On Christmas 1985, I received my first camera. It was a present from my Grandmother who most likely was made aware of the pile of toys my parents had already purchased and chose it out of practicality. But the camera she chose wasn't just any ordinary kids camera in that it cleverly disguised it's primary function. It was a Gobots camera that was "a real camera just like Mom's and Dad's!"

I was 9 years old and enamored with all the transforming robots of the time. However, Gobots were my favorites of the lot mainly because of their smaller size. I loved playing with Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars and Gobots could interact with them and hide in their midst. By 1985 I would have had a vast collection of Gobots including the
Command Center so my new camera seemed tailor-made for me. Did it transform? No. Was it a Polaroid that instantly spit out pictures? No. None of that mattered to me. All I cared about were the stickers of Leader-1 and Cy-Kill on top and the logo on the front that stared down my subjects.

Christmas 1985 was the first time I could document the holiday from my own perspective and my new camera truly made it easy. I could load the 110 color film cartridges myself from the back and use the red slider at the bottom to scroll to the ready position. There was a small counter that kept track of how many pictures had been taken and even a slot for a tower flash cartridge when I needed it. That Christmas season I would use the camera to document most of the gifts I received as well as the Christmas trees of several friends and family members during visits.


Christmas 1985 was a great year for gifts. I received a
diecast Voltron robot made by Matchbox which I still own to this day. The Gobots theme passed along to a jigsaw puzzle which I immediately put together for a photo op.
My love of robots continued to be made evident because I also received a gold Magic Mike robot that talked, smoked, had flashing eyes, and bump-n-go movement (top of his head is shown in the headline image above.) As a huge fan of sticker books, I was excited to receive the Panini Masters of the Universe sticker book (showcased by my dad below.) I was also a huge Ghostbusters fan and received a light blue sweatshirt featuring the logo surrounded by the words "Back Off Man, I'm a Ghostbuster!" (I'm wearing it in the headline image.)

There were two things that I wouldn't realize until many years later about my Gobots camera. First, it would take some of the most treasured pictures of my childhood. My parents divorced in 1990 so seeing them smile during silly poses with my gifts is really heartwarming. Looking at these pictures now truly helps this time period to transcend later events in my memory that would cause our family to split.
Second, my camera would still be taking pictures long after any traces of Gobots could be found in department stores. Both stickers on the camera would eventually peel and wear off making it quite generic in the years to come, but the residue left behind was enough to remind me of its heritage. It would travel with me to sites all around central Pennsylvania and one trip to Niagara Falls before being replaced by a newer model with a built-in flash in the early '90s. I have vivid memories of showing pictures taken from those trips to my Gram on visits and she would always be amazed that the kids camera she purchased years ago took surprisingly great pictures.
I have pictures of earlier Christmases in the late '70s that my parents took when I was just a toddler, but Christmas 1985 remains my favorite thanks to a handful of pictures taken by my mighty Gobots camera.