12 Films That Had Surprising Commercial Consequences

1. Home Alone 2 Invented The Talkboy

Remember that scene in Home Alone 2 where Kevin records his voice into a cassette player and then slows the speed so that he sounds adult enough to call up and check in a hotel room? That nifty little gadget, known as the Talkboy, was originally nothing more than a plot contrivance - a means of providing a roof over Kevin's head as he finds himself Lost In New York. But what began as a non-working prop quickly became a sought-after toy, thanks to a monumental letter-writing campaign by fans of the film. They requested that the Talkboy be made into a real voice recorder and, in 1993, just as the film was enjoying a lucrative run on VHS, their wishes came true. And, with the Talkgirl released soon after, the mother of all movie tie-ins was born. Wait a second...Maybe that's who was calling Casey Becker that night?