Gizmo series
Little Professor
Texas Instruments · Educational toy · 1976
- From the Laurence King book Gizmo: The Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost — May 2026
- Featured in The Guardian · The Times · Elle Decoration
- Free UK delivery on every order · Worldwide shipping
Released in 1976, the Little Professor reversed the normal relationship between child and calculator. Texas Instruments built a device that asked the questions rather than answered them.
About this print
About this print
Before the Speak & Spell, Texas Instruments had another idea: a calculator that asked the questions instead of answering them. The Little Professor, released in 1976, reversed the normal relationship between child and machine. It set maths problems and waited for you to solve them - displaying a scowling face if you got it wrong.
This Gizmo print captures the Little Professor's wonderfully odd design - the owl-like form with its oversized LED display, the chunky keys designed for small fingers. A device that proved educational technology didn't need to be boring.
The Gizmo series
The Gizmo series
Gizmo is a collection of design-led art prints built around the machines that shaped how we made music, wrote code, played and connected with the world. Synthesisers and drum machines. Cameras and home computers. Calculators and handheld devices that once felt like the future.
Each print is a carefully constructed illustration that isolates what made an object memorable - its proportions, controls, typography, surfaces, and small acts of engineering intelligence. Not retro sentimentality, but honest observation: what made these machines distinctive, how they looked when they were new, and why their forms still resonate.
Adapted from and inspired by Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.
Paper and printing
Paper and printing
All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.
Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.
Dimensions
Dimensions
Large · 50 × 70 cm · 20 × 28 in
XLarge · 70 × 100 cm · 28 × 40 in
Delivery
Delivery
UK: Free · 3-5 working days
Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges
USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days
Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days
Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days
All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.
Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.
Returns
Returns
Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.
Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.