It's more than a camera, it's almost alive. It's only nineteen dollars, and ninety-five!
Polaroid instant cameras had been around for years, but they were expensive gadgets that our PARENTS owned. In 1965, the camera company saw the obvious: there was a huge number of youngsters out there who needed to buy their product. So they came up with an ultra-modern (and inexpensive) design that was aimed straight at the face of youth.
Now, to top it off, we need a beautiful babe on the beach (Ali McGraw, if I'm not mistaken) as well as the catchiest tune of 1968's commercials to make this a cultural icon. Mission accomplished.
Of course, I was an eight-year-old kid in 1968 (although I fondly remember that babe on the beach), so I didn't get my mitts on a Swinger until a couple of years later, a gift from my oldest brother after he upgraded to a better camera.
It was a pretty cool item. The film was a bit pricey (hey, you can't make money selling cameras at cost!), and gave black-and-white images about three inches square, as I recall. Not studio quality, but perfect for a generation that was always on the go.
And yes, it really did say YES when the light was right.
Here's to a piece of Boomer culture that will live forever in our minds. Just TRY to get that song out of your head!
Comments (2)
I remember this camera! My aunt and uncle had the camera. We later got one of the poloroid cameras. I still have many of these heavy, clunky off color pictures in our photo albums. I remember having to peel off the backs to see the picture develop. Then in the 70s we got the poloroids that shot out the front the pictures with no peeling required. I have many of those poloroid. Today, many of those old poloroids are starting to crack. The swinger was a heavy camera for what it was! I remember the sexy girl commercials. I do remember the cartridges were expensive. I think I still have a couple poloroids in a closet someplace.
Posted by Rivers End | April 25, 2009 8:07 PM
Posted on April 25, 2009 20:07
This camera really changed many things. Some inspectors like my father, a building inspector, used Polaroids on the job. Some cold take their own "nude" pictures without fear of being seen by a developer. It gave us a measure on convenience, too. But resolution was not that great.
Digital cameras really replaced the Polaroid but did a much better job than the Polaroid. This is one thing that improved with age.
Posted by Scott Irv | July 14, 2009 12:08 AM
Posted on July 14, 2009 00:08