1-900-490-FREAK (lost audio from "Freddie Freaker" interactive 1900 number; 1987-1995)

A screenshot of a commercial advertising the phone line

Status: Lost

1-900-490-FREAK, most known for its commercial, was an interactive 1900 number that mostly geared towards kids and teenagers. When someone would call the number, the caller would be given a choice from leaving a recording, hearing a recording, leave a message to Freddie Freaker, the mascot for the 1900 phone line, and learn what's popular and what wasn't. A large majority of the recordings were rap songs, while others were jokes, weird sounds, and party locations. The most creative of the recordings would even get broadcasted on the phone in its own section and the people who managed to get their recordings there would be known as a "Freak Phone Star."

It became a huge hit with MTV audiences and callers to a point where people would often ask for official merchandise of Freddie Freaker to a point where the creators couldn't be able to listen to them all. It was eventually shelved during the time because the company who owned the phone line wanted to focus more on developing more phone programs and because of the cost prototyping was. Kevin Leto (The co-creator of Freddie) said this is what would happen if you called the number: "You could make funny recordings, freaky messages, record rap tunes, leave a message for Freddie, hear about what's freakin, anything and everything. Majority of the messages were user created rap tunes. Some were really good rappers. Then we had a section to hear the best recordings."

Devotion

There was a Tumblr page devoted to fuckyeafreddyfreaker on July 31st, 2014. Beaker.com wrote about the character and spoke to Simmons about what he knew of the project. There, it was revealed that the terms "The Party Freak" and "Freddie Freaker" were trademarked in 1988 and canceled in the mid-90s

Availability

Most of what was recorded on the phone line were recorded on physical tape machines and are still in storage to this day. However, none of the recordings of the Freak Phone Stars was ever shown online neither the ones that weren't featured. But with thoughts of reviving the phone line's mascot, it is possible that we're able to hear these recordings any time soon.

Gallery

A comercial that was used on MTV to advertise the phone number

External Links

• The Wikia page on 1-900-490-FREAK.
• The KnowYourMeme page on Freddie Freaker.