Godzilla Appearances In THE ELECTRIC COMPANY MAGAZINE (1976-87)

We have talked about the wonder that was THE ELECTRIC COMPANY around here (a 3-CD audio retrospective is on this blog; first disc can be found here; search for the other two), but there was another entire facet to its awesomeness, and that was THE ELECTRIC COMPANY MAGAZINE.  This publication ran from 1974 to 1988, with a run of 146 issues, and it brought great joy to many a mailbox (this author's included).  Nearly every month of the year it brought games, puzzles, stories, jokes, entertainment articles, and unique Spider-Man comics that can be found nowhere else.  It was a great time to be alive.

Kids' magazines often featured activities, posters, board games, and things to cut out, and as such usually didn't survive, so this can be a tough magazine to go back and find...so far online I have found only one issue that has been completely scanned, but I've bought several lots over the past months, and have noticed our favorite kaiju popping up from time to time.

This list is by no means complete, but there is more than enough here to warrant a look! [By the way, I am sure these issues fall under the "Unauthorized, but who cares" category!]

ISSUE 29 (October 1976)

The yearly Halloween issues were often looked forward to with great anticipation, and this one doesn't disappoint.  In fact, it gives us the most Godzilla content I have seen yet...is it any surprise that GODZILLA vs. MEGALON had been a huge hit that summer?

For starters, the inside cover is a solarized poster of a popular still from KING OF THE MONSTERS! It took all year to find one that still had the cover intact and non-removed...here is the image stitched together:

Elsewhere in the same issue is a feature where you match the monster to what they (probably) looked like as a baby....and in the course of doing so, the magazine accidentally predicted Godzilla's partnership with Dr. Pepper nearly a decade later!!!! Wha?

Next comes a feature story where kids were interviewed about their favorite monsters:

Get your fingers out of your mouth, sweetie...

Finally, a FOURTH Godzilla appearance--which even includes Rodan--yes, kids in the 70's knew who Rodan was.  Why not take a break and do a word search? Also, points for naming all of the films shown!

ISSUE 56 (October 1979)

Another awesome Halloween issue, and we are into the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon timeline. Godzilla was featured in an article called "Welcome To The Haunted High Class of 1979:"

Note the Ebirah claw there!

Also, there is a two-page MONSTER MAP that may be my favorite piece yet.  It's suitable for framing and even includes Mothra and Gorgo, but also REPTILICUS!

I could look at this all day!

ISSUE 69 (October 1980)

I am sensing a pattern here with the Halloween issues.  This issue stresses the difference between real and make-believe monsters:

Interestingly, no Godzilla photos are used this time, only artwork.

ISSUE 135 (June 1987)

This non-Halloween issue, from near the very end of the run, sneaks in an Imperial Godzilla! Well, not really sneaks, they name-check him:

Hey, somebody marked him out at the bottom....that would've been the first thing I circled! Vacation packing: clean underwear, toothbrush, Imperial inflatable Godzilla.

This lot is all that I have run into so far, but you can be sure that any further discoveries will be posted here.