7 moments that changed movie merchandising

When you think about it, shouldn’t theaters be paying you to see movies?

There are advertisements in the lobby, advertisements before screenings and product placement within the movies themselves. Between the gratuitous plugs for Subway sandwiches and Hero cologne in “Lethal Weapon II,” one has to wonder if the 1989 action movie was completely paid for before a single audience member attended the movie.

But every once in a while, a film comes along that boldly pushes merchandising boundaries to such unprecedented new levels, that you have to actually stand up and applaud its ambition.

“Transformers,” opening in theaters on July 4, may be just such a movie. For the first time in big-budget summer blockbuster history, an action film has been based on a Saturday morning cartoon that was based on a line of toys.

“Transformers” is definitely the No. 1 marketing movie of the summer. The question is, will historians look back at “Transformers,” see the landfill worth of merchandise that was sold, and declare it an all-time product placement classic?

The bar has been set high. Below are seven great moments that changed movie merchandising.

7. Tom Hanks is born
On July 9, 1956, Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born in Concord, Calif. And we’re pretty sure that he emerged from the womb holding a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.

Hanks has been in more landmark product placement movies than any other actor, starting with the extended-commercial-for-FAO-Schwarz piano scene in “Big.” That success was followed by the America Online propaganda film “You Got Mail,” and later “Cast Away,” which was one big Fed Ex ad with a smaller subplot about a man’s friendship with a Wilson volleyball.

For Hanks’ next film, expect him to sit in front of the camera for 110 minutes eating bowl after bowl of Rice Chex.

6. Davy Crockett’s ugly headwear
The real Davy Crockett was a beloved frontiersman, ambitious politician and a soldier who died in the battle of the Alamo. Who knew that he would be remembered for wearing a dead raccoon on his head?

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The 1950s coonskin cap was the fad that shook Hollywood, making marketers realize that they could continue to shake money out of kids’ pockets even after they left the theater. As ugly as it was, every male baby boomer on the planet had to have one. Disney made more than $100 million in merchandising off Davy Crockett (which translates to 17 bazillion dollars in 2007 numbers).

Fess Parker’s portrayal of Crockett in “Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter” in 1954 was the catalyst for the craze. After that, it was a good time to be a toy dealer — and a bad time to be a small furry mammal with a striped tail.

5. Snack time for E.T.
When the 1982 movie “E.T.” was in development, product placement king Steven Spielberg reportedly approached Mars Corp., asking if M&Ms could be used as the alien’s candy of choice. The company declined. After all, who’s going to spend money on a movie about a boy’s friendship with an alien?

The boneheaded movie by Mars was Hershey’s gain. That company offered up struggling product Reese’s Pieces, “E.T.” was a massive hit and the sales of the candy jumped anywhere from 60 to 300 percent, depending on which urban legend you choose to believe. Whatever the numbers, nobody doubted Spielberg’s ability to produce a marketing-rich blockbuster again.

Incidentally, there was false advertising all around. Off the set, E.T. reportedly preferred Skittles.

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