“40 Years of Mac: A Salute to the Iconic Mr. Macintosh”

The Apple Macintosh made its debut 40 years ago on January 24th, 1984. In honor of this milestone, the Folon Foundation revealed an interesting anecdote: Steve Jobs had once enlisted the help of Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon to create an illustrated character that would reside within every Mac and surprise its owner – Mr. Macintosh, also known as Mac Man.

Mac designer Andy Hertzfeld recalled hearing about this idea directly from Steve Jobs in 1982:

“Mr. Macintosh is a mysterious little man who lives inside each Macintosh. He pops up every now and then, catching you off guard, only to wink at you and disappear again. It all happens so quickly that you’re not even sure if you saw him or not. We’ll include mentions of Mr. Macintosh in our manuals, creating a legend that will keep everyone guessing about his existence.”

But it wasn’t until a few months later that Jean-Michel Folon became involved, according to Hertzfeld.

“The software team was preoccupied with more pressing matters, so the concept of Mr. Macintosh was put on hold for a while.” However, after finally meeting Folon, Jobs was convinced that the artist’s playful, thought-provoking style would be the perfect fit for Mr. Macintosh. Jobs invited Folon to visit the Mac team in Cupertino to demonstrate and potentially commission his work.

Unfortunately, the project did not come to fruition, but as Hertzfeld wrote, it wasn’t because of any discord between Folon and Apple.

“Folon was captivated by the early stages of the Macintosh, when he first saw it in 1982. He returned to Cupertino in the following spring to share his sketches with the team. However, Apple ultimately had to abandon the idea of Mr. Macintosh due to limited ROM, disk space, and development time.”

But this fascinating tidbit of Mac history has also become highly sought-after collectibles, such as the buttons featuring Folon’s drawings that were handed out at trade shows, a Mac poster designed by Folon, and even a letter between him and Jobs which was once auctioned and showcases their friendship.

While these items are quite rare, take solace in exploring the array of links and images available. One particular highlight is the original Mac circuit board with Folon’s Mac Man proudly displayed next to its copyright notice – a personal favorite.