Wednesday, July 2, 2014

'Cycles Wherever A Spider Can


This ad which ran in mid-1976 was mainly for Spider-Man toys, but it looks like they threw in everything but the kitchen sink:



I don't know--if I were in marketing, I'd probably recommend that the ad would be more eye-catching if it pictured the actual toy, rather than an artist's representation--but maybe doing it this was was more cost-effective for the company. And it's easy enough for a kid to find what appeals to him/her. Prices range from $2.00-$4.00, plus shipping/handling (translation: postage/labor).

I suppose the Hulk model requires assembly ( the smoke/dust rising from the ground is pretty clever!), but the web shooter looks ready to go:



You probably have to retrieve and keep using the same string--I wonder how long before a kid gets tired of doing that? Not to mention the fact that you're not really going to be able to snag anything. Phooey.

It's hard to mess up a bike horn, though I think it would be cool if Spidey's eyes lit up when the horn was sounded:



(Maybe they didn't want to give the kid any ideas about taking their bike out at night.) This later horn doesn't look nearly as distinctive, but I'm guessing you'll still get out of the way when this puppy is honked at you:



Evel Knievel probably didn't appreciate his name being misspelled in the ad, but I don't think he has to worry about Spidey stealing his thunder. I'm not sure how many kids are going to be able to picture Spider-Man riding a 'cycle, though forking over two bucks to see him take off on it and slam into other objects seems like a good deal. But why settle for just Spidey when you can get the Hulk in a sidecar?


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