The 1924 Mikiphone: The World’s First Pocket Record Player

In the 1920s, long before modern devices took over our daily lives, a small invention brought music into people's pockets.

This wonder of the past called the mickeyphone was a pocket-sized phonograph that allowed you to take your favorite tunes wherever you went.

The Mikiphone, a portable phonograph small enough to fit in one's pocket, was the brainchild of Hungarian brother-sister Miklos and Etienne Vadasz.

It entered mass production under a licensing agreement with Maison Paillard based in St. Croix, Switzerland.

Maison Paillard, which originated from a group of local clockmakers who came together in 1814, initially worked on designing music boxes around 1860.

As the 19th century came to an end, the company expanded its offerings to include cylinder phonographs and by 1905 made a full transition to disc gramophones. In particular, in 1913, Paillard introduced an electric AC gramophone motor.

From 1927 onwards, the company expanded its portfolio to include electric amplifiers for gramophones and later moved into radio equipment production.

Between these milestones, Mason Paillard manufactured approximately 180,000 units of the Vadaz brothers' miciphones.

Unlike today's modern musical instruments, the miciphone operated without batteries, instead relying on a hand-crank for power. Its sound was amplified through resonators.

At first glance, the closed microphone looks quite compact, easily fitting inside a purse.

However, it requires some assembly, with its components stored within the case which, when closed, measures only 11.5 cm in diameter and 4.7 cm in thickness.

The recording head and two-piece Bakelite resonator had to be attached to a foldout tone arm before the shellac disc was placed on the central pin of the turntable.

This precision engineering achievement was awarded first prize at an international music exhibition in Geneva in 1927.

When fully assembled, the mickeyphone occupies a considerable amount of space and was designed primarily to play 10-inch records.

This made it an entertainment device suitable for gatherings rather than a portable companion for your everyday chores.