Everyone Had It In The 80s — Now It's The Nostalgic Technology We Want In Our Homes

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Way, way before we were dimming the lights in our house with voice command, there was another device controlling electrics in the most futuristic of ways — or at least, futuristic for the time. The Clapper appeared in our homes in the 1980s, and, as the name suggests, it allowed people to turn lights, TVs, and other appliances on and off just by clapping their hands. It was a simple device that plugged into an outlet, then connected to whichever lamps or appliances you wanted to use. From there, simply the noise of clapping hands would trigger the lights to power on and off. 

For many consumers, the Clapper was their first introduction to sound-activated home technology; its widespread advertising campaign and catchy jingle introduced the concept to millions of households and made the whole idea feel incredibly accessible. While it's an exaggeration to say that everyone owned these in the '80s, it did become so culturally ubiquitous that, to this day, the Clapper remains one of the defining gadgets of the decade.

One reason why the Clapper still resonates is because, truthfully, the idea never fully disappeared. Today, many of our homes are filled with devices designed to reduce the need for physical switches — whether through smartphone apps, motion sensors, or voice controls. Yes, the technology has evolved, and quite dramatically in the last forty decades, but it's the same basic principle. Really, it could be said that the Clapper was the first attempt at making our homes smart homes, long before we could even conceptualize the use of AI assistants like Alexa. It offered a much simpler version of the same promise: a home that could respond to its occupants' demands with minimal effort. 

But it had its limitations. Because the device relied entirely on sound, it occasionally responded to noises other than clapping — there have been demonstrations over the years that show barking dogs accidentally activating Clapper-controlled lamps, for example. Or, sometimes, you'd clap and the microphones wouldn't pick up the sound, which is a massive limitation on this kind of sound-activated technology. Ultimately, the Clapper had a very limited range of function — but the priority was convenience. And of course, today, it's feels very nostalgic. Unlike other forgotten retro gadgets, the Clapper is still used by some to this day, with models still sold on Amazon. And, of course, it remains a very recognizable piece of technology, even to generations who weren't born during its heyday.