The Retroist

The Retroist

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Nasta Hit Stix
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
User's avatar
Discover more from The Retroist
A Retro Podcast, Blog, and Newsletter.
Over 3,000 subscribers
Already have an account? Sign in

Nasta Hit Stix

Retroist's avatar
Retroist
Sep 16, 2020

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Nasta Hit Stix
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

If air drumming was just too quiet for your kids in the late Eighties, Nasta had the perfect product for you, Hit Stix. Now you can do away with the worst part of air drumming, the relaxing silence.

Nasta Hit Six were a set of two drum sticks that were attached via audio cable to a small 9V powered amplifier you could clip to your belt. They were not meant to be used as drumsticks on a drum or any surface, instead your movements through the air with the Hit Stix would generate sounds. For example, a standard air drumming would generate a snare drum sound, but by changing things up, you could also produce a drum roll sound.

Their ability to be played in the air is what made them so interesting, it also turned out to be a problem for Hit Stix. Playing drums is a very natural motion, and most kids couldn’t help but try to play them as real drums. This resulted in either frustration because they refused to make the sound they wanted, or in damage to the actual Hit Stix.

While fairly sturdy, breaking your Stix was a little too easy, which was frustrating for a toy that retailed for $19.99 when it was released. That would be $45.74 today.

Originally offered in partnership with Radio Shack, very quickly you could find Hit Stix in other toy stores. If you are looking for a set today, you will that they came in two package types, a wider box with larger imagery and a more narrow box. Both contained the same product, and pricing for them is generally the same. Online, you will pay about $50 for a play set in good condition.

Your own portable rhythm section! Play your Hit Stix Electronic Drumsticks anywhere, even in the air – no surface is needed to create real drum sounds! Amplifier clips to your belt so you can take the beat to the street!

Hit Sticks were a big enough hit that they spawned a more powerful successor, Hit Stix 2, in 1989. The new Hit Stix let you change the tone and sound by adjusting sliders on the sticks. By playing with various combinations, you could create 44 different sounds. Otherwise, they function very much the same as the original, with a 9V battery-powered amplifier producing the sound.

Hit Stix 2 would be joined by two other Histruments from Nasta, the Hit Keys Keyboard and the Hit tar

ices had stayed about the same for all three of these Hitstruments at the time. You could pick them up from prices ranging from as low as $15.99 to as high as $19.99.

Hit Stix were one of those toys that advertised well, but didn’t live up to their promise. The technology just wasn’t good enough to make a dependable air instrument in 1988 for under twenty bucks. Still, to kids who got them as a gift, they left a powerful mark on their childhood.


Subscribe to The Retroist

Launched 4 years ago
A Retro Podcast, Blog, and Newsletter.

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Nasta Hit Stix
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
The Mystery Of The Red Quarters…Solved!
Did you ever find a quarter painted red and wonder if that red served a purpose? It does.
Feb 11, 2017 â€¢ 
Retroist
45

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
The Mystery Of The Red Quarters…Solved!
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
6
Remember when Mickey Mouse decided to commit suicide?
Unless you lived in the 1930s or are a fan of vintage comic strips you might not be aware of the attempted Mickey Mouse suicide.
Aug 30, 2017 â€¢ 
Retroist
9

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Remember when Mickey Mouse decided to commit suicide?
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Monkey’s Blood (Mercurochrome) for those boo-boos
Remember when you were a kid, and you would were out roughhousing with your friends.
Oct 23, 2019 â€¢ 
Retroist
4

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Monkey’s Blood (Mercurochrome) for those boo-boos
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2

Ready for more?

© 2025 Retroist
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.