and these were worth conserving ... Family was the most conservative thing about John. Walking across the family room in your stocking feet and stepping on a Lego (ouch!)

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4650-405: Was adapted into the 1988 film Die Hard , it was retitled Die Hard with the film's poster on the cover. The Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was similarly republished to tie in with Blade Runner , the film loosely based on the book. A tie-in book linked to a film based on short fiction may be published featuring the adapted story, as well as other stories from

4725-499: Was allowed to lapse in 1999, nearly a year after Tiger Electronics was acquired by Hasbro . Due to his involvement in the toy's creation, Rosenberg acquired the nickname "Talkboy" within the toy industry, and had a personalized license plate created reading the same. Several media outlets acknowledged the Talkboy on lists of the most popular holiday toys and past toy crazes, including Metro , Statesman Journal , Livingly.com , Rakuten , SILive.com , and CNN.com . Talkboy

4800-438: Was and will always be such an important part of my life. ... He will be missed – by me and by everyone that he has touched. My heart and all my thoughts are with his family now." Matthew Broderick also released his own statement, saying, "I am truly shocked and saddened by the news about my old friend John Hughes. He was a wonderful, very talented guy and my heart goes out to his family." The 82nd Academy Awards (2010) included

4875-496: Was based in Los Angeles. The company produced the films Jack , 101 Dalmatians , and Flubber , but Hughes and Mestres ended their partnership in 1997. The 1998 film Reach the Rock , which was produced as part of the partnership between Hughes and Mestres, was subsequently credited as "a Gramercy Pictures release of a John Hughes and Ricardo Mestres production". In the following years, Hughes rarely granted interviews to

4950-481: Was forced to pull all television commercials for the toy after Thanksgiving . Rosenberg said this was done "because [they] didn't want to deceive anyone" about the product's availability. Exact sales figures were not released, but Tiger spokespeople said in December that it had sold "hundreds of thousands" of Talkboys while facing demand for around 2 million units. By mid-December, the company's telephone switchboard

5025-536: Was given permission by 20th Century Fox to sell a retail version of Talkboy in stores, with Shiffman negotiating a "modest royalty" to build the brand. The original retail Talkboy model requires 4 AA batteries and uses a standard cassette tape. However, it does not feature the voice changer of the film prop. The toy was previewed at the American International Toy Fair in New York in February 1992, and

5100-564: Was handling more than 500 calls per day regarding the toy. Tiger employees recounted stories of the tactics that desperate callers resorted to. One person claimed to have a terminally ill child who needed a Talkboy, while another claimed to be from NBC News . One caller claimed to represent Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and said he needed four Talkboys; after consulting Tiger's lawyers, Rosenberg agreed to accommodate him in exchange for autographed CDs. Other callers tried to bribe Tiger employees or said they were willing to fly anywhere in

5175-489: Was later prominently featured in Hughes's 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off . Hughes described himself as "kind of quiet": I grew up in a neighborhood that was mostly girls and old people. There weren't any boys my age, so I spent a lot of time by myself, imagining things. And every time we would get established somewhere, we would move. Life just started to get good in seventh grade, and then we moved to Chicago. I ended up in

5250-457: Was ranked by Thrillist as the 38th-greatest movie prop of all time. Complex ranked it 75th on its list of the 90 best gadgets of the 1990s, while ABC News included it on a similar list of tech toys from the decade. John Hughes (filmmaker) John Wilden Hughes Jr. (February 18, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He began his career in 1970 as an author of humorous essays and stories for

5325-505: Was released to market for that year's holiday shopping season , coinciding with the theatrical release of Home Alone 2 . Tiger spokeswoman Robin Plous said, "sales weren't very good because the product couldn't do everything it did in the film". Complicating matters for Tiger, the company heard from retailer Toys "R" Us that many parents were complaining about their kids finding coarse language recorded on their newly purchased Talkboys. Although

5400-584: Was resold. Tiger created a second model of the cassette player and recorder, the Deluxe Talkboy, which added the variable-speed voice changer. Audio can be sped up by recording on the "slow" setting and playing it back on the normal setting, or slowed down by recording on the normal setting and playing it back on the "slow" setting. The toy was released in April 1993 for US$ 29.99, and was sold at 11 retailers: Caldor , FAO Schwarz , Fingerhut , Hills , Kay Bee Toys , Kmart , Musicland , Service Merchandise , Target , Toys "R" Us, and Wal-Mart . The Deluxe Talkboy

5475-487: Was scheduled to begin, the toy-licensing deal for the film that Overfield was negotiating with Mattel fell through. Forced to find a last-minute replacement, she turned to toy licensee Tiger Electronics . Overfield knew the company's co-founder and executive vice president Roger Shiffman from a previous licensing deal for the cartoon Bobby's World . Shiffman was persuaded to sign a deal to produce Home Alone 2 ' s toys, which also included "Monster Sap" spraying goo and

5550-405: Was the fundamental building block of society. On August 5, 2009, Hughes and his wife traveled to New York City to visit their son James and their new grandson. James said his father appeared to be in good health that night and that the family had made plans for the next day. On the morning of August 6, Hughes was taking a walk close to his hotel on West 55th Street in Manhattan when he suffered

5625-414: Was written while he was still on staff at the magazine. The resulting film became the second disastrous attempt by the flagship to duplicate the runaway success of National Lampoon's Animal House . Hughes's next screenplay for the imprint, however, National Lampoon's Vacation , would become a major hit in 1983. This, along with the success of another Hughes script that same year, Mr. Mom , earned him

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