1977 Northern Telecom Doodle Brown New in box with Vinyl pouch.

As Received August 30th 2025
From the private collection of BNR Industrial Designer Cliff Read .

Overview

• Manufacturer: Northern Telecom (formerly Northern Electric)
• Model: Doodle
• Year Introduced: 1977
• Series: Imagination decorative home telephones

Design & Construction

• Compact, rounded decorative telephone with modern 1970s styling
• Designed for dual use as a desk or wall-mounted telephone
• Manufactured at Northern Telecom’s London, Ontario plant
• Produced during the transition from mechanical ringers to electronic warblers

Dial Types

• Most surviving examples feature a rotary dial
• Some versions produced with Digitone (push-button) dialing

Portability & Accessories

• Marketed as a fashionable, semi-portable household telephone
• Original retail sets often included:
o Vinyl “kangaroo” carry bag
o Optional leather carrying case

Original Colors (1977)

• Brown (chocolate or dark brown)
• Orange
• Tan

Distribution

• Distributed in the United States through Northern Telecom’s Nashville headquarters
• Also sold by third-party distributors, including TeleConcepts

Historical Context

• Released shortly after subscribers were first permitted to own decorative telephone housings
• Represents Northern Telecom’s entry into the late-1970s decorative telephone market
• Part of the 1977–1978 Imagination series, which also included:
o Alexander Graham Plane: https://www.oldtelephoneroom.ca/category/agp/
o Diplomat: https://www.oldtelephoneroom.ca/1978-diplomat/