Miniature Santa Promotion

The Girl in a Fishbowl was a well known promotional effect which was exploited for a number of years at a San Fransisco bar/nightclub. It is basically an optical illusion based on lens and light refraction. Many of the old concepts in magic were simply advanced use of science principles, put into an entertainment format. With miniature video cameras, TVs and other technology like holographs, these old school tricks would not carry much cachet these days. As you can see from the above flyer, Kirkham used the concept as a promotion at fairs, conventions and other commercial events. In the late 1960's he had an original idea about adapting the effect for a different kind of promotion

He took the concept and used it as a way of presenting Santa Claus at a shopping center. We acquired a small house trailer, I'm sure we must have leased it, and modified it for the effect. Kids could walk into a lobby area, where the elves would lead them up to a small doll house sized version of Santa's workshop at the North Pole. Santa could be viewed working in the house by looking through a four inch window in the front door of the little house. He was moving around and had a big chair to sit in when needed. The kids could pick up a telephone and Santa would answer and talk to them on the phone. He would respond to them and act appropriately, but he appeared to be only eight inches tall.

The design of the small house is really quite cute, but I have been unable to locate a picture at this time. I know that some exist, it is simply a matter of finding it. The effect was offered with the Christmas themed show that we also did using a self contained stage that my Dad built. I will save that material for another post. I think we did the miniature Santa promotion twice. One time it was at the Arcadia shopping center. As you can see here, it was very enthusiastically received.

Like most kids and now most adults, our fondest childhood memories are of the holiday times. I loved working in the shows around Christmas, the music, shopping and excitement in the air is the stuff of my history. I remember the trailer and effect being put together on the driveway of the house in the Mid-Wick tract in Alhambra, and seeing it in use at the shopping center. Here are is a scrapbook page that had some of the promotional material from the shopping center newspaper that was available to guests while doing their holiday shopping.