No Squat, No Stoop, No Squint

Near the end of the 1930s, the giant Philco radio corporation was searching for a new feature to distinguish their high-end models from the many radios then available. The company had already introduced such innovations as Automatic Tuning, high-fidelity audio output, Acoustic Clarifiers, and magnificently crafted console cabinets. The design engineers were running out of ideas … until someone took another look at those cabinets. In particular, the control panel (dial) on the cabinet.

Philco’s designers inclined the control panel back about 30 degrees, creating a control panel that the user could look down upon – instead of having to stoop or squat down in front of the radio. Now, the fortunate owner of a Philco could tune the radio’s dial with ease … and grace.

The idea was introduced in Philco’s sales literature for 1937, with the famous slogan “No Squat, No Stoop, No Squint”. Of course, it didn’t take Hollywood long to latch on to the slogan, parodying it in a number of movies and a Warner Bros. cartoon.

Nevertheless, the slanted-front design was a success, and became popular in many table models from other manufacturers right up through the 1950s.

SOURCES