Clocks & Music
1947 Remler 5500 "Scottie Pup" Bakelite Tube Radio Restored with Bluetooth
1947 Remler 5500 "Scottie Pup" Bakelite Tube Radio Restored with Bluetooth
This Remler Model 5500, nicknamed the "Scottie Pup," is one of the most playfully sculpted radio cabinets of the late 1940s, its dark brown Bakelite case built from three rounded, billowy sections divided by chrome banding. At the center, a maroon marbleized grille carries the brand's signature ivory Scottish Terrier emblem above vertical louvers, with the dial slid into an unusual position along the bottom edge of the cabinet rather than the front face, reading "Remler" above frequencies from 55 to 160.
The 5500 is a five-tube AM broadcast set, offered at launch in brown Bakelite, marketed as "Walnut," for $20, or for $3 more in smooth ivory Plaskon with a bamboo-colored grille as Model 5510, with a black Bakelite version following later. Its billowy, rounded case and bottom-mounted slide dial set it apart from more conventional tabletop designs of the period, giving the radio a distinctive silhouette that has made it a favorite among collectors of both vintage radios and Scottie dog memorabilia.
Remler's Scottish Terrier emblem predates the model by more than a decade, appearing on the company's radios as early as the 1930s, with Remler's founder Elmer Cunningham bearing a Scottish surname and Eleanor Roosevelt's own Scottie, Meggie, both suggested as early inspirations. The motif's popularity only grew further after 1940, when FDR's Scottie, Fala, became a national media sensation, and Remler continued producing Scottie-branded radios through the rest of the decade.
This example has been restored and equipped with Bluetooth through a 1/8 inch adapter, allowing a smartphone, tablet, computer, or record player to connect and play through the radio's original tube driven sound. The result pairs modern convenience with the warm tone of a vintage Remler set, housed in one of the most charming and distinctive small radio cabinets of the postwar era.
