[minichapman]

Overlord, on 31 May 2013 - 01:25 PM, said:

minichapman, on 31 May 2013 - 03:03 AM, said:

Casshern, on 27 May 2013 - 04:22 AM, said:

Also, does anyone in the UK remember seeing a show called Gamesmaster where they would feature video game challenges? Apparently, Sonic 1 was featured in one of their episodes:

Funnily enough, the kid who completed the challenge went on to become Vid-eator "Big Boy Barry" on SKY 1's Gamesworld. He's also the Global PR and Communications Manager for Mad Catz.

Big Boy Barry ended up as Mad Catz PR? Hah, that's amusing. I wonder what happened to some of the other Videators?

Rik Henderson (who you also see in the Gamesmaster vid) was the Violet Blade. He used to do a bit of work for Future Publishing and runs his tech-site called Pocket Lint.
Martin Mathers (has also appeared on GM with the challenge of playing 2 Virtua Cop 2 machines at the same time) (he was the smart suit guy that I can't remember what he was named) used to write for Official Nintendo Magazine.

[Overlord]

minichapman, on 31 May 2013 - 01:52 PM, said:

Overlord, on 31 May 2013 - 01:25 PM, said:

minichapman, on 31 May 2013 - 03:03 AM, said:

Casshern, on 27 May 2013 - 04:22 AM, said:

Also, does anyone in the UK remember seeing a show called Gamesmaster where they would feature video game challenges? Apparently, Sonic 1 was featured in one of their episodes:

Funnily enough, the kid who completed the challenge went on to become Vid-eator "Big Boy Barry" on SKY 1's Gamesworld. He's also the Global PR and Communications Manager for Mad Catz.

Big Boy Barry ended up as Mad Catz PR? Hah, that's amusing. I wonder what happened to some of the other Videators?

Rik Henderson (who you also see in the Gamesmaster vid) was the Violet Blade. He used to do a bit of work for Future Publishing and runs his tech-site called Pocket Lint.
Martin Mathers (has also appeared on GM with the challenge of playing 2 Virtua Cop 2 machines at the same time) (he was the smart suit guy that I can't remember what he was named) used to write for Official Nintendo Magazine.

Funnily enough, his name was just Mr Mathers. =P There's a list on Wikipedia.

[MooMoo]

BSonirachi, on 31 May 2013 - 05:44 AM, said:

During the 90s there's been special bottles of Matey bubble bath in the UK that were designed just like Sonic.



I held on to the empty bottle for years (I even swapped Sonic's head with one from a Dennis the Menace bubble bath bottle and vice versa), then it recently got thrown out when my old bedroom got tidied out.

YES! I remember pulling his head off many a time as a kid. :D Aww, sweet memories. Did it turn the bath blue, btw? I don't ever remember a colour change.

[Casshern]

I found some cool stuff on Ebay. But first, let's take a trip back in time when Sega was preparing to launch the Dreamcast in the USA:

Quote

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 1998--The recently announced Dreamcast™ super video game console from Sega® may still be more than a year away from launch in North America, but forces are already at work developing a marketing blitz the likes of which the video game industry has never seen.

Sega of America has enlisted some of the most prestigious industry heavy weights to build marketing muscle for Dreamcast. And Sega is putting its marketing money where its mouth is, dedicating $100 million solely for Dreamcast's launch in North America.

The Dreamcast introduction will touch all parts of the target consumer's life with unforgettable advertising, sales promotions, event marketing and retail merchandising. The campaign will explore new ways of reaching consumers and enhance their means of interacting with Sega and its products.

Sega's elite battalion of marketing, advertising and promotions companies include Foote, Cone & Belding -- San Francisco; Alcone Marketing Group; the Howard Marlboro Group (HMG) and The Catalyst Group. Their collective experience is evident through successful campaigns for companies such as Levi's, Burger King, MTV and Mazda.

"Sega's business plan mandates 'kick-ass marketing' to launch our new console," said Bernard Stolar, president and COO, Sega of America. "We can't wait to surprise the consumer with our definition of what that means."

The marketing companies behind the Dreamcast launch campaign include the best in the industry: Foote, Cone & Belding -- San Francisco; Widely known for its award-winning Levi's and Dockers® ad campaigns, Foote, Cone & Belding -- San Francisco (FCB) is the clear leader in youth-targeted advertising.

FCB, the 1996 Ad Agency of the Year, was one of the first ad agencies ever to be nominated for an Emmy, television's highest honor. FCB will give consumers a wake up call with campaigns showcasing Dreamcast and Sega. Some of FCB's current clients include Levi Strauss & Co., Coors, MTV, Keds, Fox Sports and Amazon.com.

Alcone Marketing Group

If you have eaten at Burger King and ordered a Kid's Club Meal, you have seen Alcone Marketing Group at work. The Irvine-based company is the leader in product promotions, creating promotional opportunities for consumer products by tying them to mass market vehicles. Alcone is already at work with Sega lining up large-scale consumer promotions by partnering Dreamcast with a host of products specifically targeted towards people in the mid-teen to mid-20s market. Alcone Marketing clients include Mazda and the California Lottery.

Howard Marlboro Group

HMG is one of the most respected consumer research and in-store marketing companies in the United States. HMG is already working on a revolutionary consumer retail program for Sega that will turn the industry on its ear with innovative in-store support programs, custom fixtures, interactive merchandising and ground-breaking POP materials. The company is conducting massive consumer research and will be tasked with developing an entirely new in-store presence for Sega. HMG currently works with industry giants such as Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, Motorola, Nestle, K-Mart, and others.

The Catalyst Group

The Catalyst Group (TCG) is one of Hollywood's most prolific entertainment marketing and product placement companies. Burbank-based TCG will be responsible for the placement of Dreamcast and the Sega name on the hottest shows, movies and music events. TCG currently works with such industry heavy weights at Tropicana, Yamaha, PowerBar, Spalding and Schwinn.

Sega of America is the arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Sega Enterprises, Ltd. responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega videogame systems and videogames in the Americas. Sega Enterprises, Ltd. is a nearly $3.0 billion company recognized as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media, and is the only company that offers interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America's World Wide Web site is located at (http://www.sega.com). -0-

Note to Editors: Dreamcast visuals and press materials available on BusinessWire and PhotoWire, Access Communications FTP site (ftp://ftp.accesspr.com), and the Sega website (http://www.sega.com).

Source


The reason why I highlighted the Alcone Marketing group part is because of this:























More photos here and auctions here. How cool are those?! Apparently they were supposed to launch in December 98, but didn't. Or maybe they did, but I never seem them anywhere and I really don't remember seeing them when I was younger.

[GagaMan]

The first Tails one appears to be just like the one in the Burger King Sonic R set from early '98, made in the UK to advertise the PC release.




Except this one had a cloud.

[Nova]

GagaMan, on 12 March 2014 - 04:49 AM, said:

The first Tails one appears to be just like the one in the Burger King Sonic R set from early '98, made in the UK to advertise the PC release.




Except this one had a cloud.

I had that! Had a rip cord and rolled along tables and caused all sorts of shit. The rest of the series were pretty cool, too.

[MikeTH]

Bobinator, on 31 May 2013 - 01:30 PM, said:

On that note, did anybody have one of these, at any point?



I think the Big Lots near me had WAY more Sonic merchandise than you'd possibly expect. They had bedsheets, for one thing. Can't find a picture of the ones I used to have, though.

Yep, I had one or two of those back when I was 6 or 7 or something. They were really neat, but I didn't end up keeping of them.

[Nova]

Not one of the above, but I did have one of these as a kid:

[Casshern]

GagaMan, on 12 March 2014 - 04:49 AM, said:

The first Tails one appears to be just like the one in the Burger King Sonic R set from early '98, made in the UK to advertise the PC release.




Except this one had a cloud.

I noticed that too. It's a shame we didn't get this promotion since I think that Tornado Tails and Gamma are pretty cool.

[Jen]

Oh, those Burger King concept designs are really nice! Thanks for sharing, Casshern Makes me wish that promotion had actually happened though, some of the toys look great.

[Shakidna]

Casshern, on 12 March 2014 - 02:03 AM, said:

Unbelievable, seeing pointy-headed Robotnik next to the Dreamcast logo.

[grap3fruitman]

Did anyone ever get the Sonic and Knuckles sneakers? There was a mail-in order form and I wanted them soooooo badly but I didn't get them. I've never seen any evidence of them existing however. Have I gone nuts?

[grap3fruitman]

Did anyone ever get the Sonic and Knuckles sneakers? There was a mail-in order form and I wanted them soooooo badly but I didn't get them. I've never seen any evidence of them existing however. Have I gone nuts?

[Master Emerald]

GeneHF, on 26 April 2013 - 10:18 PM, said:

Surprised no one's mentioned this, as it's usually #1



Other than that, keeping on cereal, there were some Sonic themed pogs released in certain boxes of General Mills cereals. I remember getting a ton from boxes of Cookie Crisp.

Sonic's also had gum packets shaped like Game Gears with collectible trading cards, random merch like backpacks, and hilariously deformed ice cream pops. You know, the usual schtick for a cash cow mascot.

OMG that song appears to be done using the YM2612 using the S2 sound driver!

This post has been edited by Master Emerald: 21 August 2014 - 01:24 AM

[Ell678]

Nova, on 12 March 2014 - 10:39 AM, said:

Not one of the above, but I did have one of these as a kid:

Ha, now I think about it, I'm nearly certain I had one of those!