Disco Preceded House and Grillo Preceded Mobile Phones
GRILLO, the precursor of mobile phones, revolutionized the concept of the telephone.
Who didn’t have the “Grillo” telephone at home, one of the most innovative objects of Italian design from the mid-1960s and the 1970s? Designed in 1965 by the duo Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper, its design was absolutely futuristic both in terms of aesthetics and functionality.
Today, “Grillo” can be considered a precursor of mobile phones because, unlike other telephones of that era, the microphone was hidden in the lower part of the shell, which opened with a snap simply by lifting the device. The ringer was also innovative because it was mechanical, a “buzzer” from which the name derived, and was placed directly in the telephone plug.
Produced by Siemens Italiana, “Grillo” won the “Compasso d’oro” in 1967, the most prestigious European design award. This prestigious prize was awarded for its absolutely innovative qualities. The material from which it was made, molded ABS, allowed the device to be used in an informal and, therefore, new way.
But above all, “Grillo” transformed the telephone from a necessary object for performing a function—making phone calls—into a furnishing accessory of undisputed design. “Grillo” was often used as a second telephone. Those who had it at home, do you remember where it was placed?
