 In the 1920s and 1930s, telephone technology shifted to the design of more efficient desk top telephones that featured a handset with receiver and transmitter elements in one unit, making the use of a telephone more convenient.However, despite ceasing new production, many candlestick telephones remained in operation, maintained by the telephone companies, throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s.Many retro-style versions of the candlestick telephone were made long after the original phones were obsolete by companies such as Radio Shack and the Crosley Radio company.