#toot-a-loop

On this day in 1920, 8MK (now WWJ), arguably the nation’s first commercial radio station, began airing a test run of daily broadcasts out of Detroit News’s headquarters at the corner of Lafayette and 2nd Avenues.

We’re observing the date with this 1972 advertisement for National Panasonic’s "Sing-O-Ring" radio, which was also marketed under the brand name "Toot-a-Loop". These novelty radios were made by Panasonic’s division in Japan and featured a twistable center pivot and an advertising jingle that declared "It's an S it's an O it's a crazy radio! Toot a loop!".

Panasonic Toot-a-Loop radio!

The Toot-a-Loop Radio or Panasonic R-72 is a novelty radio made in the early 1970s. This radio was designed to be wrapped around the wrist (provided your wrist wasn't too large). It also came with stickers for customizing the unit.

Reception was the AM broadcast band only - no FM (the FM version of this radio is called RF-72). The radio was shaped something like a donut with the hole off-center. When twisted, the smaller half would pivot and the larger half would separate, forming an "S" shape. 

One side of the radio had a grille behind which sat the speaker. There was also a jack for a mono earplug. The tuner was located inside one of the "splits," so the radio had to be twisted into the "S" position in order to be tuned, but the volume control was on the outer diameter of the radio and could be adjusted regardless of whether the radio was twisted open or closed. 

The Toot-a-Loop came in several colors including white, Red, Blue and Yellow. It was also produced in orange and lime, which were sold in Australia and New Zealand. Australian and New Zealand models had the badging National Panasonic and were advertised as a "Sing-O-Ring" radio. Also known by collectors as a bangle or wrist radio. The advertisement song went "It's an S it's an O it's a crazy radio! Toot a loop!".

Radio, radio! Do you recognize any of these retro radios from our design collection?