Ryan McDonough
Founder, Sometime Artist
CFO and co-founder @Accompany, acquired by @Cisco. Turnaround CFO @Ning, sold to Glam Media. Former seed VC. McKinsey trained. @Wharton School and @Haas School of Business.
What happens when you take the new LEGO Icons Retro Radio (10334) and shrink it into a pocket-sized companion? You get the LEGO Retro Walkman — a faithful downscale that keeps the soul of the radio, right down to the LEGO badge and radio tuner, but hides a delightful secret inside.
What happens when you take the new LEGO Icons Retro Radio (10334) and shrink it into a pocket-sized companion? You get the LEGO Retro Walkman — a faithful downscale that keeps the soul of the radio, right down to the LEGO badge and radio tuner, but hides a delightful secret inside.
Inside the cassette bay sits a white Snowsky Retro Nano Bluetooth Amp — complete with a 3.5 mm headphone jack and tactile controls for power, volume, play/pause, and even front-screen customization.
Through the Walkman’s side runs a wired pair of white Bose headphones, completing that unmistakably vintage aesthetic.
When the Walkman is powered up, the amp’s display glows through the tape window, mimicking cassette reels or switching to EQ mode, turning the illusion into something interactive and alive.
Two custom LEGO cassette tapes come with Side A / Side B labels, each embedded with NFC tags. Tap one with your phone and it opens a curated Spotify playlist — the perfect bridge between tactile nostalgia and digital music streaming.
The Walkman opens outward to reveal the hidden tech inside, while still looking like something that could’ve lived in a 1980s teenager’s backpack. It’s pure nostalgia, reimagined for today’s audio world.
This build reuses design language from LEGO’s Retro Radio — rounded speaker vents, color palette, and printed LEGO logo — but compressed into a form factor small enough to hold in one hand. The internals are reworked to house the Bluetooth amp while keeping a clean, studded exterior.
Turn it on, pair your phone, and watch the cassette window light up. The tiny display can cycle between reel animations of various types or equalizer mode. Then, grab a LEGO cassette, tap it to your phone, and jump straight into a themed playlist. The tactile meets the digital — in perfect harmony.
It’s always fun when form meets function. The LEGO Retro Walkman captures the charm of classic tech, the joy of building, and the magic of connecting old-school hardware to modern music. Nostalgia, remixed.
It doesn’t play actual games (yet), but the vibe is spot-on.