POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

'Mixmaster' electric food mixer made by Sunbeam

Object No. 87/1362

This type of Mixmaster was probably the first Mixmaster to be designed in Australia. The MX001 was designed in 1981 by Sunbeam designer Ian Wilson. The main aim of this new design was to reduce the costs of manufufacturing. But the result was a complete departure from the traditional styling of earlier Mixmasters and became a classic Sunbeam product. The Sunbeam Mixmaster was first developed in America in the 1930s. The Mixmaster model 9B was the first Sunbeam appliance to be manufactured in Australia and became the foundation of Sunbeam's Australian success. It wasn't until the late 1970s-early 1980s that Sunbeam first began designing appliances in Australia and employed its first industrial designers. The first products developed in the 1970s were a vertical grill, a horizontal grill, toasters and steam irons. This Mixmaster represents one of the first Sunbeam products to be designed by an industrial designer in the company's newly formed Australian design studio. The success of this model of Mixmaster is indicated by more than twenty years on the market. It was still sold by Sunbeam in 2005, and was the inspiration for a new model - the Mixmaster Series II launched in 2005. Angelique Hutchison Curator 2006

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Summary

Object Statement

Electric food mixer with packaging, 'Mixmaster', model MX001, metal / glass / plastic / steel / glass / paper / cardboard / styrofoam, designed by Ian Wilson, made by the Sunbeam Corporation Limited, Australia, 1987

Physical Description

Mixmaster consists of white moulded plastic stand, leverable arm, black plastic detachable turntable, one square chrome plated beater, one oval chrome plated beater, two chrome plated dough hooks, two heat resistant glass mixing bowls, an instruction leaflet and a box.

DIMENSIONS

Height

265 mm

Width

280 mm

Depth

205 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

First designed in 1981 by Ian Wilson who was a designer at Sunbeam. Ian later became head of design or R&D at Sunbeam. In 1998 he left Sunbeam and later worked as a consultant with Sunbeam on the development of the Mixmaster Compact. Ian first started working for Sunbeam in 1980 as a design draftsmen. He was employed to redesign the Mixmaster as a cost reduction on earlier models. The product he came up with, MX001, was styled very differently to earlier models which were based on the traditional styling of the product. This was probably the first Mixmaster to be designed in Australia.

HISTORY

Notes

Founded in America, the Australian history of Sunbeam dates back to 1904 when a small branch of the American-based Chigaco Flexible Shaft Company opened in Sydney. The company later became Cooper Engineering Company (CEC) and in 1946 its name changed to Sunbeam as its focus shifted to small appliances. Sunbeam in Australia remained part of the American parent company until it became Australian-owned in 1987. In 2005 Sunbeam Australia was part of the Australasian manufacturing and marketing company GUD Holdings Ltd along with Victa, Davey, Oates and Ryco companies. The first Sunbeam appliance to be made in Australia was the Mixmaster 9B in 1948. This product was an American design that became famous in Australia and around the world. It wasn't until the late 1970s - early 1980s that Sunbeam first began designing appliances in Australia and employed its first industrial designers. The first products developed in the 1970s were a vertical grill, a horizontal grill, toasters and steam irons. Prior to this product designs were imported from the US and manufactured here, with little alteration which would be done by engineers. The first major change to the Mixmaster design occurred in 1981 when local Sunbeam designers created the Mixmaster MX001. In this case the aim was to reduce the cost of manufacture, but the designer also gave the Mixmaster a completely new look. The product was sold in Australia, US and Canada.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Gift of Sunbeam Corporation Ltd, 1987

Acquisition Date

19 October 1987

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