ABSTRACT

The Give-A-Show projector was a toy projector introduced by Cincinnati-based company Kenner in 1959 that remained a hallmark product for the company for over two decades. The Give-A-Show’s function as a projector is fruitfully contextualized within the much broader historical traditions of both domestic media technologies and media toys for children. Despite the well-documented practices of home magic lantern and cinema projections as family affairs, comparatively little work has considered the specificity of toy versions of these same media, and children as their attendant users. The Easy-Show Projector’s self-contained cartridges were designed to obviate the need for the child to thread the film in a complicated manner, though many collectors remark on the difficulty of loading the cartridges and their tendency to tangle. The projector’s historical and cultural significance is also indicated by its inclusion in a range of museum collections.