It's probably happened to everyone who had a favorite movie. It's the great 'what if' that can leave some studios scratching their heads years after a film has become a 'cult favorite.' And that question is: why didn't we merchandise that film!? Nowadays, most films when they take off, spawn a sequel and a plethora of merchandise the second time around (we've seen it happen with 'Austin Powers' and 'The Matrix'). But in the 1960's, most licensed properties only had their one shot before the film faded into obscurity, and with the quick turn-around time for producing teen movies in the 60's, hard-core merchandising was usually not on the minds of studio executives back then. One of the more popular franchise pictures was 'Planet of the Apes,' which spawned numerous sequels, A television series, and merchandising properties such as baseball cards, costumes, and toys. Today, there is a great abundance of retro product out there. With a resurgence of material from the past 4 decades in stores like Hot Topic and Spencer's Gifts, people are giving into nostalgia, and remembering the times of their youth.
What follows, are some product ideas I thought might be interesting if merchandise had been made for Village of the Giants.




First off, what would a movie be without the basics in promotional materials, such as shirts, shorts, mugs, and even beach towels? These would be the kinds of products generally given away for free, to help spread awareness (If there had been sneak previews of Village of the Giants, the viewers may have been given shirts such as these upon exiting the screening). Of course, merchandising could spread to other areas as well, including beachballs, calendars, hats, and much more.




With so many girls and outfits in Village of the Giants, one could almost see this happening: fashion dolls of several of the main characters. Of course, there'd probably also be dolls incorporating several different outfit changes, and one could almost picture a Hainesville Theater Stage Playset, complete with miniature bed, makeup table, magazines, and small buckets of Fried Chicken. Plus, there would be a doll of Horsey, so girls could recreate that scene of Merrie dancing with her handsome little fella!




Who could forget the days of yesteryear, when you could buy a pack of cards that came with a (hard)stick of bubblegum? One could almost see Village of the Giants becoming a bubble-gum card line. The story laid out in a simple 54-card set. Of course, the story cards would be preceded by a card showing the film's poster, and 2 cards at the end that would serve as checklist cards, helping you find out which cards you needed to complete your set. Of course, in today's card market, there'd be specialty 'chase' cards, that might have autographs by Bert I Gordon, or even cards that featured swatches of cloth from various costumes, or from cardboard and paper props.




And of course, we can't forget the metal lunch boxes. All was right with the world, until parent's groups fretted that the boxes (when filled with a thermos of milk, cookies, chips and a sandwich) could be used as miniature 'weapons of mass destruction' against playground buddies. Still, one had to wonder what a teacher would think of the parents who would let their child bring a lunch box with this promotional art from the film on it.




New technologies and the digital realm of home theater have brought once distant icons and films closer to us than ever before. Of course, everyone has their Dream DVD, and fans of Village of the Giants are no exception.
A dream DVD of Village of the Giants would most likely include: 1)Commentary by Writer/Director Bert I Gordon, 2)A comprehensive photo gallery, 3)Radio, TV & Movie advertisements, 4)A 'Where are they now' featurette with the former cast and crew, 5)A 'Jack Nitzsche Tribute,' showcasing the man who helped with the swinging bass beat rhythms of the giants, 6)A feature chronicling the locations used in the movie, 7)A 'Tribute to HG Wells,' which shows the comparisons of Wells work and their effects on Bert I Gordon's films, and much more.
Of course, the special features would almost all be included on the second disc, while the first disc would feature the film in it's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio (eliminating the more common 1.33:1 aspect ratio that all films are usually formatted with to fit conventional television screens). There would even be an upgrade to Dolby 5.1 Surround sound, elminating the outdated Mono channel we are accustomed to.
And for those of us with the latest in technology, there would be the Blu-Ray release of Bert. I Gordon's film. Much of the same content as the 2-disc DVD would be evident, but the disc would also utilize the BD-Live feature, to show some items that are archived in regards to the film, such as the shooting script, and maybe additional items like costume concepts and more from the film archives.
But what about the music, you say? Those swingin' tracks that we heard that made Toni Basil shake, and Beau Bridges shimmy? For years, many had hoped for a soundtrack like this. Of course, who wouldn't be impressed to see a retro vinyl record that contained the tracks from the film, including the long-lost Mike Clifford trackin, 'Nothing Can Stand in My Way?' Dig THAT nitty-gritty!



In the early 1980's, home video games were in their infancy. With the likes of films like E.T. and Star Wars making their way to the popular Atari gaming console, one has to wonder what that early technology would mean for Village of the Giants.
For the Atari system, a player would take control of Mike, guiding him through levels as he tries to defeat his giant tormentors. Running and jumping through the village of Hainesville, Mike would use his slingshot to wound or take down the giants, as well as try and rescue townsfolk, and collect items for Genius to create an antidote to shrink the giants down to size.
Of course, the giants would try to grab Mike, step on him, or even spear him, as seen at the end of the film.




If one goes to casinos these days, you'll find a number of slot machines that have ties to familiar movie titles. A trip to Las Vegas did make me wonder, what if Village of the Giants was given that treatment?
One would look to get three-in-a-row of different symbols, or add some Wilds during the spins to increase your payouts. While some of our delinquent teens can get you decent payouts, the big ones are saved for our good teens in the film. Of course, a full black-out of Wilds gets you the major jackpot!
There are also bonus rounds that can be activiated, like winning the monetary contents of a random wicker basket, or matching different containers of Genius' pumice compound to shrink the giants and get rewarded for doing so.
The machines lights would also be colored appropriately to the film's color scheme, with the outer lights taking on a pinkish hue, in close coloration to the goo in the film.




Of course, we are now living in the 21st century. What about taking a big film like this (or it's music for that matter), and shrinking it to fit in your pocket? In a case like that, one could imagine (though it'd be a huge longshot) Apple's iPod technology combining with Bert I Gordon's films, to produce a 'groovy' yellow and red iPod, dubbed the 'Special B.I.G. Edition.' The iPod would also come with Bert I Gordon's signature etched on the back, as well as a coupon to download either Village of the Giants, or one of Bert I Gordon's other films off the iTunes website.