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It seems that when the TR-63 came out, radios small enough to be slipped
into a pocket were known in the US as "pocket" radios. Today the word
"pocketable" appears in English dictionaries. We now use it without a
second thought, but who would ever guess that it originated as a
Japanese-English term invented by Totsuko when it launched the TR-63?
Both the early TR-55, and the TR-72 (which established the transistor
radio's reputation) had been far too large to qualify as "pocketable." The
best one could say of their size would have been "portable." Thus the
catchphrase "pocketable radio" was coined to emphasize how much more
compact the new model had become.
Unfortunately though, the TR-63 was just barely larger than the pocket
on a typical businessman's dress shirt. The catch phrase would have lost
its punch --- except for a little ruse on Morita's part. He had shirts
custom-made for his salesmen featuring a slightly larger pocket.
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The TR-63 pocketable
transistor radio. |
" A radio in every home" had been the slogan of the Ministry of Posts
and Telecommunications as well as NHK since the end of WWII. With the advent
of the TR-63, however, the radio was set free from its position in the home
and transformed into a personal effect. No longer part of the furniture, it
would become a convenient aid to everyday living which could be taken out of
the house and listened to while walking, driving a car, or doing almost
anything.
So intense was popular interest in the new pocketable radio that 50 of
them were issued as "the first TR-63 off the line." Logically, of course,
there can only be one "first off the line," but because Totsuko's fans
were so enthusiastic to own "the first off the line" 50 of them ended up
being supplied.
One other unforgettable aspect of the TR-63 was that it was the first
transistor radio model to be exported. The export price was $39.95. It was
such a success that regular shipments could not keep up with year's-end
demand, and a JAL plane had to be chartered to air-freight a large
consignment. The November 16 Asahi Shimbun carried the following report:
" As the Christmas season approaches in the West, the search for gifts
is on. Shipping by sea would have missed the peak demand period, so a
special JAL cargo plane flew in an export load of Sony TR-63 radios. Totsuko
has so far exported some 20,000 transistor radios, and they are highly
regarded overseas."
This steady expansion into the export market owed a great deal to
Morita's August 1957 trip to the US, when he concluded a long-term agreement
with Agrod Co. to serve as agent for several Totsuko products including a
couple of Sony radios known as the "Baby-corder," and the "Transear."
Together with British Industries, Agrod was one of the two biggest
electrical appliance sales firms, with a strong network throughout North
America representing leading German, British and Swiss manufacturers.
Totsuko's products were the first Japanese products to be handled by Agrod.
Up until then, the Sterecorder had been sold in the US through Superscope,
Ltd. The Sterecorder's high reputation for quality, plus the reaction to the
TR-6 transistor radio, which was featured on the cover of Popular Science
magazine, were among the factors that promoted a sales agreement between
Totsuko and Agrod.
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