The Craziest TVs in History (Gallery)

Buying a TV these days is as simple as walking into the nearest store and picking a rectangular panel made of LED lights and plastic. But it wasn't always like that. In the past, televisions had personality—they reflected the design trends of every era and stood on par with any work of art. Today we invite you to explore a gallery of some of the most striking examples, from the early mechanical models of 1930 to the spherical "televisions of the future".

In their early years, televisions served as furniture, not only because of their bulk and technical limitations, but also because they were special pieces that demonstrated the enormous effort of having acquired one. A TV could cost several months' salary, and for decades, they remained financially out of reach for millions of families.

As solid-state technology gained traction, televisions managed to shrink in size, weight, and most importantly, price, but they never fully turned their back on art. The development of new plastics, the influence of the Space Age, and the explosion of color enriched the market, giving rise to vibrant designs with strange angles, plenty of curves, and a desire to make the television something very personal. Want to know more? Here you have almost 60 years of pure magic in televisions. Enjoy!