Sony TPS-L2 "Walkman" Cassette Player: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This Sony "Walkman" portable tape player dates from the early 1980s. Originally introduced in 1979 as the “Soundabout,” two people could listen simultaneously while a small microphone permitted them to converse without removing their headsets. Powered by two AA batteries or an optional rechargeable battery pack, the recorder sold well until the decline of the cassette format in the mid 2000s.

Until the middle of the twentieth century portable recording equipment could be quite heavy. The introduction of small transistor radios in 1954 marked a new era in portable entertainment. Philips’ invention of a compact recording cassette in 1962 provided a convenient medium for music distribution.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: ca 1980
• maker: Sony
• Object Name: magnetic recording device
• Object Name: tape recorder
• Object Name: cassette player
• Other Terms: tape recorder; Audio Devices
• Physical Description: plastic (parts material)
• Physical Description: metal (parts material)
• Measurements: player: 5 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in x 1 1/8 in; 13.97 cm x 8.89 cm x 2.8575 cm
• ID Number: 1987.0127.01
• accession number: 1987.0127
• catalog number: 1987.0127.01
• Credit Line: from Sony Corporation of America
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.