Clap on. Clap off. Or, more accurately: clap, hesitate for a split second — but not too long, or the device may stop listening — clap again, realize the timing was wrong, clap harder, clap faster, try two more claps, and then, somehow, the light turns on. The Clapper was never a flawless smart home gadget. Sometimes it failed to respond, and when it did work, it could reportedly put your electronics at risk. Still, this quirky sound-activated switch became a pop culture phenomenon.
In this episode of Version History, we revisit the unlikely rise of The Clapper, tracing its path from an early product called The Great American Turn-On to its breakout moment powered by one of the most memorable TV advertising campaigns ever made. The Verge’s David Pierce and Victoria Song are joined by Allison Marsh, a writer and professor at The University of South Carolina, to explore the history, reputation, and lasting legacy of the device — and to ask the real question: was The Clapper actually a good product, or simply the beneficiary of a brilliant commercial?
If you’d like to dive deeper into the story of The Clapper, these links are a good place to begin:
