Z-ATK02 (Jul 19, 2023)
Puzzle
“Compute your own horoscope—ages 8 to adult.”
Research | 4 Words
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: Have you seen the toys from Coleco?
Clue 2: You're looking for an old toy, 'bout '79 or so.
Clue 3: It is intended as a "personal astrology assistant".
Answer and Explanation
Answer: Zodiac The Astrology Computer
Explanation: This toy was a personal calculator for astrological signs, which fits the slogan.
Summary of Receipt
Summary
Transcript
Receipt: Z-ATK02
Author: Mercutio
Status: Open
Subject: Personality Cult
Kitsch Mysticism. That’s the current aim of the Cult of Personality. A bit of an odd one, to be sure. It largely fell out of popularity after the failure of the “Applebee’s Ascension” in, oh, was it 2008 or 2009? Since then, it’s been a largely forgotten footnote in the history of the occult. Though I suppose No. 4 has seen some sort of “potential” in drawing out the energy of the “Odd Ball” from, believe it or not, the 8-Ball.
Allow me to back up a bit. What exactly is “kitsch mysticism?” Well, it started in the 1970s as part of the greater wave of occult interest in North America and Europe. Spearheaded by David Bowie and Jim Morrison, in essence, kitsch mysticism sought to draw out power from all things kitsch; Lava Lamps, Zodiac the Astrology Computer, Mood Rings, Disco Balls, Waterbeds, Big-Eyed Art, Black Light Posters, and… Magic 8-Balls. At its core, it’s a brand of electromysticism, the thought being that passing an electrical current through or around these objects could awaken greater cosmic powers. There were a few methods of passing electricity through the items, on the low-end Shag Carpets were big, a little more direct was Plasma Balls, and for the daring—directly wiring their totems into light fixtures to best radiate the Odd Ball energy.
So, did Kitsch Mysticism work? Hard to say. Any meaningful breakthroughs were lost to fire. As it turns out, you can’t run electricity directly through pieces of plastic—who knew? There is some validity in the two parents of the practice. On one side, electrical magic is a well-known practice that can produce very tangible results. On the other, fetishes, taglocks, and other forms of totemic magic are as old as the study itself. Mixing them together and claiming there is some sort of universal Odd Ball energy is, however, dubious at best. I assume No. 4 would be using the 8-Ball as some sort of focus to draw out its Odd Ball-ness, though, as the Pathologist has pointed out, while it is currently a normal 8-Ball, it wasn’t always.