The Sony Boy or “Atchan” first made it’s appearance in 1956, when advertised with the model TR-6 radio. The figure was based on a cartoon by the illustrator, Fuyuhiko Okabe. Prior to rebranding as Sony, the company was still called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo until 1958. The advertising figure came in many sizes and shapes over the next 10 years before the company moved on to other marketing methods.