PICAM power kite

PICAM stands for 'Products International Company Advertising and Marketing'. I couldn't find much information on the company, other than that it was based in California, and marketed a range of tools and games in the 1970s, often with the "As seen on tv" slogan. The company doesn't appear to exist anymore.



Why am I mentioning PICAM? Because a 'PICAM Power kite' was listed on eBay in the US. The box proudly proclaims "The latest in aerodynamic design", "The greatest in acrobatic performance" and "Flies in everything from a light breeze to a strong wind!"

Looking closer at the pictures accompanying the listing, whose name and face do we see on the box of this power kite?

Indeed!

But what's actually in the box? There were no pictures of the kite itself on the eBay listing, but there is of course one sure way to find out .... I took the gamble bidding on it and eventually bought the kite for $26; due to the low price, I escaped any import charges or custom duties.

The box states 'Made in England', and gives a copyright year of 1976, but it's not clear what the year refers to. The artwork on the box, maybe? If it referred to the kite, you'd expect a patent, not a copyright. Anyway, I didn't buy an empty box: it did contain a kite. To be more precise, inside the box was a fibreglass-framed Mk I Stunter, indistinguishable from other UK-produced Mk I PP Stunters.

It also flies exactly as you would expect from a Mk I PP.

My guess is that this is a UK-produced PP Stunter, imported to and sold in the US before the American arm of Peter Powell Kites was established to deal with demand there. So even though the kite itself is not anything special, the whole package does have kite-historical value, and adds something unique to my collection. And I'll definitely keep it with its box!