Why does this Paw Patrol toy sound like a Sega Dreamcast web browser?

I was in Bath this week. Not in the bath, you understand. I mean in Bath. The city of Bath. In Somerset. You know, the place that looks like it was built by Charles Dickens and Isambard Kingdom Brunel while they were both off their faces on opium. Also famous for being the home of many of Future Publishing's gaming magazines in the 90s and 2000s. Anyway, I was in Bath, and while I was there I visited the local branch of TK Maxx (that's TJ Maxx to you Americans) to see what kinds of useless, overpriced tat they had on sale. I didn't find anything I wanted, so I started to make my way to the exit, and as I did so, I heard a familiar sound. 

I couldn't tell where it was coming from initially, but I heard it again...and again. Not sure if I was hallucinating or in the prelimary stages of a Dreamcast-themed fugue state, I looked around a bit to see where these sounds were coming from; and there, around a corner was a small child sat in pram holding a toy dog in a cardboard box. Said child was repeatedly mashing the buttons on the toy dog, and the sounds which were emanating from it were unmistakable - they were the sounds a Dreamcast web browser makes as you navigate around the menus.

Everything you need to surf the Information Superhighway.

These sounds are etched into the very folds of my brain, as I spent countless hours using my Dreamcast as a web browsing device back in the late 1990s. They are as recognisable to me as the 'door opening' sound in DOOM, or the 'select' effect used in the Sega Rally menu. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing or hearing, so I tried to get a look at what the toy was called before security was radioed directly to my location, and then turned to Google to see if this thing was legit. Turns out the 'Storytime with Marshall' toy is a real thing that kids apparently play with, and lo and behold it is readily availible from all good toy stores. And TK Maxx.

The toy in question, replete with box.

Now, if you search for this toy, you'll discover that it is a plastic dog called Marshall which is a character from a hugely popular animated children's series called Paw Patrol. The toy is manufactured by LeapFrog, a company which specialises in educational toys and has some pretty recognisable brands in its arsenal - think Peppa Pig, Dora the Explorer and so on and so forth. Anyway, this Marshall thing is modelled after a character who is a fire and rescue dog, and somehow it has the same sound effects included as the Dreamcast web browser. Specifically, the Dreamkey/Dreamarena browser which shipped with PAL Dreamcasts. Here's a mashup of the Paw Patrol 'Storytime with Marshall' sound effects and the Dreamcast browser sounds, courtesy of my fellow Junkyarder Jaz (credit for the original Paw Patrol video goes to Pup Toys):

Now, my best guess is that these effects are from some kind of licensable stock library and it just so happens that Sega Europe used them back in the day for Dreamkey/Dreamarena; and they have subsequently gone on to be used by LeapFrog in their Paw Patrol toys. And that's the story. There's no big reveal here, I just thought it was quite random that I was in TK Maxx, heard Dreamcast web browser sound effects, and then discovered that they were coming from a plastic toy dog. Just another day in the ghetto (Bath).

I know it was technically 'Dreamkey,' but I couldn't find a good PNG.

Are you a Dreamcast-owning parent who has had the Dreamkey browser effects drilled into your brain via the medium of Paw Patrol toys? If so, please feel free to let us know about your anguish in the comments.

You Can Still Use Dial-Up To Surf The Internet With A Dreamcast

In recent times much has been written about the Dreamcast's ability to get online with a Raspberry Pi and a few other easily available components. The DreamPi method has single handedly revitalised the online gaming scene on the Dreamcast, and sites like Dreamcast Live have made it their mission to breathe new life into titles such as Chu Chu Rocket and Worms World Party. But what if you don't have a DreamPi or you just don't play online games in general? What other things can you still do in 2017 with a Dreamcast when it comes to exploring its online abilities? Well...um...you can still browse the internet with a dial up connection if you so wish.

Line Di. See?

I already know what many people are going to say or write in the comments sections without actually looking at this article: what's the point? What's the point in using a dial up connection and a 33k or 56k modem to go online with a Dreamcast in 2017? It's slow, most of the sites won't load anymore and it's expensive. The point is that we can. And that's the only excuse I need, to be honest.

Don't act like you've never Googled yourself!

While it is true that all of these hypothetical points are valid, there's just something cool about once again firing up Dreamkey, and throwing information through those long redundant wires and circuits that reside inside the plucky little dial-up modem stuck to the side of the console. And the best bit is that you can do it right now, with very little effort if you so desire...

Dreamkey's Hidden Video

This probably won't mean much to you if you're not familiar with the European internet browsers for Dreamcast, but allow me to explain. Dreamkey was the PAL equivalent to SegaNet and Dream Passport and represented the default method of connection to online portal Dreamarena back in the day. Now we've established that, I'll continue. I was randomly browsing YouTube t'other day when I happened across a rather strange video. Upon closer inspection, the video appeared to have been uploaded by regular Junkyard commenter and MSR aficionado RJAY63 and was actually posted in 2011...but until now I'd never seen anything about this.

Apparently, by inserting the Dreamkey 1.0 internet browser disc into your Dreamcast, going to the address box and simply typing 'about:' you can view a secret video crediting the creators of Dreamkey. The video isn't really all that special - it's basically the European 'Shave' advert with credits laid over the top and the Robbie Williams song removed, but it's an interesting discovery nonetheless. I watched intently hoping it might credit the actors in the video, thus solving the riddle of who Player One / The Barber actually is (you can read out that little quest here); but alas it does not. Enough preamble though - here's the hidden video (click 'continue reading' if on the main page):