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!