Christmas Spectacular 2012: Appendix A

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements (Appendix A)

Since we're at the midpoint of this year's Christmas "thing" I wanted to stop with the festivities for a moment and write a little something. I suppose I should call this a "feature" rather than a "thing" but moving right along...

At the start of this feature I mentioned that I love advertising and I truly do. Advertising is the one man-made medium that I love more than any other. We're not talking about those guys that dig through barns looking for old metal signs, I'm talking about the content and context and the culture, not physical advertising or memorabilia. I hear a lot of "Christmas is too commercial" or "that's not the reason for the season" but the really good advertising isn't about either of those things, at least not blatantly. Christmas has always been commercial, that's what Charles Schulz was parodying in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" way back in 1965. As Linus said, "Gee, do they still make wooden Christmas trees?" Then of course Schulz also later gave us one of the most genius moments of American television with another Linus duologue, "Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about..." Heck, the story "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" was created to be a promotional giveaway by Montgomery Ward in 1939. Our country isn't a fascist society and I still do like to believe it is built upon choice. I also like to believe that it is still a country where a great idea can spark the imagination, build a corporation, and possibly even change the world. With so much choice, so many products, and so many ideas - in a nation based on freedom of those things - how to you influence selection? That's advertising. Superman may have stood for "truth, justice, and the American way." Well the American way is advertising.

As for Christmas being too commercial, I don't agree with that. If anything the rest of the year has become too commercial. Stay with me here. When I was a child I was extremely spoiled. I won't argue that with anyone. For quite awhile I was an only child and the first grandchild in a huge family. Additionally most of my family was very localized to me. Within reason, I had pretty much anything I was interested in - that doesn't mean everything, because I wasn't interested in everything, and never had a "gimme, gimme" mentality. I also took overtly good care of my toys. Still, I didn't get new toys or games every week or anything like that. It was always a special occasion type thing and while I tended to get something for every holiday (including the usually more mundane gift-giving holidays), the big ones were still always Christmas and my birthday. Back then Christmas was still considered to be the big retail time and while Black Friday has spiraled out of control in recent years, it was still bigger then than it is now.

Now days sales take a spike because of product launches. Sometimes these occur multiple times per year, with the same line of products. People buy "big gifts" all year round. I worked twelve years in retail and I'll tell you that the spending for kids has been hard and fast throughout the year, regardless of the poor economy, for the past three years. Weekly and bi-weekly trips to buy kids expensive yet low quality products for no reason in particular or to get your kids to do / not do something is the name of the game these days. I could go off into one of my tangents about the culture of false entitlement we're perpetuating currently but that's not the focus here so I'll stop myself. The point I'm trying to make is that these days Christmas has to be even MORE commercial to stand out from the rest of the year. This is so that you still will spend more, that you will shoot for even bigger gifts. People my age (early 30's) probably remember looking through catalogs as a kid, circling things, stuff like that. I'm also going to assume that the rest of you, like myself, were never told "well, I'll get you this for Christmas" by your parents. So even though more or less you were expressing exactly what you wanted, you never did just know until Christmas Day. I also think that made things more special, more memorable, where as you get older it's not the toy or the fun you had with the gift that you have fond memories of - it's the process that led up to receiving it. The memory of that time, that place, your parents, that moment in your life, the feelings that surrounded it all. Not so much traditions but moments. As humans we tend to attach memories to physical objects but really I think we tend to attach physical objects to memories. "Rosebud..."

With my retail experience I can tell you that these days year-round sales are expected to match the type of profits that were previously generated by the Christmas season. And the boost in the Christmas season is now expected to top even that. All this with lower wages, less staff, and in the midst of a stalled economy. Don't get me wrong. I want people to spend on their friends, family and children how they see fit. It's part of that freedom and liberty thing. What I don't like to see is people that feel entitled to want new stuff all the time, especially children, and then expect to receive it. These things have nothing to do with commercialism and nothing to do with advertising. Because those ads and commercials and sales don't pick your pocket, don't carry you into a store, and don't make you slide your credit card. Christmas will only return to being "less commercial" once the rest of the year decides to cool down. Because the secret here is that Christmas in America has always been commercial.

One of the great things about being American is you can go get things you don't necessarily need. You have that choice. Advertising is a way to present those choices. While advertising as a whole is on the decline and becoming cheaper and less inventive due to television viewership no longer being on the uphill surge, it's still far and away better than online, audio and print advertising these days. I love television advertising, it's a record of culture and trends per era, so when Christmas advertising rolls around each year - I guess you could call it my "Christmas."

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 10 - E.T. the Extra Terrestrial from Atari

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 10 - E.T. the Extra Terrestrial from Atari

Ah yes, E.T., the game that uninformed internet personalities would like you to believe lead to the American video game crash of 1983. Fact of the matter, it was only one of about a dozen reasons why the crash happened and a pretty small one on its own at that. However it is a very good example of the excess and detachment of the people running the industry at the time - nothing like manufacturing more software than you have ever sold or ever will sell in hardware to match. Anyway, onto the ad. Here we have a simple, quiet hype machine that shows you exactly what you're getting - which is why I can't understand all the hatred for the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9zNqQS_tHs

My thoughts on E.T. - I always liked it as a kid and I still think it's a decent game. Given how short the dev cycle was it's actually a spectacular game with real difficulty and an actual ending. I do remember buying my copy in a plastic bag (booklet and cartridge only) for like $2.00 from a giant bin at a Kay Bee in 1984 - 1985. Looking back I wonder if they were returns or excess unboxed inventory from the factory, I did grow up in Silicon Valley after all.

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 9 - Norelco Santa

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 9 - Norelco Santa

We all love the Norelco Santa, an icon of advertising for the past 40+ years. This ad from the late 1980's / very early 1990's reuses the old stop motion animation assets of the earlier commercials in a new way. I used Norelco razors for many years until I got tired of their poor performance and dozens of parts required for disassembly and cleaning. The Norelco Santa, however, is fine by me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz0RStfAM1g

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 8 - The American Dairy Association

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 8 - The American Dairy Association

Now for one of my all time favorite, not just Christmas advertisements, but advertisements in general. This ad is genius because it takes something traditional and simple and then replaces it with a product that is advertised indirectly. Until the end of the commercial you don't know what it's trying to sell you but the commercial moves briskly enough that it maintains viewer's attention. The punchline and product come very quickly at the end but this is a spectacular ad because you remember what it was for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6wZQBh_Bg8

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 7 - Hallmark with Leonard Nimoy

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 7 - Hallmark with Leonard Nimoy

Hallmark ads are terrible. They've always been so poorly thought up. Let's not even begin to think of all those stupid "flip the card over" commercials, the ones where they even got Ray Charles to shill for them in those. (Then again Ray Charles had a period in the 1990's where he was selling everything, such as Diet Pepsi - talk about a blind taste test!) So why then is a Hallmark ad in this series? Well, because this one from 1992 doesn't overstep its boundaries. It's hokey, it's corny, and it's Leonard Nimoy with a ton of pancake makeup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laNNR1Di9oM

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 6 - US Marine Corps Toys For Tots Campaign

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 6 - US Marine Corps Toys For Tots Campaign

Here's one that I rarely see anymore, which really is a shame. Christmas advertising doesn't have to be about products or services. It also doesn't have to be commercial or religious. Here the Toys For Tots campaign asks for donations without being pushy or demanding. Every year I donate money, toys and batteries to Toys For Tots since it all stays right in the local community. If you know me then you know I think of Christmas as a children's holiday (is that the rooted point anyway) so here we are with day six.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3k1SOE760Y

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 5 - The Budweiser Clydesdales

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 5 - The Budweiser Clydesdales

One of the classiest and most classic of Christmas commercials, that sadly rarely gets airplay anymore.  The key here is it isn't about beer or drinking, it's simply a holiday message from a company.  Of course they mention their brand, why wouldn't they? An iconic commercial featuring an iconic image from an iconic brand. This is holiday advertising at it's best.  Ah, ah, ah aaahh ahhh.. ah, ah, ah, aaaahhh....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXvAVtwbemE

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 4 - Folgers Coffee

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 4 - Folgers Coffee

Okay, you all knew this one would show up here eventually so here it is nice and early as to get it out of the way.  Honestly though, this is a very well thought out commercial, with the exception of "Peter" telling his little sister to quiet down as he knows how to wake everyone up. Of course this commercial had a recent continuation that just comes across as.. um.. odd.  No matter, here's the original.  Although it begs the question just where Peter is returning from.  Is he home from the military? (Doubt that since he's not wearing or carrying the stuff used in commercials to suggest that) Is he a student home for the holidays? (Doubt that as well since they're complete shocked he's home) Did Peter just get out of prison? (Possibly, they do seem awfully surprised he's home) The questions are endless!  Side note, due to the Christmas theme this one won out being included in the list over the Rockapella Folgers adverts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4kNl7cQdcU

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 3 - Nintendo Game Boy - Old and Young

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 3 - Nintendo Game Boy Pocket - Old and Young

A great Christmas ad from the late 1990's that doesn't feature Nintendo's stupid "Play It Loud" slogan that they were obsessed with at the time. (Sidebar - Nintendo actually came under scrutiny for people in Butt, Montana or wherever not understanding they meant "expression" and not "loud volume") Here we have young and old meet up at the mall to find their common ground is video games. This ad was, and still is perhaps, quite a bit ahead of its time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-aAkvcEDXA

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 2 - Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies "Busted"

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 2 - Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies "Busted"

This is my favorite most recent commercial. It's fast moving, features hilarious acting and timing, presents a realistic scenario, breaks a lot of advertising stereotypes, and presents the product in a way you remember.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e72uHzFrfkQ

Christmas Spectacular 2012: DAY 1 - American Flyer Trains

Okay, last year it was a Christmas song a day from my rather eclectic collection of holiday music (ie I listen to everything). This time it's a little different. I love advertising, it's like totally my thing. Sadly internet advertising isn't anywhere near a replacement for television advertising. That's sad and with the decline of television viewership we will see cheaper and cheaper ads on TV. That's why you see the same woman trying to sell you 3 Day Blinds, sexual lubricant, Mercury insurance, dog treats, etc. However, it wasn't always that way...

For the next 20 days, there will be one advertisement posted per day, some of my favorites. They don't all have to specifically be holiday based but they will all pertain to a product or service associated with Christmas. With that, here we ho ho go...

InsaneDavid Presents: Christmas Spectacular 2012: Advertisements

DAY 1 - American Flyer Trains

I've never had a soft spot for American Flyer, probably because their heyday was long before my time and although I grew up model railroading, there was never a brand affiliation. Honestly I don't care for S gauge or O37 gauge railroading anyway (for whatever reason I've always been primarily N scale although I grew up with HO and G), but that doesn't mean I disrespect it. Trains are an inherent part of Christmas. A tree without a train running lazy circles underneath is like a tree without decorations. Here we have a nice, innocent advertisement for American Flyer trains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLcjMzWNb-g

The Backlog - 08/29/2012

Listed in order of urgency.

Immediate Backlog:
PS2 - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Tryan Gully)

Recently Completed:
Super Nintendo - Lagoon
NES - Adventures of Lolo 2
TurboGrafx-16 - Bonk's Adventure
TurboGrafx-16 - Final Lap Twin (Quest Mode)
TurboGrafx-16 - Vigilante
TurboGrafx-16 - Ninja Spirit
TurboGrafx-16 - Keith Courage in Alpha Zones

I really need to sit my ass down and write reviews of completed games.  Damn I'm lazy lately!

Wasp x1

I swear, I should get reduced rent or something.  Go out to get the mail and see a wasp flying around, no big deal, see them all the time.  It lands on the parcel lockers, ah, it's building a nest here.  Well, I know no one will take care of it until it's full blown and spread inside the parcel locker, which most also seem to lazy to ever get their mail out of (which is why I had a delivery at the door today).  So I head back up to the apartment.  Don't have any wasp spray, don't have any brake cleaner or engine degreaser (all three have the same effect on wasps and wasp nets, more or less they melt).

Ah, but I do have some WD-40.  If you know me, you know how I feel about WD-40.  It's a shitty lubricant that was never designed to be used as such.  It's good for quick and dirty repairs to potentiometers in things like Atari paddles, repels water and prevents corrosion but that's about it.  However, it will knock out wasps and cripple a wasp nest long enough to crush it.

So I go back out with the WD-40 in hand and there's a guy out there towing a pickup truck.  Don't know if it's just broken down or if the property manager is having it towed for being illegally parked.  Considering he had to pull it out of the space I'd say it's the latter.  Now he's moved the truck out into the middle of the lot to secure it for transport, which is right by the mail boxes.  I start spraying the nest, which the wasp is currently atop of and the two truck guy asks, "Wasps?"  Wow, someone else with a brain that actually gets their hands dirty and takes care of crap!  Anyway, after hosing it down for a couple seconds the wasp was incapacitated and the nest crippled I could knock it down with my foot and mash both objects on the ground.

Game Center CX in USA

After finally watching the "Game Center CX in USA" special episode, and thoroughly enjoying it as usual, I have two things to say (although it's probably old hat at this time)...

Why the hell take Arino and crew to that dump of an indie game store 4Jays?  Wow, the games and display monitors don't work - big surprise.  Staff that doesn't know crap about games, an owner who always seems like he's pissed off someone is in his store, and outrageously overpriced inventory.  Seriously, they didn't seem too proud that their "fine establishment" was being featured on international television, at least they weren't faking for the camera.  Also while I know that the segment was for quick plays of some usually not found in Japan NES games, why was StarTropics not mentioned?  There has to be a copy in there - a game developed by Nintendo, by Japanese game developers working in America, specifically for the American audience.  Never mind that it's my favorite NES / Famicom game, it truly is a unique specimen of NES / Famicom history.

Second, the segment in the laundromat with Ms. Pac-Man.  Really, no one could do research that the reason that Ms. Pac-Man was moving so fast is because the game had a "speed up" chip installed?  It makes me wonder how much research is really done for the games on the show that are featured.  It also goes to show how much we need something like the Video Game History Museum to act as an information repository, open to everyone.

The Backlog - 02/19/2012

Listed in order of urgency.

Immediate Backlog:
PS2 - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Tryan Gully)

Recently Completed:
Super Nintendo - Lagoon
NES - Adventures of Lolo 2
TurboGrafx-16 - Bonk's Adventure
TurboGrafx-16 - Final Lap Twin (Quest Mode)

New change, carrying over all the recently completed titles from post to post until I write a review of them.

The Backlog - 02/12/2012

Listed in order of urgency.

Immediate Backlog:
PS2 - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Blizzard Peaks)

Recently Completed:
Super Nintendo - Lagoon
NES - Adventures of Lolo 2
TurboGrafx-16 - Bonk's Adventure
TurboGrafx-16 - Final Lap Twin (Quest Mode)

New change, carrying over all the recently completed titles from post to post until I write a review of them.

SM CCG = $$$

Running down auctions for a customizable / collectible card game that went out of production in like 2002 is not a good thing to be obsessed with right now.  Unfortunately I was right on with predicting the trend that the Sailor Moon CCG would shoot up in desire and price with the re-release of the translated manga.  Two years ago you could get sealed cases of the premiere booster packs for $20 - $30.  Now days they hit $60 without even trying.  I'd love to complete my premiere set (only missing two foils) and go after the hard to find Past & Future expansion set and the even harder to find "unlimited" version of the base set.  Basically to fill up the rest of the Past & Future expansion packs, the original premiere set (except for like two cards that were starter box exclusives and the foils) was reprinted as "unlimited" with a different logo in the corner and the rarity listing on each card.  "Unlimited" was kind of a mistake to call the set though since far fewer of them (and the Past & Future expansion which was very hard to find outside of starter decks) were produced than the premiere edition.

Anyway, while I only need two foils for my premiere set, I would still like to go through another entire sealed box just because it's fun.  Some of my foils came from another sealed booster box a few years ago but most came from small lots of random cards purchased on eBay.  I won one such lot this morning and another (no foils but more damage counter beads) ends in an hour or so.  I figure after another premiere box then I can focus on the random cheap auctions and really zeroing in on the missing Past & Future expansion cards.  And in case anyone is wondering, yes I know how to and actually play the game.  I'm not tying to get one of every card and stop, I have boxes and boxes of Sailor Moon CCG cards used to make decks.

I really should have bought all I needed last year but it's good to see Sailor Moon becoming popular again.  Even if it makes the items that became really cheap over the years expensive again.  Let's hope a new DVD release makes the series affordable for everyone once again.

The Backlog - 10/30/2011

Listed in order of urgency.

Immediate Backlog:
PS2 - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Dark Ruins)
PS2 - Beyond Good and Evil (after completion of first assignment) - RESTARTING THIS ONE AT A LATER DATE

Recently Completed:
TurboGrafx-16 - Bonk's Adventure
TurboGrafx-16 - Final Lap Twin (Quest Mode)

The two TG-16 completions will be review candidates eventually.  Man did I get a laugh at the name of the world champion at the end of Final Lap Twin's Quest Mode.

Son, Be A Deeennntiiist...

I'm really trying to get back into the swing of updating the site with content.  However, as I am well aware, things rarely go as planned.  Currently I'm fighting one hell of a toothache that has nearly incapacitated me over the past few days.  Well that's really not entirely true, I'm still able to get on with the daily grind but it has a tenancy of sacking me right when I get ready to do something outside of routine.  One of those things would be creating site content.

My commitment is still to DVGI and classicplastic.net - always has been.  However I may miss my RTM column(s) this time around due to not being able to finish them off due to the pain.  Even writing this isn't being accomplished under the best conditions.

What I can say is that I'm changing some of my collecting priorities and getting back into the TurboGrafx-16.  I regretted selling my TurboDuo the same week it left my hands, same goes for the last straight TG-16 lot that I had.  So I'm building it back up, enjoying the games, realizing how the prices have been on a steady increase and don't seem to be leveling off.  I've got a TG-16 system (AV modded it within the first hour of it showing up at my door), TurboTap, a second TurboPad on the way and some of my favorite games.  The big one being Final Lap Twin which regardless of what anyone may say about it, it's my favorite game on the system.

Also have Dungeon Explorer, Vigilante, Victory Run and a few other of the more common classics of the system.  The Legendary Axe, Bonk's Adventure and more are on the way.  I'm going for HuCARDs only right now although I did keep a few CD games when I got rid of everything else a couple years ago.  I'll probably end up region modding my system within the year since I also kept a couple PC Engine games (I think Bari Bari Densetsu is fun, I'm serious).  Right now though it's all about HuCARD games, trying to make sure the titles I get are game / case / booklet - I don't care to go for boxes.  For games that were box / plastic tray and didn't come in cases, then game / booklet is fine by me.

I'm going to keep my spending on it controlled, buy what I like when the price is right, and just really enjoy playing one of my all time favorite consoles (right there with the NES and Vectrex).

Pat The NES Punk Second Annual NES Marathon for Child's Play Charity

Check out thepunkeffect.com to follow Pat and Ian (no relation to the ClassicPlastic.net Ian) as they play NES games to raise money for Child's Play, a great charity.

I was actually able to help out this year (other than donating) as I made a comment to help them start the PowerPad game Super Team Games (you start on pads 5-6 / 7-8 instead of 1-2 / 3-4).  How many man hours I spent as a kid playing Super Team Games will not be disclosed.