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On 2018-04-06, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com <hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:

> cute cartoon ad for Monroe calculators
> https://books.google.com/books?id=qEsEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA6&dq=life%20%22monroe%20adding%22&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q&f=false

Nice.

The one that stuck in my head (I think I first saw it here) is:

    Rockwell calculators,
    Gee, they're really neat.
    They have big green numbers,
    And little rubber feet.

I've heard that the ad was the product of Dick Orkin,
better known as Chickenman.  (He's everywhere, he's everywhere!)

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On Friday, April 6, 2018 at 3:27:37 PM UTC-4, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> On 2018-04-06, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com <hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:
> 
> > cute cartoon ad for Monroe calculators
> > https://books.google.com/books?id=qEsEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA6&dq=life%20%22monroe%20adding%22&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q&f=false
> 
> Nice.
> 
> The one that stuck in my head (I think I first saw it here) is:
> 
>     Rockwell calculators,
>     Gee, they're really neat.
>     They have big green numbers,
>     And little rubber feet.
> 
> I've heard that the ad was the product of Dick Orkin,
> better known as Chickenman.  (He's everywhere, he's everywhere!)

There's a bunch of Rockwell's available on e-bay:
https://www.ebay.com/b/Rockwell-Vintage-Calculator/58042/bn_348448

On 4/6/2018 2:26 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> On 2018-04-06, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com <hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:
> 
>> cute cartoon ad for Monroe calculators
>> https://books.google.com/books?id=qEsEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA6&dq=life%20%22monroe%20adding%22&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q&f=false
> 
> Nice.
> 
> The one that stuck in my head (I think I first saw it here) is:
> 
>      Rockwell calculators,
>      Gee, they're really neat.
>      They have big green numbers,
>      And little rubber feet.
> 
> I've heard that the ad was the product of Dick Orkin,
> better known as Chickenman.  (He's everywhere, he's everywhere!)
> 

This little jingle was "sung" on radio stations circa 1970...  I knew a 
girl in college that just loved the "big green numbers and little rubber 
feet" part!  This must have been an attempt to "humanize" calculators... 
  to make them have more of a "soft and fuzzy" feel.

-- 
numerist at aquaporin4 dot com

In article <pa8ivf$5o7$1...@dont-email.me>,
Charles Richmond  <nume...@aquaporin4.com> wrote:
>On 4/6/2018 2:26 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>> On 2018-04-06, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com <hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> cute cartoon ad for Monroe calculators
>>>
>https://books.google.com/books?id=qEsEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA6&dq=life%20%22monroe%20adding%22&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q&f=false
>> 
>> Nice.
>> 
>> The one that stuck in my head (I think I first saw it here) is:
>> 
>>      Rockwell calculators,
>>      Gee, they're really neat.
>>      They have big green numbers,
>>      And little rubber feet.
>> 
>> I've heard that the ad was the product of Dick Orkin,
>> better known as Chickenman.  (He's everywhere, he's everywhere!)
>> 
>
>This little jingle was "sung" on radio stations circa 1970...  I knew a 
>girl in college that just loved the "big green numbers and little rubber 
>feet" part!  This must have been an attempt to "humanize" calculators... 
>  to make them have more of a "soft and fuzzy" feel.
>

I head the story of that ad somewhere years ago.  (Maybe NPR?).  Anyway,
the point was that all calculators at the time were pretty much the same
featurewise, so the company decided to go with humor to differentiate
their product which was otherwise no better (and no worse) than the others.

Also, I think I remember that the ad was performed by Stiller and Meara.
-- 
------
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

On Friday, April 6, 2018 at 5:18:00 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:

> Also, I think I remember that the ad was performed by Stiller and Meara.

The Decade Channel had reruns of Ed Sullivan.  In one show,  he
introduced a "young comedic couple, Stiller and Meara!", I guess
that was 50-55 years ago.  The tape was well preserved and in
color so it looked contemporary.

On Friday, April 6, 2018 at 5:18:00 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:

> columbiaclosings.com
> What's not in Columbia anymore..

The above has nothing to do with Columbia University.  However, 
IBM had two research labs at Columbia, both in nearby townhouses:

612 West 116th Street (1945-1053)
612 West 115th Street (1953-1970).

Today those buildings are used for other purposes and there is
no evidence of IBM's presence.

hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> 612 West 115th Street 
> there is no evidence of IBM's presence.

Other than the name ...

Here is a color ad for a Monroe calculator from 1937:
https://books.google.com/books?id=xEQEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA23&dq=life%20june%207%201937&pg=PA56#v=onepage&q&f=false


Here is a color ad of a more sophisticated model:
https://books.google.com/books?id=xkQEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA7&dq=life%20monroe%20calculators&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q&f=false


This machine supports multiplication and division:
https://books.google.com/books?id=RFEEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA49&dq=life%20monroe%20calculator%20multiply&pg=PA49#v=onepage&q&f=false