It was Christmas day 1982 and the remote control car you got took 16 size ‘D’ batteries (10 in the car, 6 in the handset). You got 20 minutes of low velocity entertainment, provided you had a surface completely devoid of imperfections, where even a large crumb on the kitchen linoleum was an insurmountable obstacle. Batteries in such quantity would require a years pocket money and thus your Christmas joy became a powerless ornament by Boxing Day…halcyon days.
