Projector:Kenner's Give-a-Show Projector

Watch the shows, buy the products. Could there be anything more intimately connected in American consumer culture than TV and advertising? The Kenner Products Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, heavily promoted this red-and-blue plastic projector via children's television programs in the 1960s and 1970s. In turn, this toy reinforced kids' interest in TV shows and characters with filmstrips from "Mr. Magoo," "George of the Jungle," "Bugs Bunny," "Captain Kangaroo," "Rocky & Bullwinkle," and many other familiar cartoon shows. Though the technology for the projector had changed little from its first incarnation as a magic lantern well over a hundred years before, clearly its use had. In the late 19th century, when projectors first became popular items in American homes, they offered entertainment and instruction for the entire family. Parents used them to teach their children about the latest scientific ideas or historical events, while children delighted in their spectacular images. By the late 20th century, American culture had changed. This projector's appeal was commercial entertainment, not education.