Quantum Leap Handlink History 

At the 1:30 Mark you can see AL accidentally knock the handheld out of his own hand. He's able to catch it & continue the scene Flawlessly!!

I always liked the calculator handlink better. If one was made, it would be cool if it worked like the Texas Instruments calculator.

I'm surprised the production team of the new show simply didn't reach out to Replica Props and buy one?

Maybe im unique but ive always loved the halloween episode. Shit was extremely mysterious and very entertaining to watch. I plan on rewatching it at some point

I've just finished watching the new version of QL & really enjoyed it. That led me to search out the original handlink sets & this video. Thanks for posting. Such an informative & interesting piece. Thank you.

You should do a video on the handlink used by The Evil Quantum Leapers... I believe they were more like the calculator design but red

That basic gummy bear handlink just made an appearance in the third episode of the new Quantum Leap show.

The "melted Legos" handlink never made sense to me due to the lack of screen. In one of my QL stories I mentioned that there's a small holographic projection above the top of it and sometimes Ziggy torments Al by making it harder to see. (Like the heads-up display in his car in "Killin' Time.") I wonder how many back-up handlinks there were? Gooshie had one when he had to step in for Al in "Killin' Time," Sam had one when he went home in "The Leap Back." There was one fan theory circulating that the handlink Al left behind in 1945 led to the Evil Project.

Wow that stand-in looks like it's the one on tonight's episode (s1e3). Except cleaned up. The colors are right and the screws are dead-on.

I NEVER liked the gummy bear handlink version. It looked like it was made of neon colored LEGOS! And I remember trying to pause the screen to see the display face Al would have seen and was frustrated not to be able to see an LED screen display of some sort and could not imagine how Al could have seen anything! But your video gave my 12-16 years old self the answer they were seeking (and myself at 45 also LOL) which is it had to have been a holographic display only Al could see. Maybe they did not want Sam to get an accidental look at information that the project heads (including Sam) did not want revealed which might somehow have a negative impact on his ability to do his task. Hopefully this new reboot sequel series will shed light on this some more. But for now my teenage and president day selves can rest a bit easier at this annoying plot hole LOL

pretty damn cool...i always wanted to know more about the specifics of the handlink and thought it was a little cheesy that the gummy bear link didnt have a text screen. its iconic though...would def be interested in buying a replica!

I was surprised they didn't just make the hand link look more like a smart phone, because that's basically what it is. I guess it just goes to show that they really couldn't imagine back then, that smart phones were going to exist one day. I wonder if they would've wanted to make a fake smart phone, but it just would've been to expensive to make something with a realistic looking screen that could show videos and everything back then, or if they just genuinely couldn't imagine what it should look like. I haven't seen the remake, but I would think the best thing to do for that, would be to use an iPhone and put it in some sort of special case that has LEDs in it, to make it look like the original and the case could also have all sorts of other special features and lights and stuff to make it look like the phone can do all sorts of extra stuff that I normal phone doesn't do, like projecting holograms and stuff like that. This way they could show the screen. I imagine it would show some sort of website that looks similar to Wikipedia, that tells the guy what his mission is and also maybe the occasional video call or videos about it.

This was an amazing video. A lot of time went into making this. Thank you.

I loved Quantum Leap and bought the entire DVD collection several years ago and there was one or maybe two episodes in the earlier parts of the series that for a brief moment they showed the front side of the handlink so I stopped the video and it showed it to be a samsung model. I loved the original handlink because it looked clean. I didn't care for the "gummy" like ones. Thanks for the video.

The Halloween Episode ... It claimed at least on victime in France ... Me I was so confused. (I taped it on VHS because I was on a school trip and could not watch it live. When I came back the taping somehow got wrong and only recorded the very end of the episode when Sam woke up. Meaning I was as confused as Al was when Sam saved the guy's life and talked about a goat. It was in 94, and it took me almost 20 years before learning that a lot of people had weird occurence with this episode.)

I had NO clue that replicas were made! This is great!

You can actually briefly see THREE handlinks once Al walks up to the Imaging Chamber door. The second Gummi is actually illuminated on the wall as a door switch. The other Gummi is in Al's hand and the Calculator is in Gooshie's hand.

The replica Hand link would make a great Christmas gift 🎁

I appreciate this history- I picked up only a vague knowledge of them before now, so it's neat to see the lineage explained. As more information becomes available with the new series running, it would be neat to see a follow-up about the new one(s?), too. And I hope the replicas make an appearance somewhere, too! I don't have enough money for one but they're super cool and I'm glad they're out there.

6:08 Troian is not just Deborah's daughter, she's Don himself's daughter, too.

I have no idea what the new handlink is supposed to be. It's a disc but the characters look at it like it's projecting a hologram that the viewer and Ben can't see. The original handlinks make more sense given how technology evolved with regards to phone and PDA technology.

I always liked how the evil leader had her own version of the handling which looked even more mysterious to me.

The repaired wristlink video is mine , if you open it you will find a sticker with "repaired by Brent Kling" on it. I had to remove and replace a couple of the rare LEDs, replace the tether and rewire the driver chip , it was in real bad condition when I got it. The main white switch was worn out and couldn't be replaced so I repaired it.

Thanks for making this. Growing up, I was obsessed with quantum leap and the handlink! Just want to add, the iPhone 3G logic board very much resembles the shape of the gummy bear handlink. Was it inspired haha?

Controversial opinion inbound: I always preferred the calculators. Rotten pile of gummy bears! ;)

Awesome! The time and effort that went into this is great! Nice job

I'm not sure why the production team didn't ask you guys for one of your fan props. Seems like a no brainer. EDIT: Okay just saw this answered below. Let's see if they use the replicas.

I'd like to see a bit of the Lothos handlink. Not sure if they made multiples of that since it was only used in three episodes, but Zoey and Thames had different versions of it, curiously.

PLEASE continue to sell the Gummy Bear handlink. I can't afford it now but can in a year or two.

Very nice! Great job putting it all together.

Great video

Ali always wanted one when I was a kid

❤love this show

I never liked the gummy bear hand links (or, as I called them back before the internet, the LEGO hand links). I still don't like them. For me it marks a departure from an attempt at visual realism in the design to an exaggerated prop that exists just to be an exaggerated prop. Dean Stockwell did his best to sell it as a functional piece of tech, but both its look and lack of actual display or buttons or interface just killed it for me.

Awesome awesome video thank you.. I have been obsessed with these things since the original run. I even made my own circuit boards in high school for ~12-14 blinking LED's and stuck a buzzer on it that would make a half-decent mimic of the whining effect if I jammed my thumb over it hard enough.

The handlink = the 3rd main character in the series

"Well, the process kinda ... went a little ca-ca." So did the handlink props by today's standards. Good thing we rarely got a good look at them! Heh....

I want that!

The closest thing to the calculator version that was mass released was a pda for kids that could store phone numbers and things like that called the Cybiko and I still have mine the batteries need replacing I would have it with me when watching my dvd’s of quantum leap until I misplaced it

I really hearing about the Handlink History.

very cool!!!!

Cool❤

They could make ones that look like the ones from the show

do we know where a fan can purchase a handlink recreation? 😎

You out there, Dermo?...

Why don't we mention the Halloween episode name? I've never heard this before

The first cellphone.....

*hits handlink several times*

Long live Ziggy

The first tablet

Wait. What don’t you say the Boogieman?

I am so glad that the guide in the new Quantum Leap series doesn't need a hand link.

DEAN STOCKWELL QUANTUMLEAP & DEAN STOCKWELL ENTERPRISE

Something I absolutely can't stand about the new show is that the present looks nothing like it did in the original show. It's not good at all.

The colorful block handlink and wristlink and control room looks so dated and dopey

I am hearing the new Quantum Leap show stinks. I refuse to watch the new show, I am currently rewatching the old series.

plus the new quantom leap sucks bane.

The colorful gummy bear one sucked