Give-A-Show Projector

This large plastic projector from Kenner was basically just a torch and a lens. By sliding strips of slides through the projector you could project a 4 sq. feet image on to a screen or wall and "give-a-show".

Its plastic casing changed shape and colour over the years, but it always contained a bright projector light bulb and a slot that allowed the user to feed a strip of film through the light it emitted to create projected images. 

To put on a show, the Projector user dimmed the lights and aimed their Give-A-Show Projector at the blank wall of their choice. 

They then fed a projection strip containing six slides through the side of the Give-A-Show Projector. The end result was a series of four-foot images that told a story to the viewers through words and pictures.

Okay, it wasn't quite the same as seeing a movie, but if the kid using it put their imagination to work, then time spent with the Give-A-Show Projector could be quite entertaining. As it became more popular, Kenner also added new elements to jazz it up. 

The most notable was the addition of sound, which was first achieved by adding a record to be played on a nearby record player while running the Give-A-Show Projector. 

Later versions would exchange records for cassette tapes. Another cool later variation on the Give-A-Show technology was the See-A-Show Hand-Held Stereo Viewer, which shrunk the machine and slides to a size that could be held in the hand and viewed through a View Master-style device.

Many types of slide were available, and one of the best things about Give-A-Show Projector was that Kenner obtained the licenses necessary to use some first-rate subjects for the slide shows, especially cartoon characters. A short list of the cartoon icons that appeared in Give-A-Show slides would include Bugs Bunny, Mighty Mouse, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Scooby-Doo, and Yogi Bear. 

Hanna-Barbera cartoons were especially represented, meaning even short-lived cartoons like Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan got their day in the Give-A-Show spotlight. One of the most popular Slide Shows was a cartoon version of Star Wars, which remains an in-demand item amongst both Star Wars fanatics and toy collectors today.

The Give-A-Show Projector continued to find favour with toy fans well into the 1980's with slide shows built around characters like Wicket the Ewok. They have not been made in recent years, but the old models continue to be traded eagerly today and continue to be of special interest to cartoon aficionados.

NB: Kenner also produced the Super Show Projector which projected small pictures onto a wall (or any surface) up to 16 sq. feet in original colours.