Acme Design replicates TARDIS
- Publication: The Courier-News (Elgin, IL)
- Date: 2016-11-28
- Author: Mike Danahey
- Page: 1
- Language: English
On one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, an Elgin company has been focused on a different form of transportation.
Acme Design, Inc. owner Clint Borucki and the company's social media and marketing director Elizabeth Haney again brought their version of the blue police box used to travel through time on BBC's "Doctor Who" to a suburban convention. Chicago TARDIS 2016 attracted fans of the TV show to the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center. Acme Design has been bringing the model of the TARDIS to the Chicago convention since 2008.
The titular Doctor Who is a Time Lord who hails from the planet Gallifrey and travels through time and space in his TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which is disguised to look like an English police box. The Doctor can regenerate and currently is played by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi.
"Doctor Who" originally ran on the BBC in the United Kingdom from 1963 until 1989. There was a made-for-TV movie in 1996 that was set in San Francisco. Some PBS outlets in America used to play "Doctor Who," which built the audience here. In recent years some PBS stations started play old episodes once more, particularly from the 1970s that starred Tom Baker as the Doctor.
The series returned to the BBC in 2005, marked its 50th year in 2013 .
Borucki said some of the crew at Acme started watching the reboot of the series in 2005.
"We just thought it would be fun to build a TARDIS. We did some research on how they moved the prop around when on location, and went from there," Borucki said.
The in-house project took about 120 hours for fabrication, with the TARDIS made from pine lumber, plywood and medium-density fibreboard, with acrylic windows.
Aside from Chicago TARDIS, Borucki and Haney said Acme's prop police box has made Elgin appearances at the Gail Borden Public Library and the Next Wave Art Salon. It's also popped up at a private party held at Chicago's Adler Planetarium, the C2E2 pop culture convention at McCormick Place and this past 4th of July weekend in Washington D.C. at the Museum of Science Fiction's Escape Velocity event.
At Chicago TARDIS it is used for photo opportunities for fans to pose with actors and others with ties to the show. The biggest of those this time should be Michelle Gomez, who plays Missy, the female incarnation of the Doctor's mortal enemy, The Master, in the reboot.
The weekend also will hold panel discussions, screenings, a masked ball and a ballroom full of Doctor Who merchandise.
"We'll be having a massive Doctor Who Black Friday," said Gene Smith, of Alien Entertainment.
Last year the convention drew about 2,100 patrons over three days, Smith said, and he expects as many people this year. For more information, including ticket prices, see chicagotardis.com/.
Caption: Clint Borucki, owner of Acme Design Inc., in Elgin, puts the top on his firm's version of "Doctor Who" police box at Chicago TARDIS 2016.
Caption: Clint Borucki and Elizabeth Haney of Acme Design, Inc. of Elgin put together a prop police box on display at Chicago TARDIS 2016, a Doctor Who convention.
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- APA 6th ed.: Danahey, Mike (2016-11-28). Acme Design replicates TARDIS. The Courier-News (Elgin, IL) p. 1.
- MLA 7th ed.: Danahey, Mike. "Acme Design replicates TARDIS." The Courier-News (Elgin, IL) [add city] 2016-11-28, 1. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Danahey, Mike. "Acme Design replicates TARDIS." The Courier-News (Elgin, IL), edition, sec., 2016-11-28
- Turabian: Danahey, Mike. "Acme Design replicates TARDIS." The Courier-News (Elgin, IL), 2016-11-28, section, 1 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Acme Design replicates TARDIS | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Acme_Design_replicates_TARDIS | work=The Courier-News (Elgin, IL) | pages=1 | date=2016-11-28 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=29 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Acme Design replicates TARDIS | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Acme_Design_replicates_TARDIS | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=29 March 2025}}</ref>
