Kodak Happy Times

Kodak Happy Times

This camera was one of the most exciting finds! Once I heard this camera existed, every now and then I would check eBay for it and see that it was selling anywhere from $200-$400. I would put "low" offers in, in hopes somebody would just want to get rid of it, but no such luck. One evening (April 14th 2013), we were at my parent’s house for dinner and my grandfather was visiting. Bob and I were showing him our camera website and we started talking about the Coca Cola camera and to explain what it looked like better, I pulled it up on EBay. No joke, there was a Coca Cola camera selling for $19.95 with 2 minutes left! My heart racing, I had to log into my EBay to try to make a bid on this camera before the auction ended! Of course I was so excited that my first time logging in, my credentials were wrong :o) But then I was able to get into my EBay account, make the big, and win us the Coca Cola Kodak camera! This camera is coming from Georgia.

Fun fact: This whole time, I had been putting Coca Cola Polaroid Camera into the EBay’s Search. But it’s actually a Kodak! I didn’t even realize this until Bob told me! It was a lucky find to have somebody not know what they were selling and labeled it a Polaroid!

General Information

Years Made	1978-1979 (45 to 46 Years Old)
Film	PR10 Film
Weight	784.00 g (1 lb, 11.65 oz.)
Date Acquired	April 20th, 2013
Quantity Produced	19,000
Battery	1 x J
Country of Manufacture	USA

Features

Tripod Socket	Integrated Flash	Auto Focus	Self Timer	Date Back	Hot Shoe	Cold Shoe
No	No	No	No	No

Technical Notes

The Kodak Happy Times camera was originally a promotional item given out when a case of Coca-Cola was purchased. 25,000 of these cameras were produced, however the promotion did not go as well as expected, and 6,000 were recalled to become Kodak EK2 cameras, also known as 'The Handle' due to the large handle.

Later, Kodak was sued by Polaroid, and part of the class-action lawsuit had Kodak collecting the plastic nameplate (HAPPY TIMES line on this camera), in exchange for cash perks. Many cameras from this era have been destroyed since the film is no longer produced, and even fewer still have the nameplate intact.

This is the only Kodak camera ever produced that does not have a Kodak logo, however it does say "Made in U.S.A. by Eastman Kodak Co." on the lower portion of the lens housing.

Comments (4)

Mama wrote on April 23rd, 2013

What a neat story to go along with this camera!! I think I enjoy the stories of how you acquired each one more than the camera itself!! LOL

Bob wrote on June 20th, 2013

Thanks Mama! We certainly do have some adventures finding these cameras all over the place, that's for sure!

Peter Venema wrote on May 26th, 2015

Dear Sir, Madam, Most of your information is correct - However the 6000 odd cameras returned to Kodak were NOT re-issued as Kodak EK2 , but as PLEASERS The Kodak EK2 has a grey body and a black lens area - whereas the Pleaser has a beige body and brown lens area - Also NOTE - the cameras concerted back to PLEASER have the BLACK shutter button like the Coca Cola camera has -and are very RARE - Also in FRANCE a Pleaser camera with the advertisement for chocolate was issued - named CHOKY - very rareI have an ALMOST 100% complete collection of Kodak instant cameras with the important additional aspect that I have every BILINGUAL Kodak instant camera, produced for Canadian markets that includes the VERY RARE bilingual EK8 camera

Tina wrote on November 21st, 2019

I just acquired this camera with the manual from an auction. Was thrilled to get it and even more thrilled after reading the history. I was able to order a new battery but was sad when I read the film is no longer available. Was hoping to use it for an old fashioned Christmas Party. Thank you for the information!

Add a Comment

The camera information presented on these pages is sourced from all over the internet, as well as with the models that we have purchased. As always, it is possible there are errors, omissions, or completely incorrect facts. With this being said, leave a comment with any information you may have, and we'll get it on the site!

Camera History Project

This website is the culmination of years of antiquing. My wife and I enjoyed travelling around the United States, stopping at various antique shops and finding different cameras. Since 2012, we have collected hundreds of cameras, and there are some that we have, but that have not made it online yet. When the real world slows down, we plan to resume our hobby! Feel free to check out our online collection, and using the comment system, let us know which you've had and which is your favorite!