Posts Tagged 1980s
Introduced in the United States in 1984, the Transformers have been among the most popular toy lines ever since. They were robots who could change into sportscars, jets, spaceships, and dinosaurs. The appeal was obvious. Cartoons and comic books established a storyline about the heroic Autobots protecting Earth from the evil Decepticons. The above sales brochure was included with boxed Transformers toys in 1984.
The Henry Ford has a small collection of some of the early Transformers. Most of the toys in our collection have a single image as part of their catalog records, but we wanted to be able to show these “robots in disguise” in all of their configurations.
Each configuration needed to be lit differently, because the shadows and reflections would change as the toy’s parts were moved. As many as eight different light sources were used for each shot.
We also found that some of the robots’ joints had become extremely tight from age, making them difficult to transform. Other joints had become loose, making the robots difficult to stand.
This is just one example of how having a little insider knowledge (in this case, of the geekier kind) can help better document and display a collection item.
The rest of the Transformers can be viewed on our collections website.
Jim Orr did not offer to help photograph the Transformers as a way to spend an afternoon playing with some of his favorite toys.
20th century, 1980s, toys and games, popular culture, photography, digitization, by Jim Orr
Thirty years ago today, Ronald Reagan - 40th president of the United States - survived an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr.
One of his Secret Service agents, Jerry Parr, recently filmed a segment with CNN inside Henry Ford Museum, recounting the terrifying events of that day while exploring the presidential limousine that carried them both to the hospital immediately after the shots were fired.
Today, you can see this vehicle on display inside Henry Ford Museum; due to security restrictions, it is the last of the presidential limousines that will ever be preserved (all others are now destroyed).
A few interesting facts about the vehicle itself include:
For more background on this historic event, USA Today published an article by Mr. Parr describing what happened after the shots were fired (including their ride to the hospital in the limousine), and CNN.com also has a gallery of rarely-seen photographs from the attack.
Where were you when you heard that President Reagan had been shot? What do you remember most from that day?
Additional Readings:
- 1912 Baker Electric Victoria: Transportation for Five First Ladies
- Building a Presidential Vehicle
- Rawhide Cool
- The Henry Ford at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Washington DC, 21st century, 2010s, 20th century, 1980s, presidents, presidential vehicles, limousines, Henry Ford Museum, convertibles, cars
