Gösta Thames

Gösta Thames (full name Hans Gösta Thames) was born on December 1, 1916 in the Katarina parish of Stockholm, Sweden, and passed away on September 14, 2006 in Mjölby, Östergötland. He was a Swedish engineer and industrial designer most closely associated with the creation of the iconic Ericofon, popularly known as the Cobra telephone. Thames began his professional journey in 1938 as an engineering apprentice at LM Ericsson, where he quickly developed an interest in product form and design alongside his technical responsibilities. In the 1940s, early design studies for a unified handset and dial telephone had been initiated by designer Ralph Lysell, but the project stalled during World War II. It was not until 1949 that Thames was appointed to lead the development of what would become the Ericofon. As project leader, Thames emphasized ergonomic comfort and intuitive usability, insisting that the phone should feel natural and easy to hold—even in the dark. Though he did not sketch designs himself, he worked closely with Ericsson’s model makers to refine the form, believing that engineering expertise could be developed into design sensibility. The Ericofon, launched in the mid-1950s, became a global design success known for its distinctive single-piece plastic form that functionally integrated the dial and handset. Its sleek, snake-like silhouette earned it the nickname Cobra.