1950 · Exhibit
Playland!
Turquoise swimming pool or sea water filling the whole panel, white cumulus clouds on a turquoise sky at the top, two strings of paper bunting / festival ribbons across the upper third, flat cartoon water with white scalloped foam highlights and clipping of a wooden cabinet edge visible at the far right.
- Year
- 1950
- Maker
- Exhibit
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Backglass lights
- Players
- 1
Vision analysis
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- turquoise
- white
- red
- yellow
Fingerprint: PLAYLAND with eight numbered starbursts and swallow-tailed value flags 200-900, woman in white polka-dot bikini with large toucan, two identical red-haired women on red-white inflatable rings, swimming pool scene, turquoise water
The most memorable element is the pair of identical smiling red-haired women in white swim caps lying side by side on red-and-white inflatable rings across the bottom, mirrored left and right like a reflection in the water. Above them, a woman in a white polka-dot bikini stands centre with a large white-and-yellow toucan whose black beak points left, tucked under her arm. The two rows of bunting across the top - spiky numbered starbursts 1 to 8 above swallow-tailed value flags 200 to 900 - frame the giant white 'PLAYLAND!' title. Turquoise water and white clouds run to every edge, with clipped half-figures of swimmers at both the left and right margins.
Setting
- Turquoise swimming pool or sea water filling the whole panel
- White cumulus clouds on a turquoise sky at the top
- Two strings of paper bunting / festival ribbons across the upper third
- Flat cartoon water with white scalloped foam highlights
- Clipping of a wooden cabinet edge visible at the far right
Symbols
- Row of nine coloured circles in purple, red, orange, yellow, green, pale green, magenta, red and yellow
- Eight spiky starburst medallions carrying numerals 1-8
- Swallow-tailed ribbon flags carrying 200-900 with small white pips
- Red-and-white striped inflatable swimming rings
- Toucan bird
Lettering
- Giant white block capitals with thick black outline and red shadow for the title, slanted yellow cursive script with black outline for the possessive name above it, and white sans-serif numerals on brightly coloured bunting shapes; no visible copyright line, artist signature or date in any corner.
Themes
- Water park
- Swimming pool
- Swimsuits
- Bunting and fairground ribbons
- Vacation pier
- Amusement park
Title on it
- Playland!
Text on it
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 100
- 200
- 300
- 400
- 500
- 600
- 700
- 800
- 900
- Exhibit's
- PLAYLAND!
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Centre standing figure, adult, tan skin, dark brown hair swept up into a large bun, smiling, wearing a white two-piece swimsuit with large black polka dots; one arm down, standing in the water behind the title lettering |
| Animal | Large stylised toucan immediately left of the central woman: white body, huge black beak with a yellow throat patch, black tail, long neck, sitting or perching on the water line |
| Woman | Bottom left, adult, tan skin, bright red hair under a white swim cap tied with a bow at the side, smiling with head tilted, wearing a white halter bikini, lying prone on a red-and-white inflatable swimming ring, elbows propped, facing the viewer |
| Woman | Bottom right, an almost exact mirror copy of the bottom-left figure: same white swim cap, red hair, white halter bikini, smiling, lying on her own red-and-white inflatable ring, tilted the opposite way |
| Woman | Far left edge, cut off by the frame: dark-haired woman in a pink two-piece swimsuit, one arm raised above her head, only head, shoulder and raised arm visible in the water |
| Woman | Far right edge, cut off by the frame: red-haired woman in a pale green two-piece swimsuit with one arm lifted to her head, partially cropped away |
Illustrated water-park backglass in flat cartoon style, dominated by turquoise-teal water and white clouds. Two strings of bunting cross the top: an upper row of spiky starburst medallions in purple, red, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, purple and red bearing the white numerals 1 to 8, flanked by a green '100' ribbon at each end; a lower row of swallow-tailed ribbon flags in yellow, orange, red, white, purple, red, orange, yellow and green carrying 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, each with tiny white pips beneath. A yellow cursive name script sits just below the number row. Mid-image, slanted yellow script reading 'Exhibit's' sits above the huge white block-letter title 'PLAYLAND!' with a black drop shadow and a red exclamation mark. A woman in a white polka-dot two-piece stands centre with a large white-and-yellow toucan. A row of coloured circles (purple, red, orange, yellow, green, pale green, magenta, red, yellow) runs behind the title. Along the bottom, two near-identical smiling red-haired women in white swim caps recline symmetrically on red-and-white inflatable rings.