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Hideous Telephones

Started by Stephen Furley, August 04, 2009, 05:42:30 PM

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Stephen Furley

Any nominations?  I've got a few:

The Dali Lobster

http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=2988

Empress Deluxe Push Button Telephone, Padua Table Dial Telephone, Parisienne Table Dial Telephone and Rondo Telephone from this page: http://www.telephonesuk.co.uk/phones_1980on.htm  All supposed to look like old 'phones, but they don't.

GPO Bakelite 'Crocodile'
http://tinyurl.com/n62q7d

This one is brand new in box if anybody wants to buy it.  Seems to have less buttons than the similar ones which I've seen in the past.

gpo706

Pretty hideous, except the Dali phone, I love the surrealists and think that is probably my ultimate phone!
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

HobieSport

#2
This ought to be a fun thread.

I guess it's somewhat a matter of personal taste. For example, I really like lobster ;), and I think Dali was making a joke in his usual weird fun way.

And the GPO intercom looks just uncommon enough to seem cool to me. Like the "stretch limo" of phones.

I don't like modern phones that try to look like old phones, and the fancier and more gaudily decorative they get, the more they put me off. I guess I just prefer honest simple designs with just a bit of style and class.

I won't even get into "novelty" phones because then the sky is the limit for potential hideousness.
-Matt

bwanna

ugghhh hate the lobster phone :P   kinda like that"streeetch limo" :D  don't even mention the novelty phones.   >:(
donna

McHeath

Novelty phones usually win the awards for bad design, along with phones that are trying to look old like the "Rondo" phone on Stephen's page with the "Empress".


HobieSport

#5
Quote from: bwanna
ugghhh hate the lobster phone

I think I could live with it with butter, garlic and chopped parsley sauce tho. :P

I have a sneaking suspicion that Dali did not intend for his lobster phones to be "liked". Shock value is more like it.  It's surrealism of course...Are we talking on a telephone or speaking into the wrong end of a creepy leggy crustacean with claws by our ears? :o

But then, I prefer Art Deco to Surrealism... ;)
-Matt

Greg G.

My nominations:

1.  Sheep phone

2. Man's innards phone.

The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

HobieSport

...and of course any good old phone that someone has made into a lamp...
-Matt

bingster

From a current ebay auction...
= DARRIN =



bwanna

uuummmm, i think that one is kinda purty  ;)
donna

bingster

#10
Girls.  ::)

Here you go, Bwanna:  > Fancy Fone <   ( dead link 02-20-21 )
= DARRIN =



bwanna

thx bingster

i think the silver cover must be VERY valuable, as the phone came from a "wealthy estate"! ;D

you make fun all you want, but i do have the handset cover on one of my princess phones :P
donna

Dennis Markham

Last week I bought an Ivory 591.  It has one of those handset covers on it.  That will be the first thing that will come off---before the dirt.  I have 5 or 6 of them now.  If anyone wants one or more let me know.....free too!

bingster

Nice find, Dennis.   I should pay more attention--when I see a silver cover on the listings page, I don't even bother opening the auction page for that phone.
= DARRIN =



Dennis Markham

#14
Thanks Bingster.  I couldn't pass it up.  It's an ivory, all dates matching including the cords.  

I think I'll make a separate posting to show those that may not have seen a Model 591 the difference.  I'll post a link here afterward.

Link to the posting about the W.E. Model A/B 591

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1364.new#new