Tag Archives: academy museum

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Teddy Bear From the Film A.I. Artificial Intelligence

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teddy bear toy prop from ai movie photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

Stan Winston Studio created this complex animatronic for Steven Spielberg‘s A.I. Artificial Intelligence (USA, 2001), a haunting story of a robotic child longing to be a real boy. Teddy, a loyal sidekick to David (played by Hayley Joel Osment) and likewise a robot has fifty points of motion and required at least five people to operate. In comparison, Winston Studios enormous T-Rex animatronic for the 1993 Jurassic Park has 10 fewer points of motion than this tiny bear. Computer graphics and Jack Angel‘s voice acting enhanced Teddy‘s convincing performance. The toy’s unending devotion starkly contrast with the actions of the humans in the film, who all abandon David.

Photographed in The Academy Museum in Hollywood.

Arts and Culture

Get Ready to Scream: The Academy Museum Goes All-In on Horror

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academy museum horror show exhibit photo by emily shur
Photo By Emily Shur Courtesy of the Academy Museum

Just in time for Halloween, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is getting seriously spooky with two new exhibitions exploring the movies, monsters, and movie magic behind one of cinema’s most enduring genres.

Opening September 26, 2026, The Horror Show takes visitors on an immersive journey through horror’s many forms, from Gothic castles and psychological terror to science fiction, slashers, religion, and ghosts. The exhibition begins with a sound installation before leading visitors down “The Hallway”— a setting familiar to anyone who has ever watched a horror movie and thought, I definitely should not go down there.
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Film and Television, Pop Culture

Shark Attack Billboard!

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jaws the exhibition billboard photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

Sometimes, a single Los Angeles street corner can tell several stories at once. When I snapped this photo in December 2025, the giant billboard overhead was promoting Jaws: The Exhibition at the nearby Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (just outside the frame to the right). The blockbuster exhibition celebrated the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s legendary thriller and ran for more than six months before closing at the end of July. If you missed it, you’ll have to wait and hope it resurfaces somewhere else.
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Film and Television, Pop Culture

Shark Attack Jaws Tiki Mug!

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jaws tiki mug and swizzle stick photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

Sometimes a piece of pop culture merchandise manages to capture the entire spirit of a film in a single object. This wonderfully dramatic Jaws Shark (Attack)Tiki Mug with Swimmer Swizzle Stick does exactly that, turning the iconic movie poster for Jaws into a three-dimensional drinking vessel and immersive, nostalgic experience.

Released in 2019 by Mondo and produced by Tiki Farm, the ceramic mug is shaped like the gaping jaws of the great white shark made famous in Jaws. The shark rises up through sculpted ocean waves, mouth open wide and ready to swallow whatever tropical concoction you choose to pour inside. Continue reading Shark Attack Jaws Tiki Mug! →

Film and Television, Pop Culture

Pink Thing of The Day: Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” Hot Pink Gucci Suit

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ryan gosling hot pink gucci suit 1 photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

This Hot Pink Gucci Suit, with styling by Mark Avery, was worn by actor Ryan Gosling for his now legendary 2024 Oscars performance of the nominated original song “I’m Just Ken” from the film Barbie (2023).
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