Give-A-Show Projector
This large plastic projector from Kenner (distributed
via Chad Valley in the UK) 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.
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
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