© Homation Systems 2014
What kind of car is Johnny Speed?
Many people mistakenly identify Johnny Speed as a Corvette, but the resemblance to the Jaguar XKE is unmistakable. The XK-E (series 1) was produced from 1961 to 1968. The 1966 model (the same year that Johnny Speed was introduced) is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful cars ever producted. Topper could not have gone wrong if they used the XKE as an influence. Later Johnny Lightning cars using this design were actually identified as XKE Jaguars. There was also an Jaguar XKE mold for Johnny Toymaker.
Did anything influence the Dream Kitchen?
In 1957 Alcoa aluminum sponsored the construction of 50 new homes. These were to be “care-free” homes that used aluminum for most of the construction. Although they expected these homes to sell for $25,000 (a lot in those days), they ended up more in the $60,000 range (a whole lot in those days). As a result, after about 24 houses were built the project was cancelled, but not before a very distinctive design for the kitchen was created. Although the cabinets are not appliances, you can easily see how they could be. Kudos to the designers at Deluxe Reading for taking 1950’s appliances and giving them a really nice update.
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