Parents are rushing to buy their kids Tin Cans, corded 1980s-style landline phones designed for children that run over Wi-Fi. A Tin Can only calls people a parent approves, and it has no screen, no texting, and no apps. The Seattle startup has sold hundreds of thousands of them across five sold-out batches since July 2025, at $100 each.
Calls between Tin Cans are free, so every kid who gets one gives their friends’ parents a reason to buy one. It’s a great fit for families pulling back from smartphones on purpose.
This was originally posted as a New Arrival in From Pyramids to Diamonds · The Catalog · №012, an issue of my weekly newsletter The Catalog. You can Subscribe for weekly insights, or get in touch to talk about what this means for your business.