Mavis Beacon is a fictional character created for the ''
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing'' line of computer software.
History
Developed to be a personification of a
The Software Toolworks instructional typing program, Mavis Beacon debuted as simply a photo of a model on the software's packaging in 1987. The model chosen to be the face of Mavis was
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
an-born Renée L'Espérance, who was discovered working behind the perfume counter at
Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills by former
talk-show host and partner at
The Software Toolworks Les Crane in 1985.
Mavis's name comes from a combination of
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...
(one of the software developer's favorite singers) and the word ''
beacon'' (an allusion to her role as a guide to typing).
There have been several models chosen to represent the confident efficiency of Mavis Beacon; her image changes to represent a "modern professional typing instructor."
According to an opinion article in the New York Times, author J.D. Biersdorf opined, "Due to Mavis Beacon being portrayed by a black woman, some retailers were initially reluctant to display the product. However, once the popularity of the program became evident, many distributors reversed their decision and began to display the line of software bearing Mavis Beacon's image."
Since its introduction, ''Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing'' has been the best-selling instructional typing software.
Fame
Mavis Beacon has been seen as groundbreaking for being one of the first computer instruction characters and for being a female African-American embodiment of computer software. Throughout the 1990s, Mavis Beacon served as the virtual typing instructor at numerous U.S. schools. As of 1998, she had instructed 6,000,000 school children.
Mavis has been compared to U.S.
cultural icon Betty Crocker
Betty Crocker is a brand and fictional character used in advertising campaigns for food and recipes. The character was originally created by the Washburn-Crosby Company in 1921 following a contest in the '' Saturday Evening Post''. In 1954, ...
and has been called "the Betty Crocker of cyberspace".
Confusion
Mavis Beacon is often thought to be a living or historical figure by the public. This confusion has led many to contact the software developers seeking to speak to, interview, or book Mavis for an event. Furthermore, as a result of Mavis Beacon's continuous use in computer typing software, and her image on millions of software boxes, many
consumers have reported
confabulations (i.e. false memories) of Mavis Beacon winning typing contests or appearing on talk shows.
Documentary
In 2022 ''Seeking Mavis Beacon'', a documentary, was released to tell the story of Mavis Beacon, and its creation by the men behind the company, Joe Abrams, Les Crane and Walt Bilofsky.
See also
*
Typequick
Typequick Pty Ltd (stylised TYPE''QUICK'') is an Australian courseware company specialising in the development of computer-based touch-typing tutor systems of the same name. The first ''Typequick'' program was developed by Noel McIntosh's AID ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beacon, Mavis
Female characters in advertising
Fictional African-American people
Mascots introduced in 1987