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IBM Portable Personal Computer

IBM Portable Personal Computer Advertising Button Museum
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IBM Portable Personal Computer Advertising Button Museum
IBM Portable Personal Computer button back Advertising Button Museum
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IBM Portable Personal Computer
Image Description: 

Black text along the top edge with an illustration of a man in a top hat, suit and carrying a cane and a portable computer.

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The IBM Portable Personal Computer, one of the first “laptop” computers ever produced, was introduced by the computer manufacturer in February, 1984. The computer was considered portable due to the fact that it could be carried around like a small suitcase, as represented in this button. The monitor and CPU were combined into the one unit, and the keyboard folded down and could be detached when in use. The button features an image of Charlie Chaplin’s famous character “The Little Tramp”, and was a part of a $36-million dollar advertising campaign for IBM’s personal computers based on Chaplin’s films. The pixelated look of the button is most likely a reference to the way text appeared on the Portable Personal Computer’s monitor. 

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