Stowaway TPS-L2 thumbnail 1
Stowaway TPS-L2 thumbnail 2
On display

This object consists of 3 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Stowaway TPS-L2

Personal Stereo
1979-1980 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The Sony Stowaway TPS-L2 was the first-ever portable stereo, designed and produced by Sony in 1979. 'Stowaway', which would later become universally known as the 'Walkman', was developed in response to the request from Nasaru Ibuka, founder of the Sony Corporation in Tokyo, for a stereo cassette player that could be carried around in the pocket. The stereo was marketed as the 'world's smallest stereo' and claimed to produce a quality of sound comparable to stereo equipment 100 times its size. The total weight of the Stowaway was 391 grams.

When the first generation of Walkmans was launched, alternative names were used in different markets. For their name, Sony America jad proposed, 'Sony Disco Jogger', due to the popularity of disco and jogging at that time. This was vetoed by Sony's Chairman, Akio Morita, who believed that an older demographic should not be excluded from potential purchasers and that the word 'disco' would risk alienating this demographic. The name eventually selected was 'Soundabout,' coined from the expression 'walk about'.

As Walkman quickly became popular in Japan with visitors to Japan buying them as gifts to take home, the product name 'Walkman' became well known overseas. In April 1980, Morita declared at a sales meeting in the US that 'Walkman' would be used as the standard product name worldwide.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Personal Stereo
  • Case
  • Packaging
TitleStowaway TPS-L2 (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Plastic and metal
Brief description
Personal stereo, 'Stowaway TPS-L2', designed and manufactured by Sony, plastic and metal, 1979-80

model Stowaway TPS-L2; Japanese 1979-80 des. and man. Sony

model Stowaway TPS-L2; Japanese 1979-80 des. and man. Sony
Physical description
A portable, blue and silver metal and plastic cassette recorder and player with control buttons and sliders on the top and side of the unit.
Dimensions
  • Height: 15cm
  • Width: 9cm
  • Depth: 3.5cm
  • Weight: 391g (Note: Taken from product specs.)
Production typeMass produced
Gallery label
STEREO CASSETTE PLAYER: STOWAWAY SONY TPS-L2 AND MDR-3L2 HEADPHONES
Designed and made by Sony, Tokyo, Japan, 1979-80
Metal and plastic
Given by Sony (UK) Ltd.

Stowaway was developed in response to the request from Nasaru Ibuka, founder of the Sony Corporation in Tokyo, for a stereo cassette player that could be carried around in the pocket. It was marketed as the 'world's smallest stereo' and claimed to produce a quality of sound comparable to stereo equipment 100 times its size. Including batteries it weighs 13.8 ounces. Sony's smallest Walkman ever produced weighs 6.7 ounces.
Credit line
Given by the manufacturer
Production
Reason For Production: Retail
Subjects depicted
Summary
The Sony Stowaway TPS-L2 was the first-ever portable stereo, designed and produced by Sony in 1979. 'Stowaway', which would later become universally known as the 'Walkman', was developed in response to the request from Nasaru Ibuka, founder of the Sony Corporation in Tokyo, for a stereo cassette player that could be carried around in the pocket. The stereo was marketed as the 'world's smallest stereo' and claimed to produce a quality of sound comparable to stereo equipment 100 times its size. The total weight of the Stowaway was 391 grams.

When the first generation of Walkmans was launched, alternative names were used in different markets. For their name, Sony America jad proposed, 'Sony Disco Jogger', due to the popularity of disco and jogging at that time. This was vetoed by Sony's Chairman, Akio Morita, who believed that an older demographic should not be excluded from potential purchasers and that the word 'disco' would risk alienating this demographic. The name eventually selected was 'Soundabout,' coined from the expression 'walk about'.

As Walkman quickly became popular in Japan with visitors to Japan buying them as gifts to take home, the product name 'Walkman' became well known overseas. In April 1980, Morita declared at a sales meeting in the US that 'Walkman' would be used as the standard product name worldwide.
Collection
Accession number
W.22-1992

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Record createdApril 10, 2001
Record URL
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