The complete history of the Hoover Junior

[vintagerepairer]

If only Currys staff thought the same, eh?

If this were true today, Currys would sell very little! I am not being flippant, Turbo500, indeed what have said is very interesting, because it highlights so clearly the difference between sales of vacuum cleaners in 1935, and sales today, almost 80 years on.

 

[beko1987]

Fascinating!

 

[turbo500]

Those are fantastic, Al, thank you for posting! I can think of a few of us now who simply MUST have a Hoover for spring cleaning this year.

To add to what Al has already posted, here is a TV commercial for the 1334 (or possibly 1334A? Either way, it's fun viewing!)

 

[vacbear58]

375

As we all know, or we should know, the 370 was given a styling makeover by Henry Dreyfus, although I have always been curious as to where the design of the 370 came from. Along with being more in keeping with styling of other models it was also easier to manufacture and to service - service was an important part of the Hoover operation.

I can tell you on good authority that when Hoover operated a fleet of sales/service men (up to the end of the 1950s) they had a target of 21 service call and 10 sales calls per week. of course not only was service an important generator of income in its own right, it was equally important as a means of generating sales leads.

This is a favorite ad of mine for the re-launched 375 in 1945

 

[vacbear58]

119

Even in 1946 the 375 was looking a bit long in the tooth, but it soldiered on until 1950 when it was given a design brush-up to become the 119 - although the US had it as the 115 before we did. by the way, although the 375 was not sold in USA a 115V version was sold in Canada - the 376.

I actually don't have many pictures of the 119, so here is a picture of the line up up to 1958

 

[vacbear58]

Lark

There was a sort of intermediate version of the Junior which was sold in the US called the lark, originally with the same foot print as the 119 - 12", and later widened to 14". Although manufactured in the UK, it was only sold in the US and Canada. We had to make do with the updated 1224 (in blue0 although it was similar to the 119. What WAS different was the tool set which had the lightweight blue stretch hose and restyled all purpose nozzle as has been shown previously.

Her are the cleaners above in action

 

[turbo500]

Not to get sidetracked from the Juniors, but just for those who are wondering, here is The Lark.

I also believe this was filmed at your place, Al? Is the Lark essentially a larger 1224?

 

[vacbear58]

1334

1958 was an exciting year for Hoover, for not only did it have the all new Hoovermatic washing machine, they had a completely new design Hoover Junior as well.

This is what they had to say about it

 

[vacbear58]

Lark again

Chris,

Indeed that was filmed at my home in what has now been christened the "Launderetta Conservatoire" by ChesterMike - yes, my conservatory is now full (almost completely full) of washing machines!

I do not think it is correct to call it a restyled 1224, if anything it is a restyled 119 as it pre-dates the 1224. Although it shares some components (motor etc) there are some significant differences. It might have been intended as a replacement for the 119, but I believe it was difficult to manufacture as well and in effect, they went back to the drawing board on it.

This meant that in some ways the 1334 was just as revolutionary as the 370 some 23 years before for it completely changed the landscape for vacuum cleaner styling in that category of cleaner just as the 370 did - note how many cleaners looked like the 370 in the 1940s and 1950s

 

[vacbear58]

production line

 

[vintagerepairer]

3RD Picture. The tool room. Man in the middle. Had to clean my spectacles as for a moment I was sure as sure he was wearing a dunces cap. Have a look for yourself.

 

[vacbear58]

Bag cutting and more assembly

Note that when the 1334 was launched they got a new factory to manufacture it (it was close by to Perivale) just as they did with the Constellation (Wembley)

 

[turbo500]

Al, you are, as always, a Hoover genius!!

I do have a quick question regarding Henry Dreyfuss. Might seem a bit daft, but hey, you never get anywhere in life by not asking.

I know who Dreyfuss was and the machines he was involved with, but what was his relationship with Hoover? Was he brought in for a specific reason to streamline the Hoover range or did things happen more by chance than that?

 

[vacbear58]

Testing

I have loaded this before but it still deserves a second look

 

[vacbear58]

The complete 1958 line up

this picture was published in early 1959, which was also going to be an exciting year with the launch of the Hoover De-Luxe cleaner (Senior) and the Constellation

 

[turbo500]

Benny, I see what you mean!! The 1958 equivalent of an Instagram candid fail. I bet that bloke never for a moment thought we'd be talking about that photo all these years later.

 

[vintagerepairer]

So which came first?

The blue polisher or the burgundy?

 

[vacbear58]

Genius

Thank you for that Chris, I wish I was - as far as I am concerned that mantle still rests with our good friend VintageHoover.

My understanding (note understanding) is that essentially he worked with the Hoover design team as a stylist, putting exciting and up-to-date bodies on the considerable technical developments of those designers. That said, its is my OPINION, that the technical development reached their zenith with the model 150 (or perhaps the model 60) and it was not until the launch of the Dial-a-Matic in the 1960s that such leading edge development was again seen in the market place.

It seems (source: The Vacuum Cleaner - A History, Carroll Gantz) that by the mid 1950s Dreyfus started being edged out of the design process until it was all done in house. [this post was last edited: 4/22/2014-18:25]

 

[vacbear58]

Polisher

The burgundy one came first, in 1952

 

[vacbear58]

And back to the Junior

And with the 1334, that was basically it as far as I can see. There were colour changes and a style update in 1967 and of course the dirt searcher but it really did not change that much at all until the end in around 1986 or so