Another one of Hammacher Schlemmer's "firsts," the Cuisinart food processor makes its way into our catalog and onto the shelves of our New York store. This push-button operated kitchen device reduces meal preparation time from hours to minutes, giving the home chef more free time for other pursuits.
Atari, Inc. introduces the Atari 2600 video game console to the public, popularizing home video game play through the use of interchangeable cartridge titles, with Pac-Man quickly emerging as an overwhelming favorite. 250,000 of the game systems are sold at a cost of $199 each.
We introduce Natures Environment, a personal haven that "reproduces Mother Nature's elements to induce complete relaxation and rejuvenation." The spa mimics conditions of heat, sun, rain, steam, and wind to simulate the soothing pleasures of an ocean beach, an ancient desert, or a tropical rain forest. With a handcrafted solid teak interior, a cypress deck, and a 20" diameter porthole, it sells for $12,000.
In a May profile by The Wall Street Journal, Hammacher Schlemmer is lauded as a visionary retail store for "its ability to spot new gadgets before progress turns them from luxuries into necessities."
In 1977, Hammacher Schlemmer prints its first full-color product catalog. The cover depicts The Tahiti Bar (flanked by our ever-present mischievous gnomes) "a new old-world adaptation for the conventional home bar." Crafted in Italy by Florentine designers, the bar's genuine bamboo is combined with a rust velvet fabric "which will not fade and is stain, water, and alcohol resistant." It sells for $2,595.
