Mickey Mouse Telephone
1977

As the era of novelty telephones took hold in the 1970s, third-party phones of all shapes and gimmicks began finding their way into homes. Most telephone companies were still discouraging the practice of customers connecting third-party phones to their lines, but interestingly-shaped phones caught on regardless. AT&T responded with their own Western Electric “Design Line” series, a set of eclectic telephones pushing the boundaries of telephone design.

One iconic entry to the range featured a sculpted (and licensed) likeness of Disney’s Mickey Mouse. The success of the Mickey phone, which was also available with an integrated desk-lamp attachment, ensured the place of popular cartoon characters in novelty phone design for generations to come.