21

I was in the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley last week, and I saw this badge. I know I've seen that logo somewhere before, but I can't remember where! Does anyone know where it's from?

Logo of a bow tie guy with a spoon

wizzwizz4
  • 18,543
  • 10
  • 78
  • 144
Allanrbo
  • 311
  • 1
  • 2
  • tineye and images search didn't find anything from a cleaned-up version (http://imgur.com/0CR3kUr). Vague memories of it perhaps being an early consumer software company logo – scruss Aug 02 '16 at 13:56
  • Like scruss said, it must be a promotion deal from Microsoft. Probably handed out at trade shows. I found the following link...perhaps you could contact the museum and see what they know about it: http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102645147 – cbmeeks Jan 03 '17 at 16:50
  • The logo is the one they used from 1975 to 1987, this should help narrow down the search. – Thomas Jan 27 '17 at 21:54
  • I wouldn't be surprised if the top part (the guy with the spoon) was different for each recipient (most likely a vendor / customer) since it looks like dot matrix printing while the bottom of the logo looks like higher res – Thomas Jan 28 '17 at 12:06
  • so, I called microsoft and they told me they don't have a department archiving the history of the company, but they told me where to post it on their site so that people that have been long with the company can look at it; let's wait! – Thomas Jan 28 '17 at 12:28
  • 2
    could you post a link to your question on microsoft site? – sendmoreinfo Feb 20 '17 at 18:19
  • @Thomas It would be interesting to see who recognises it. – wizzwizz4 May 06 '17 at 17:20
  • @Thomas Microsoft does indeed have rather extensive archives of their own history - see this MSDN Channel 9 video, for example. It's entirely possible that the person you got a hold of didn't know about it, though. – Dranon Sep 13 '17 at 23:26
  • @Dranon I found that video as well. The Microsoft logo is a bit of a red herring - it's actually an Apple image, so not part of Microsoft history. – wizzwizz4 Sep 14 '17 at 16:27

1 Answers1

16

This is not a Microsoft logo - it is a logo for Apple's Gourmet baby food branch.

Back when Apple released the original Macintosh, they had a printed 40-odd page insert in Newsweek showing off what the Mac could do. Much of it revolved around the design and creation of a business or brochure for a fictional gourmet baby food. – Source

Thanks to Reddit user danamania for the recollection and especially for finding an archive of Newsweek including this Macintosh showcase.

How this ever got to be on a badge with the Microsoft logo is another story.

wizzwizz4
  • 18,543
  • 10
  • 78
  • 144
  • 2
    How this ever got to be on a badge with the Microsoft logo is another story One can only guess if it was an honest mistake, a plagiarism, or an inside joke. I hope it is the latter. – Leo B. Sep 13 '17 at 18:29
  • 1
    Why? Keep in Mind that Microsoft did support the Mac from the very first day with programs like Microsoft Basic, Multiplan and Chart. If you look close at the first large Mac ad where the Mac get compared with the IBM PC, you'll find pictures of Multiplan and Chart. Not long after the launch, Word got adopted for the Mac and established itself as standard above MacWrite. Gates (and thus MSFT) was a huge fan of MacOS, in fact, ehe even urged Jobs as late as 1985 to open up MacOS as standard, and Windows got only released after Jobs denied. Arround 1994, MSFT shut down Mac development. – Raffzahn Sep 13 '17 at 20:11
  • @Raffzahn You make a very good point - despite the advertisements only including Apple software, they were advertising the computer. – wizzwizz4 Sep 13 '17 at 20:28
  • 1
    @wizzwizz4 Well, small adjustment, note page 13 of the advertizement: http://www.macmothership.com/gallery/Newsweek/p013.jpg showing two MSFT programms for the Mac. – Raffzahn Sep 13 '17 at 20:36
  • nice finding info about this so many years later! – Thomas Sep 14 '17 at 16:14
  • Whoever's upvoting my posts, please stop! It's called "serial upvoting" and it's frowned upon on this site. – wizzwizz4 Jul 10 '19 at 14:51