BGuthrie Photos: MD -- Baltimore -- Geppi's Entertainment Museum -- 7. Expanding Universe 1971-1990

MD -- Baltimore -- Geppi's Entertainment Museum -- 7. Expanding Universe 1971-1990:

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Description of Pictures: EXPANDING UNIVERSE 1971-1990
From 1971 to 1990, America shifted from an industrial to an information economy as new media technologies increased the nation’s focus on home entertainment. Affordable video recorders, computers, video game systems and even fast food franchises provided new avenues for pop culture characters to become part of our lives and take us as far as the stars.

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. GEPPI7_131004_005.JPG: Expanding Universe "The Force will be with you... always." -- Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness), Star Wars It was a period of unrest for the nation -- political scandals from Watergate to Iran-Contra, increased urban crime and poverty, an energy crisis that left Americans waiting in line for hours to fill up their gas tanks, economic recession, and the continuing struggle for equality between the races and sexes. The '70s and '80s witnessed the end of Vietnam and the Cold War as well as the transition from an industrial to an information economy. As Americans turned inward during the "Me Decade" and the Reagan years, music became introspective with singer-songwriters while disco added glitz and glamour. Television offered equal parts social commentary and pure escapism. But the ultimate escape arrived in movie theaters, and its name was Star Wars. A new era of high-tech entertainment transformed our daily lives. Americans gained access to communications, appliances, media recording devices and home entertainment centers that sped up the pace of life while connecting them with a world of entertainment, from personal computers and video games to video tape recorders (VCRs) and compact discs (CDs). For children, this naturally meant even more sophisticated toys. Electronics allowed manufacturers to create a whole new category of playthings that could respond in innovative ways and interact with a child. In the '70s and '80s, childhood was defined by Saturday morning cartoons, primetime television, video arcades, plenty of breakfast cereal, and lots of toys.
2. GEPPI7_131004_014.JPG: Wonder Women: When Ms. Magazine was launched by feminist Gloria Steinem in December 1971 with a special test issue inserted in copies of New York Magazine, turning "a movement into a magazine" -- a quote attributed to Ms. founding editor Letty Cottin Pegrebin -- the cover image may have seemed an odd choice. Striding colossus-like down a street under the banner "Wonder Woman for President," the Amazon Princess created by William Moulton Marston for DC Comics back in the '40s had been selected by the magazine as a shining example of American feminine power and independence, albeit in a skimpy costume. Appearing on Ms. exactly thirty years after her debut in the pages of All-Star Comics #8, Wonder Woman's stint as cover model was nothing less than a rebirth for the star-spangled heroine, sparking the return of her classic costume in her own comic -- she had recently taken to wearing a white pantsuit instead of her traditional attire -- and setting her on the path to worldwide fame. Just a few years later, Woman Woman leapt into action for a television series in which Lynda Carter embodied the beautiful and courageous heroine through three seasons of adventures on two different networks (ABC and CBS), establishing the character as a mainstream pop culture icon as never before and inspiring other strong female figures to step forward and make themselves heard. The unique mix of feminine assertiveness and sexuality coupled with the cheesy entertainment values of the '70s and '80s led to an entire wave of female-driven action and fantasy series, from Charlie's Angels and Isis to Police Woman and Cagney & Lacey. By the time Sigourney Weaver battled a monster in Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) and Linda Hamilton tousled with the T-800 in Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), there was no doubt that brains, brawn and beauty were an unbeatable combination for any pop culture icon.
3. GEPPI7_131004_019.JPG: A New Hope Although Jaws introduced Hollywood, America and the world to the idea of the summer blockbuster film release in the summer of 1975, it was George Lucas' Star War -- a perfect blend of WWII-era serial adventure and cutting edge film-making technology -- that cemented the notion of the blockbuster and transformed pop culture in one historic space-faring assault on movie goers. It was May 25, 1977, and long before fans could have dreamed of such things as prequels, it wasn't even a trilogy. Star Wars was just one amazing film that captured the public's imagination and took them on an adrenaline-fueled ride through hyperspace. The movie introduced us to a lightsaber-wielding hero, a rogue with a heart of gold, a damsel in distress, two comical robot sidekicks, and a black hat (literally) villain with a pronounced breathing problem. The overwhelming success of Star Wars -- almost $776 million worldwide in box office returns to date -- led to the production of two sequels -- The Empire Strikes Back, released in 1980, and Return of the Jedi, released in 1983. Between 1977 and 1985, Star Wars-related merchandise in every category imaginable flooded store shelves, from toys based on the characters, vehicles and environments seen in the films to household items, clothing, and much more. The marketing juggernaut that was the Star Wars trilogy established a modern template for the exploitation of entertainment that continues to be followed to this day. By the mid-'80s, with no new Star Wars movies on the horizon -- except a few forays into television and two live-action films starring the teddy bear-like Ewoks from Return and two short-lived animated series, Droids and Ewoks -- the demand for all things Star Wars began to wane. But for an entire generation, three years was simply the wait between Star Wars movies. Today, Star Wars is a permanent fixture in the American pop culture landscape. The Force will be with us ... always.
4. GEPPI7_131004_043.JPG: Comic & Cartoon Cavalcade: In the 1970s and '80s, American children woke up every Saturday morning to a treasure trove of entertainment, education and clever marketing, and then did it all again every day after coming home from school. The Saturday morning line-up, long a fixture of network television, experienced its last powerful period of influence on a generation of kids not yet introduced to cable TV and -- much later -- the Internet, as did the power-packed hours of programming that greeted them on local television stations just before dinner. TV featured Schoolhouse Rock, Sid and Martha Krofft productions like Land of the Lost, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl and Dr. Shrinker, action adventure cartoons like Thundercats and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe -- the first animated children's program specifically built around a toy line, light-hearted fare like The Smurfs, Jem, and Rainbow Brite, and an influx of Asian anime like Robotech, Star Blazers and Voltron. All the old theatrical cartoon shorts starring the likes of Bugs Bunny and Woody Woodpecker were repackaged into syndicated TV series, and an onslaught of food and toy commercials targeted kids when they were most likely to pay attention. In the newspapers, venerable comic strips like Peanuts, Dick Tracy and Dennis the Menace were joined by Doonesbury, Garfield, The Far Side, Bloom County, and Calvin & Hobbes. DC heroes Superman and Batman launched feature film franchises in 1978 and 1989 respectively that defined those characters in the minds of Americans for years to come and led to multiple sequels. Marvel superheroes found a home on the small screen with cartoons and live-action series devoted to The Incredible Hulks and The Amazing Spider-Man; both also made the leap to newspaper strips. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted in comics and then appeared in a cartoon series and a live-action feature film.
5. GEPPI7_131004_049.JPG: Multi Media Children in the '70s and '80s were as likely to grow up on a diet of old movies and television reruns as they were on new shows and films. TV syndication, the birth of cable and home video made all eras of entertainment available simultaneously. The '70s saw experimentation in progressive rock via Genesis, Yes and Pink Floyd, and punk rock through the Ramones and the Clash. Swedish quartet ABBA scored with dance hall favorites like "Waterloo." Disco was popularized by the Bee Gees and the Village People, but gave way to New Wave bands like Blondie and Devo by the early '80s. The debut of MTV brought music videos by Madonna and Michael Jackson to the forefront. The song "We Are the World" united musicians in an effort to fight famine. The '70s saw the birth of the blockbuster with The Godfather, The Exorcist, and Jaws. Disaster epics like Airport, The Poseidon Adventure, and Earthquake drew crowds. Saturday Night Fever brought disco to the movies, while Grease and Animal House offered nostalgic trips to the '50s and '60s. Aliens were friendly -- ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- or deadly -- Alien, The Terminator. The Planet of the Apes films (which began in 1968) spawned two TV series. Roger Moore stepped into the role of James Bond. Star Wars' Han Solo, Harrison Ford, traded his vest and blaster for a fedora and whip as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark and two sequels. And the original Star Trek cast returned in films that led to the debut of a TV sequel, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Also on television, social boundaries were shattered on All in the Family, comedies like Cheers and The Cosby Show garnered huge ratings, and variety series The Carol Burnett Show, The Flip Wilson Show, The Sonny & Cher Show and Donny and Marie kept people smiling. The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman offered sci-fi adventure, while those Duke boys kept getting into trouble on The Dukes of Hazzard.
6. GEPPI7_131004_105.JPG: You Want Toys With That? The "Happy Meal" is synonymous with fast food premium toys, all thanks to Dick Brams, a St. Louis regional advertising manager for McDonald's who spearheaded the meal-in-a-box program for children. It tested regionally in 1977-78 and then went national in 1979 with the debut of six Circus Wagon-themed boxes. Happy Meals then went to warp speed with the debut of their first movie tie-in that same year for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Costing just one dollar when they first appeared, Happy Meals went worldwide in the 1980s and competing chains rushed to keep up. Over the years, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, and many others have offered their own version of Happy Meals and premium toys. Some food-related premiums, however, were as close as the kitchen table, hidden under all those Cheerios or Rice Krispies in the form of breakfast cereal premiums. With the advent of mass production of cheap plastic items and better packaging options, toys inside cereal boxes were everywhere, just another part of a balanced breakfast. Food promotions were an intrinsic part of every blockbuster film released by the end of the '80s, with Star Wars, ET, Ghostbusters, and many others joining burgers, fries and cereal inside colorfully illustrated cardboard boxes. As in years past, toys also immortalized restaurant and cereal characters themselves, with Ronald McDonald, Grimace, Snap, Crackle and Pop, Toucan Sam, Tony the Tiger, and more turning up in toy form. Today, thanks to Happy Meals, McDonald's is the largest toy distributor in the world, with between 3,000-5,000 toys offered over the last 25 years in the US alone, perhaps as many as 20,000 toys worldwide. Today, kids still rush with mom and dad to their local fast food restaurant or supermarket, hoping to "Collect 'em all!"
7. GEPPI7_131004_108.JPG: Video Evolution The genesis of home video and computer games actually goes back to the 1950s, when Ralph Baer conceived of using television sets to play games and William Higginbotham invented Tennis for Two, a precursor to PONG. The simple games with the bouncing ball and two lines for paddles officially debuted in 1972 and was an instant pop culture smash, appearing on Saturday Night Live and invading bars, arcades and homes in multiple incarnations since Higginbotham had never secured any ownership rights for the original game. Several companies released their own versions and variants of PONG, and home video game console systems quickly became Christmas shopping staples. The first home systems included the Magnavox Odyssey (1972) and the Coleco Telstar (1976), but the quintessential console was the Atari 2600 (1977). Its faux wood-trimmed design, iconic joystick controllers and vast library of cartridge-based games defined the very concept of the home video game console, and with the debut of its first licensed game, Space Invaders, success was assured. Atari later offered the 5200 (1982) and 7800 (1986), but neither would match the impact of the 2600. The early systems were soon joined by the Intellivision (1980), Colecovision (1982) and Vectrex (1982). The market was soon glutted, causing a backlash that subsided when the Nintendo Entertainment System arrived in 1985. Anchored by characters like Super Mario, Nintendo ushered in a new era for home video gaming that has yet to end. By the end of the 1980s, video games were entering a new period of technological and cultural maturity with the release of the Nintendo Game Boy and Sega Genesis system, both in 1989. The years ahead would lead to even more innovation -- and controversy -- but by the end of the '80s, video games had taken their place as an intrinsic and indelible part of American childhood, with characters like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog permanently joining the pop culture lexicon.
8. GEPPI7_131004_115.JPG: Film & Further In Four Colors Comic books have always had close ties to other media, but in the 1970s and '80s, the number of comic book adaptations of movie, TV and toy properties exploded, combining the medium's power to promote and sell an idea or product with some of the most popular entertainment icons of the time. The explosion began in 1977 with Marvel Comics' adaptation of Star Wars. Scripted by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by Howard Chaykin, the six-issue adaptation led directly into a monthly series that lasted 107 issues -- ending three years after the return of Return of the Jedi! The four-color exploits of the Star Wars characters filled the gaps between films thanks to deft writing and careful coordination with Lucasfilm. The success of the Star Wars comics led to a proliferation of licensed Marvel titles, usually adapting other science fiction and fantasy film and TV properties like Star Trek, Logan's Run, Dragonslayer, Krull, Blade Runner and Battlestar Galactica. Marvel also published comics based on James Bond (For Your Eyes Only), the Muppets and other Jim Henson productions (The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth), and toys like Rom, Crysar, Strawberry Shortcake, Transformers and GI Joe. The release of GI Joe #1 was an industry landmark, part of a major marketing campaign to reintroduce the venerable toy soldier and the subject of the first television commercial devoted to a comic book. DC Comics also offered media tie-in comics, including new adventures for the Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation crews as well as adaptations of the live-action TV adventure Isis, the toy turned cartoon Masters of the Universe, and the Hot Wheels toy car line. In 1987-1989, Dark Horse Comics debuted series based on the Alien and Predator film franchises, pitting the creatures against each other over a decade before they finally met in the movies. Today, film, TV and toy adaptations are still an intrinsic part of the world of comics.
9. GEPPI7_131004_122.JPG: Yo Joe! The 1970s saw GI Joe join an Adventure Team that focused on environmental rather than military missions. With more realistic hair and "Kung Fu Grip," Joe was bigger than ever, but the resurgence was short-lived. Joe ended the first phase of his career battling global catastrophes in 1976. An 8-inch Super Joe line in 1977-78 failed to reignite interest. The impact of the energy crisis on the price of plastic spelled temporary retirement for Joe. When GI Joe was recalled to active duty in 1982, he had lost some of his physical stature but none of his pop culture power. The new 3-3/4" size for action figures had been set by the success of Kenner's Star Wars toys, so Hasbro adopted that standard for the more articulated Joes. Now a team of individually named heroes with an enemy organization called Cobra, hundreds of accessories, vehicles and play sets, GI Joe was one of the ubiquitous toy lines of the 1980s, easily overshadowing its predecessor as Star Wars waned in popularity. In 1985, Toy and Hobby World ranked Joe as America's best-selling toy. Joe's revival owed its success to a unique marketing partnership with a monthly Marvel comic book, an animated series, and a TV campaign that included the first commercial devoted to a comic book. While the comic and cartoon featured unrelated storylines, both developed the Joes into identifiable personalities, creating a cohesive world in which kids could play. In the late 80s the line became more fantasy-oriented, with characters like Cobra leader Serpentor -- features in 1987's GI Joe: The Movie, subsets like the Iron Grenadiers and Battle Force 2000, and Joes modeled on real people like wrestler Sgt. Slaughter and football player William "The Refrigerator" Perry. 1989 marked Joe's 25th anniversary. By 1991, with the 3-3/4" line finally dwindling in popularity, the original 12" Joe returned in a Hall of Fame series. Today, GI Joe still battles for justice in all sizes. Kids know that GI Joe will always be a Real American Hero... and knowing is half the battle.
10. GEPPI7_131004_126.JPG: The museum guy said these -- the California Raisins -- were the first McDonald's kids meal toys released. I couldn't find any verification of that online though.
11. GEPPI7_131004_156.JPG: Sorry but this just seems wrong to me...
Wikipedia Description: Geppi's Entertainment Museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geppi's Entertainment Museum is a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) privately owned pop culture museum located at historic Camden Station at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The museum chronicles the history of pop culture in America from the 17th century to today as made popular in newspapers, magazines, comic books, movies, television, radio and video games. It features a large and varied collection of nearly 6,0000 pop culture artifacts, including magazines, movie posters, toys, buttons, badges, cereal boxes, trading cards, dolls, figurines - and memorabilia of every conceivable category!. Geppi’s Entertainment Museum is located in downtown Baltimore's historic Camden Station at Camden Yards, directly above the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards and adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Background

The museum is owned by Stephen A. Geppi, President and CEO of Diamond Comics Distributors, and The majority of the artifacts come from Geppi's private collection. In 2007, Geppi's daughter Melissa "Missy" Geppi-Bowersox became the Executive Vice-President of the Geppi’s Entertainment Museum; in 2012, Melissa Geppi-Bowersox was promoted to President.

The museum's founding curator was Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg, former editor at Gemstone Publishing. In 2011 Andy Hershberger was promoted to Associate Curator/Registrar, and has since worked with Melissa Geppi-Bowersox in the creation of a curatorial advisory committee.

In 2012, the museum store was renamed Geppi's Comic World (formerly: Flashbacks) in honor of Geppi’s former comic chain. Zachary Winland is the current manager of Geppi's Comic World.

Exhibits

The museum is composed of several galleries devoted to different eras of pop culture, as well as a temporary exhibit space for rotating exhibits. The standing galleries are:

* A Story in Four Colors displays a large collection of comic books to the Golden Age to the Modern Era. The gallery also includes an extensive collection of pulp magazines and Big Little Books.
* Pioneer Spirit: Baltimore Heroes looks at personalities, businesses and events that have made Baltimore City and the surrounding suburbs so awesome.
* Extra, Extra: 1776-1927 features characters made popular in newspapers, books, movies and radio broadcasts of the era.
* When Heroes Unite: 1928-1945 displays character collectibles from the Great Depression until World War II, including Mickey Mouse ,Popeye, Superman, Captain Marvel, Dick Tracy, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger and more.
* America Tunes In: 1946-1960 features artifacts from era, including Howdy Doody, Davy Crockett, I Love Lucy, sports heroes, space and western shows and rock and roll.
* Revolution: 1961 to 1970 contains relics from one of the most influential decades of the 20th century. James Bond, The Flintstones, Batman, The Green Hornet, Star Trek, The Beatles, Barbie and G.I. Joe are just a few of the characters that are represented here.
* Expanding Universe: 1971-1990 highlights video games, fast food tie-ins, Saturday morning cartoons, TV celebrities and Star Wars
* Going Global: 1991-Present displays artifacts from the last decade of the 20th century to the present, and includes representation of Jack Sparrow, MC Hammer, Hanna Montana and the Toy Story franchise.

Special Edition: Temporary Exhibits

Geppi’s Entertainment Museum has been host to a wide range of rotating exhibits from Star Wars, to the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide to previews of upcoming toys. Currently the museum is hosting Colorforms�: 60 Years of Creative Storytelling an exhibit commemorating the 60th anniversary of Colorforms�, one of America’s most beloved toys.

Coming in August of 2013, Geppi’s Entertainment Museum will host Milestones: African Americans in Comics, Pop Culture and Beyond, a major special exhibit developed and curated by Michael Davis, co-founder of Milestone Media.
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