Design Stories: Exploring Everyday ThingsMain MenuViking Roamer RM-315 RadioBlackberry Bold 9000CGE KE 860 Electric KettleGeneral Electric’s 1966 Mixer Gift SetTorcan 886P Desk FanBaby Champ 5110 RadioCGE Hair DryerNorthern Telecom DisplayphoneAmin Asgari, Jason Taylor, Jocelyn ZinSamson Dominion Ten-Ten HairsetterPedro Amaral, Markiyan Palisa, Maria PerriShayna Adivib7dacecf2514976340c9fee58413be50a837e99dMatteo De Sanctis2c7f0439bc7dbbce394cd0e83390508c4316e0f9Dylan Fleuelling724bd216cf74182c9eb4bf85f4606a9f90300f43Sanyukta Ghag97f13f26df5104f991a5c78bb41d5501520945a0Ipun Kandola03d267ee57ad9e450b2bdf7607c2a096f9e5b707Minjoo Kim49e4f45a5b4fbe8b16e096b51064bd70ed6cdfc2Jessica Lo7d943c8a531bf17a92d4ce73f45508d35571048bSam Loiselleb0bb424f55ffc54d35c4c41f04a27d6f1914a83aLuciana Loucel Morales3d71928b274e19c31fb29bde4fc89cfab59747ebShriya Mujumdar401f34f51ff8386c5fd4b09a5def6038ca96da55Binh Nguyen77159e04ccf5c117d1aafcf7d72182271cfe4379Madeleine North1716571a300e1e377a3f5a2800d66ac1abe953e4Hannah Palmier Blizzardb85a64743cf09ec2b4e0c037a864f93027666ab3John Emmanuel Sanchez33ea7858c1ccddd4c50514af2ce70aadfb85d654Veronika Straka4da98006d10b69194fdb4d8ffa5ee51bb82dc8e6Jersey Louise Stuart51967f8e0c22fbade42e8a48d7cf0a44ab625751Michelle Tieu6e71ec02b710e08ac76005bc08f9bbf8e71f73c6Shane Toyama9b06201b77bf32b849e009b2cbd92a7602c6bc69Kesha Upadhyay31af8fb220a8946dc1166ecfdd2597f5dd8d003cJillian Warneraab1e08d9b244e0aed9e36e52219fd40328c6753Amavi Weerakoon806c26de54e888d00f80819bd6ef5040b78ac4c6Jan Hadlawusers/jhadlaw1e125e7557d6dc997197c765699eef9bff624103
The Vancouver Sun. November 14, 1972. p. 55.
1media/The_Vancouver_Sun_1972_11_14_85_thumb.jpg2025-03-14T12:37:58-04:00April Dangb36c83fdfc238b0504e150ddbda46de3961b87531352The Vancouver Sun. November 14, 1972. p. 55. Digital Image. Newspapers + Publisher Extra https://www.newspapers.com : 2025.plain2025-03-18T15:30:31-04:0011/14/197249.2617701543458, -123.04070048835199Jasmine Tidd471dcb9f0e8267aafd8d02e66e24987fb9716996
12025-03-14T11:49:36-04:00April Dangb36c83fdfc238b0504e150ddbda46de3961b8753RM110 / V211 Advertisements TimelineJasmine Tidd4A series of advertisements of the RM110 model and its equivalent US model V211 in newspapers from 1969-1980timeline2025-03-18T15:28:55-04:00Jasmine Tidd471dcb9f0e8267aafd8d02e66e24987fb9716996
12025-03-14T13:13:27-04:00April Dangb36c83fdfc238b0504e150ddbda46de3961b8753RM110 / V211 Advertisements MapApril Dang2Map of where the RM110 / V211 phonograph appeared in advertisements across Canada and the US.google_maps2025-03-14T13:13:42-04:00April Dangb36c83fdfc238b0504e150ddbda46de3961b8753
Explore a comprehensive timeline and physical map featuring all 18 referenced advertisements, showcasing their placement in historical and geographical contexts.
The earliest documented appearance of the General Electric RM110 phonograph in the Canadian market we could find was in a Canadian Tire ad on December 9, 1969 (fig. 7). Interestingly, it was not listed under its model name at the time. In fact, the RM110 naming convention only appeared in three known instances: first, in The Ottawa Journal on February 12, 1970 (fig. 8); then, in a “Simpsons Day” promotional ad in The Toronto Star on November 15, 1971 (fig. 9); and finally, in an undated CGE Home Entertainment Centre catalogue (fig. 11). These were the only confirmed print advertisements that explicitly referenced the RM110 model name in Canada, though the phonograph itself appeared in additional advertisements under alternate branding.
In the following year, the RM110 phonograph reappeared in a Simpsons-Sears catalogue section of The Vancouver Sun on November 14, 1972 (fig. 10), this time rebranded with Mickey Mouse imagery and marketed as the ‘Mickey Mouse Phonograph.’ Under this name, the record player saw its widest circulation, appearing in approximately 100 Sears advertisements throughout the 1970s. Despite featuring little to no CGE branding, it was also marketed under alternative names, such as the ‘Kid-Proof Phonograph’ (fig. 12) and ‘Kid-Proof Mickey Mouse Phonograph’ (fig. 13). A Hamilton Spectator advertisement from November 22, 1972 (fig. 13) explicitly stated that this model was “Made exclusively for Simpsons-Sears by General Electric,” confirming that the various Sears-exclusive ‘Kid-Proof Phonograph’ models bearing the same design were indeed produced by General Electric as the RM110 phonograph. Beyond its initial appearances, the CGE RM110 resurfaced approximately 30 more times in Canadian advertisements, primarily in Canadian Tire ads under various names, including “CGE Record Player,” “CGE 2-Speed Mono Player,” and “CGE Mono Tote”—each accompanied by the listing number 34-9320 (fig. 14, fig. 15, fig. 16).
Broader Market Reach in the United States
In contrast to its seasonal and limited advertising in Canada, the equivalent U.S. model, GE V211, had a much stronger market presence, enjoying thousands of appearances year-round in various newspaper ads across the country, under various names including (but possibly not limited to): “Child’s Portable Phonograph” (fig. 17), “Youth Phonograph” (fig. 18), and “Recordmate” (fig. 19). The first documented appearance of the V211 in the U.S. market was on February 13, 1969, in a Woolco advertisement listing products from “The GE Small Home Appliance Show” (fig. 20). However, this listing lacked product imagery, making it difficult to confirm the exact model. The first verifiable appearance with an image was in the Ironton Tribune on April 9, 1969 (fig. 21).
Model Number Confusion and Variations in Design
Throughout its advertising history, there were numerous occasions of misattributed model numbers, the RM110 and its US equivalent V211 was misattributed to a very similar model. Notably, a visually similar model featuring a different speaker design—with radial perforations instead of horizontal perforated stripes—was sometimes incorrectly labeled as the RM110/V211. In at least one known U.S. advertisement, this radial speaker model was instead labeled as the V181 (fig. 22), suggesting that multiple variations of the design were in circulation, possibly produced for different retailers or specific consumer segments. This pattern of model number inconsistencies reinforces the likelihood that CGE and GE marketed the same core product under different names and slight design variations to cater to different regions, retailers, and consumer demographics. Additionally, the limited appearance of the RM110 in Canada may also be attributed to CGE’s weaker presence in the Canadian consumer market, which likely led the company to license its products to Canadian firms for distribution and marketing. At least in the case of this record player, this strategy appears to have been a key factor in its branding and retail placement.
Addendum: Similar Model by Heathkit
During the initial research for this phonograph, we came across several models of Heathkit phonograph that looks very similar to the General Electric model. Attached here is one such case from a Heathkit catalogue in 1969. This further proves the case that this phonograph was similar marketed to capture existing trends at the time, particularly that of marketing to the emerging children market.
