Godzilla 2000 Millennium - Coloring Sheet! (1999)

Let's take a rest from work today, and break out the crayons!

Godzilla 2000 Millennium Papercraft (1999)

I was ordering some candy toys from a dealer around the time that GODZILLA 2000 was about to come out, and they kindly sent me one of these Japanese flyers.  It was half-sheet sized and glossy, and featured a Godzilla you could cut out and add to the attached background. I also really like the cartoon Godzilla in the corner.

"Godzilla For President" Flyer! (1976)

This flyer is a bit mysterious! It's actually a contest entry form made to look like a ballot.  Until recently, I thought it was handed out in theatres, and it still may have been (the instructions say to turn it in at your local theatre).  Interestingly, there is NO mention of it in the recently-obtained GODZILLA vs MEGALON pressbook, although the prizes are the same as the ones mentioned in the sweepstakes there!  It measures 5.5" x 11", and it's pretty tough to find one that's unused!

Batman 1966 Action Figure Diorama Stand Puzzle Cards (Mattel, 2013)

When I finally bit, and got into the Classic Batman 6" series from Mattel, I was pleasantly surprised.  I'd read all sorts of criticism, but all in all these are fun and well-made figures, and the likenesses are much better than I'd heard.

I was pretty upset on the distribution of the line, but this weekend I was shocked to find that my TRU had received 4 Batmobiles...at Christmas-time, Amazon listed the Batmobile for $125, so it was a no-go for me.  I never thought they'd ship again, and at $55 with a $5-coupon I had, I knew I had to act.  But that isn't our immediate concern.

What we are going to look at today are these puzzle pieces.  Each action figure includes a stand (and Mattel should really get credit for this...it seems such a simple thing, but most action figures fail to include this crucial item.  If NECA would just have done so for Pacific Rim!), and each stand includes a thick card, roughly 3 x 5" as a backdrop.  One side features a painting of the character (in the style of the classic Batman 1966 trading cards), but the other----the other features 1/6 of a super-cool painting of the Batcave. 

You may wonder why companies take an extra step like this.  I will tell you why! It is because shmucks like me find puzzle pieces, and HAVE to complete the puzzle.  I was undecided about a Catwoman figure, but there was no way at all I was going to buy the silly Surfing Batman action figure....but I did.  Oh, I did.

And, since I haven't seen any other action-figure sites focusing on this one really interesting bonus, here they are for your enjoyment!

One good question I have is this: when the equally-ridiculous Surfing Joker comes out, what will be on the back of his card? Makes you wonder, because apparently he is sort of a Series 2, and is coming out all by himself.

Actually, Mattel could make another series, but don't tell them that.  An Alfred would be cool, and MAYBE a Commissioner Gordon, if he came with a desk and phone....but please, please, please don't make an Aunt Harriet action figure!

Godzilla (Aurora model kit, 1964)

The 2000 Polar Lights reissue and the 1972 Aurora Glow-in-the-dark reissue weren't enough; I had to track down the original, which as it turns out was the second official Godzilla item produced in the United States!

Here is the original instruction manual scanned:

Remember kids, use only AURORA Styrene Plastic Cement.  Only 10 cents a tube and 25 cents a bottle!

Godzilla Wars - 40th Anniversary Boxed Set (Trendmasters, 1994-5)

Remember when Godzilla was only 40 years old? It doesn't seem that long ago.  There were technically three versions of these boxed sets, and they were exclusive to Trendmasters.  Yes, the 1990's gave us two evils of the collecting world:  exclusives and repaints.  And indeed, where the first version of the boxed set had some different figures, the third is just a repaint version of this set, (which is version 2)...and in some really strange and unnecessary colors.  With an occassional exception, repaints are just dumb.

EDIT: Ok fine, I wasn't going to do this, but for completeness' sake, it will make a lot more sense if I include photos of the other two sets:

Version 1

Version 3 (these are the sort of toys that you may see once, and pass on because they are ridiculous, and then become really rare and valuable because nobody bought them.  But let's be honest: dumb is dumb.)

Oversized Godzilla Trading Card

I don't really know anything about this card, except that it is huge, roughly the size of a modern comic book! I'm not sure if it is a reprint of a previous card, or an insert from a book.  The seller had one Gamera and one Ultraman card of simliar size that I didn't buy.  

Perforations on the left side of the card are a clue.  I have scans on my hard drive of a 1971 book of "Godzilla and Other Monsters" (which does include Ultraman and Gamera) but it doesn't look like a book of giant postcards--however this card is definitely a page in that book:

Great art of Godzilla fighting Ebirah though!

Unique MOTHRA Still!

Here's an interesting still I just picked up from the first MOTHRA.  Not only is it not one of the common stills that you see, but it's also very unusual for a behind-the-scenes photo to be used in this way.

Bonzo Dog Band - You Done My Brain In (longer single version)

It has been a long, long time since I had any "new" Bonzos material to discuss, and I wish this was more exciting than it turned out to be.  Have you ever had a long-standing quest get resolved, and discover that the quest was more exciting than the resolution? Twenty bucks and several years later, I'm afraid that's the case here.

I have read for years that the 45 version of this great Neil Innes song was longer on the single than on KEYNSHAM, and it is (by almost 25 seconds).  Turns out, it is artificially extended, and not even that skillfully done...there's a whooshing noise, and the beginning of the song quickly fades in again!

So, it is a unique version in that sense...the B-side, "Mr. Slater's Parrot," is identical to the album version as well.  Both are stereo.  

An oddity to add to the Bonzos collection, and another musical mystery solved.

Engrish Bootleg DVD's Strike Again!

Wow.  I don't mean to live for moments like this, but I absolutely do. There I was, wandering through my lesser-favorite thrift store, when I spotted this jewel.  Of course, when I opened the DVD case, it was empty, or else I might have even bought it, in the hopes that there were awesome Engrish subtitles to enjoy.

(By the way, apparently the $17 price tag is pre-Goodwill.)

The write-ups on the back are actually accurate, and, just like other discs I have seen, an attempt is made to try to look legitimate in the larger print...HOWEVER, once you get to the cast information and the fine print, hilarity ensues!

Do the Clicky to make it larger!

It's like whoever's doing the typing can only hold it in for so long, and then just starts pounding keys with their elbows.  Like I've said before, who in the world do they expect to read the fine print, anyway??

If your TV is in the proper shope, just lag on!

And it keeps getting better as you go...I tend to expect some level of quality in the modern era of bootlegs, but apparently that is just IMPOSIBEE!

Godzilla Origins Valentines (2004)

Is there a stupider, more contrived "holiday" than Valentine's Day? If there was a "Everyone Buy Nicholas Cage DVD's Day" it wouldn't be more of a scam.  That said, ten years ago, there was a bright spot in the shelf-load of classroom Valentines, if you could find it!

At the time, I had to go to a K-Mart to actually buy these, and I never saw them anywhere else.  Ten years later, K-Mart still hangs on like a tiny catfish at the bottom of your aquarium, yet Godzilla Valentines are a distant memory. Let's take a look at the eight that were included in the set!

Get used to the "screaming woman" from Japanese poster art.  You will be seeing a lot of her.  I do like the flying saucer from MONSTER ZERO on the tab of every Valentine.  Hey, it's Godzilla 1985!

In a brave move, Godzilla isn't even on this Valentine! Does that make the woman happy? Nope. "EAAYYAAAHHH!!"

And, there is always a "double-sized" Valentine, and they don't waste it here, giving us another monster battle--Ghidorah's wing is a little weird on the left side, but who cares! Here is the back of the seven small Valentines:

And here's the back of the jumbo one:

Also, a cool sticker sheet was included, so you could further decorate your Valentines:

Oh, hi Mothra! We haven't seen you yet! Also notice two things snipped out of the Japanese poster for the 1993 GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA (Mechagodzilla's head, and Fire Rodan...I always thought he looked like he was holding a basketball.)

All in all, they did a great job giving us an assortment of vintage characters, and I wish we would get another set like this...I always make the same mistake when a Hollywood movie comes out.  I always get hopeful for more classic product for whatever the theme is, and it doesn't happen.

Oh, and they give you not one, but TWO more Screaming Woman stickers, so you can add them to your Valentines....even though she is already on BOTH SIDES OF EVERY ONE.  Huh.

Godzilla King of the Monsters CED (Vestron, 1983)

Here's an item that is as anachronistic as a rotary-dial phone...or maybe these days, even a house phone! The Capacitance Electronic Disc system was invented by RCA, and it was an early form of home video, arriving in 1981.  They were LP-sized discs, housed in permanent plastic cases that were actually read with a stylus.  You still had to turn them over, and the format was playback only; no recording.  Because of this, it was a massive failure.  For more information, there's an excellent Wikipedia article on the subject, that even shows you what the disc looks like out of the sleeve.

Here is the only Godzilla/kaiju film I know of that was released in this format, and it was late to the game, coming in 1983. [EDIT:  Turns out, there was one other (GODZILLA 1985), and also the original RODAN.]

Of course, after massive losses, this system was soon to be replaced by one with the exact same problems, but better picture quality: the laserdisc.

My own small memories of the CED include watching a demo at a department store as a kid, where they had one set up, and a crowd of shoppers had gathered around to watch a salesman, who was extolling the system and playing a movie.  The film? It was the Bee Gee's awful SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND! Needless to say, I was unimpressed, and my family bought a Betamax machine.

Godzilla Puffy Stickers (Benedict Pictures Corporation, 1979)

Here's a dead-mint set of the larger Godzilla puffy stickers that were available in the late 70's.  These measure 7" x 11", unlike the smaller ones that are elsewhere on this very blog in a hanging display (I'd send a link but it's not letting me find them in a search...thanks, Google).

As you can see, the artwork is, well, not very artistic.  But as a six-year old, I would have loved them.  Also, there are a couple of odd choices here that I don't recall from the cartoon right away ("Glump"??), but that doesn't mean they weren't there.  Somewhere.  

So, NOW can we please have the second season of this cartoon on some DVD's, since there is a new Hollywood American Godzilla movie coming out?????!??!??!!?

GODZILLA vs MEGALON Pressbook (Cinema Shares, 1976)

Very cool pressbook for MEGALON that came with a set of ad slicks.  Once again, not only are pressbooks too big to scan, but this one unfolds like a giant tri-fold brochure, making it all the more impossible:

But, we still can look at some of the more interesting parts in detail.  GODZILLA vs MEGALON has to be the Godzilla film with the most marketing materials available...though strangely, all of the ads use the poster art, and are all pretty much the same.

 Let's start with the famous 4-page comic book (elsewhere on this very blog).  It is interesting to read that theaters had full leeway of how they used the comics.  It wasn't just a one-time thing, they were allowed to buy however many they wanted to hand out (and not just in the theater, as it says above).  Oh, and they were twenty bucks for A THOUSAND.  Wow!

Tracking down original pressbooks is a way to solve mysteries.  For example, you will notice that there is no mention of LOBBY CARDS in the example above, but that 8 smaller color stills were available.  Also, notice that there were TWO trailers and FOUR TV spots.  Even one radio spot.  My question is this: last year Toho cancelled the version of the domestic MEGALON release that we got on DVD that included extras.  I would love to know if ALL of these were included, and the disc was as complete as the DESTROY ALL MOSNTERS one was.  A few got through, and they are on Ebay occasionally, but "knowing is half the battle".  I have even seen a screen shot of the menu, but it doesn't tell us if all the trailers are there [LATER EDIT: They are indeed]!

Now we move to the famous buttons (or pins, badges, pinbacks, whatever you prefer to call them).  Interestingly, they were $42.44 for A THOUSAND, which of course we are talking about 1976 money, but still.  I have my set displayed via adhesive magnets, which works very well:

Next we come to another kooky suggestion from the makers of a movie pressbook...a Volkswagen parade:

This one is fascinating, and I wonder if this was ever attempted...and if anybody ever actually ordered the cutouts and auto panels that are mentioned...or if they were ever even made!  Why the focus on Beetles (which you just obtain "through your local dealer" of course, I can imagine that phone call)?  Sure, they were incredibly common, but I guess they wanted to produce only one shape of auto artwork.

WE GOT A GREAT BIG CONVOY, ROLLIN' THROUGH THE NIGHT........

Can you just picture that parade?

Lastly, we have an incredible SWEEPSTAKES that was running for the "best exploitation campaign."  You will be shocked to know that the prize was a 1976 Beetle (AGAIN WITH BEETLES).  But, you could also win a CB Radio or a Black & White Television set! Woo-hooo!

Here is the plot synopsis for the film...usually these say NOT FOR REPRINTING, which it doesn't this time, but you will also notice that NOWHERE in the entire document is Jet Jaguar referred to by  name.  Here, he is only THE CYBORG (??), and in the promotional comic, of course, he is ROBOTMAN.  Apparently there was some confusion over what he was going to be called in America, and they left themselves room to maneuver...although I can't imagine him called anything but JET JAGUAR.

Sample small ad

Back cover of pressbook