1/3/11--Video Releases, Toys, Interviews!

[Phlibbit]

Happy New Year! We're starting out 2011 with a bang:

* Our Merchandise section is finally starting to get filled out:
o There's a first pass at the Video Releases sub-section which has most of the known releases for Region 1/USA.
o Toys! A comprehensive archive of Ertl's wonderfully conceived action figure and toy line for the film.
* And speaking of toys, we've now posted--for the first time--a TV commercial for the action figures, found in our commercials section (thanks to billbot!)
* The interviews section has seen an overhaul--it now contains a great deal of official interviews to go alongside our site-exclusive ones.

A special thanks goes out to billbot for locating and securing the very rare TV commercial and to Zack and smb collector for providing the wonderful photos and videos for the various merch.

[ultimateemail5000]

Such a good update! I have only seen that toy commercial once, just once! I remember seeing it thinking it was so cool because it was the day after I saw the movie. I always watched Nick for it, but it never came on ever again. It just aired once. I'm so glad you found that commercial.

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

Oh, wow... I never had any idea there was a commercial... or some of these other toys.

This is awesome stuff. Ertl did a bang-up job here, I just wish these had come out back when I still played with toys, rather than just collecting them.

[incognitus]

Always wanted to watch a comercial of the toys

Their weapons remind me the ones of the Jurassic Park figures

[Redstar]

What I'm curious about is whether someone from MEL or even one of the six Goomba actors did that role or if the commercial studio got someone else for it.

[Phlibbit]

My assumption would be that one of the MEL guys did it. Didn't they also send some Goombas out to thinks like trade shows, etc.? Off the top of my head, wasn't Paul Elliot involved in some of that?

[billbot85]

Such a good update! I have only seen that toy commercial once, just once! I remember seeing it thinking it was so cool because it was the day after I saw the movie. I always watched Nick for it, but it never came on ever again. It just aired once. I'm so glad you found that commercial.

Haha same story with me! I had seen the other SMB toy commercial with the police car only once! And thought it was so cool and then never saw again, lol. I had never seen this commercial before, but I was glad I came across it for this website.

[Zack]

I've been away for quite some time but I was in Wal Mart last night and saw SMB in the $5 DVD bin and thought I'd come here

Not many days go by I don't think of the movie and this site. Awesome work on everything that has come together in the video and merchandise sections and glad I was able to contribute in the stuff I scanned, video etc

[billbot85]

I'm still on the hunt for the other toy commercial featuring the police car and Devo Chamber. I suppose if I could get in touch from someone from ERTL who might know who did the advertising for their products, I might be able to track down the other commercial.

Redstar, I think you had mentioned that you also tried contacting ERTL about the toyline?

[Serum]

I probably should have said this a long time ago, but I've had the Hong Kong DVD since 2002/2003-- it has no special features, but was released under (I think) Bandai and has Mandarin subtitles. I'll see if I can post a picture, later...

[billbot85]

I managed to contact Tomy/ERTL and was forwarded to their marketing department. Had to leave a voicemail since the person wasn't there. I'll keep everyone posted if this ends up helping us find more information on the SMB toyline.

[billbot85]

So I was able to touch base with someone in the marketing department for Tomy (Tomy is part of RC2 Corporation, which owns ERTL). Her name is Anna Dooley, and she knew about the Super Mario Bros toyline. She said she would speak to a few people in her department that might have been around when the toys were made, and get back to me. I'll let you all know how it turn out.

[Redstar]

Awesome! Do keep us posted.

[Phlibbit]

That sounds great! I'm glad that the ERTL SMB toys are your area of expertise

[billbot85]

Well, Ms. Dooley got back to me after asking around the company. Unfortunately, no information on the toyline or advertisements were found. She asked several members who have been with the company before 1993, and none of them had anything to do with the toys. She recommended that I contact the company that granted them the license to make the toys, which would obviously be Nintendo. However, I'm not sure if they would have any information either. I suppose we could also try Disney. What do you guys think?

[billbot85]

So far I've contacted Nintendo inquiring about the SMB toy commercial, but I doubt they would have records on it. I also contacted www.usatvads.com to see if they can find the commercial. However, if USA TV Ads does find it, they will charge me $395.00 to buy it, which I think is kind of a ridiculous price for a DVD copy of a TV commercial. I still think I'd have better luck seeing if someone has this commercial on a torrent site, or perhaps post the question in forums pertaining to old 90's TV commercials. I'm kinda stumped on what to do next. Anyone here have any thoughts?

[Serum]

For 400 dollars, you'd better get a steelbook director's cut of the commercial on Blu-Ray with digital download and a six hundred page book detailing the process of filming the commercial.

[billbot85]

Heh, amen to that. It's just such an outrageous charge for a commercial made in 1993. They charge even more for 80's and 70's commercials. I paid only $30 for a LARGE collection of commercials from the 90's on DVD from videomercials.com. That was the DVD that had the one SMB toy commercial that I sent to Phlibbit to upload on youtube.

I think I'm gonna try retrojunk.com next and see if anyone on there remembers the commercial or has it taped off TV. Perhaps if I ask around the internet long enough, I might find someone who knows about it. Let me know if any of you have ideas, thanks!

[Redstar]

You really are obsessed with this commercial, aren't you?

[billbot85]

You really are obsessed with this commercial, aren't you?

I guess it just bugs the hell out of me that I can't find it, haha. It's what got me hooked on the toyline in the first place when I saw it back '93.

I'm sure it'll come up someday. There seems to be a lot of interest on the internet for finding and watching retro commercials from your childhood.