Having a lazy Sunday (or whatever day of the week it is when you happen to stumble upon this)? We certainly hope so! Here’s the latest G-Tube from Jon @ UnCanny for your viewing pleasure.

This weeks compilation will end with the latest from our pal Rich over at Fresh Vinyl Reviews, who just so happens to have filmed a review for the X-Plus 30cm Godzilla 1992! Check it out, Rich is on point as always – and this review is one of his best yet! Though I’m pretty sure they just get better every time.

To get us started, I thought it’d be fun to recap some classic Godzilla commercials from the past. We’ve all seen the recent ads by Fiat and Snickers this year (capitalizing on the success of Legendary’s Godzilla), but what about all the greatness that came before? Lets travel back in time, shall we?

First up we have a great black & white spot from Dr. Pepper made to tie in with the 1985 US release of Return of Godzilla. The suit is a stylized, soda-fueled-nightmare take on the 1962 KingGoji – and it makes for a very entertaining comedy piece complete with screaming Japanese citizens:

Now before anyone burns down a village over a commercial for the 1998 Zilla atrocity being second on this list of commercials, I’d like to point out that A.) This list is in no particular “best of” order to avoid said rioting, and B.) This spot is a classic, period. I bet you can quote both famous lines from this ad without me even hinting, am I right? This is Taco Bell‘s third big commercial for their wildly successful G campaign that took place and is, in part, largely responsible for getting us all excited – and then extremely p!ssed off:

Number three on the list is perhaps one of the most famous “WTF”s in Godzilla’s history, one that even non-fans are familiar with. NIKE ran a campaign in the 90’s capitalizing on the popularity of the Heisei series that featured Godzilla… playing Basketball against Charles Barkley. Yup. This ad campaign even produced a full-issue comic, posters, and – of course – Shoes.  It’s interesting to note, however – the production quality of not only the set miniatures, but of the Godzilla suit used here. Clearly a stylized version of the Heisei G look, the NIKE suit featured a larger, much more expressive head and face – a heavily animatronic based aesthetic that pays off wonderfully. Click below and let the hilarity ensue:

Next up we have a compilation of the 90’s Trendmasters Godzilla toy ads. If you were a child of the 90s and a Godzilla fan – you had these toys. This nostalgia-filled trip back to a simpler time needs no further introduction, but I will say this: They didn’t age well. Yowza!

Speaking of commercials, lets travel back to the motherland, yes? This next compilation is four solid minutes of Godzilla selling out. Everything from scratch-off tickets to the Shobijin selling women’s clothing is on display here – Japanese culture in it’s full 90s glory. This warrants a watch simply because it give you a true sense of what it must have been like to be a Japanese fan of the Big G back in his hayday:

Another confusing gem from the other side of the world, this GOLD Fuel commercial from Thailand gave Godzilla a makeover that included Baragon’s horn and… Braces. Take that, Toho copyright lawyers! This spot is full of action, slapstick comedy, and more schtick than you can shake a schtick at, bub:

This next commercial was admittedly unknown to me, and yet has turned out to be a new favorite. This long-lost Cheerio’s commercial from the 80’s was another tie-in for the US release of Return of Godzilla, and is loaded with both stock footage and charm. It pays homage to four separate decades of the Big G, all in one adorable little 30 minute cereal spot.

I feel compelled to include the following commercial next, as it does an equally great job in capturing the charm and nostalgia of Godzilla – and they managed to throw in a great message as well. This commercial was a huge hit in general, not to mention the reaction our fandom had upon its syndication. Its cute and effective – something undoubtedly rare for most commercials advertising for similar causes. No doubt you’ve seen this Ad Council gem before, its a modern classic:

Here’s a mighty dose of nostalgia for our 70s kids in the audience – bringing it back old school! This US commercial for the Shogun Warriors Godzilla by Mattel represents perhaps the most famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) piece of Godzilla Merchandise this side of the Pacific, and it’s packed full of all the 70s goodness you’d expect from two kids knocking down a sandcastle with a giant plastic Godzilla:

Last but not least for our Kaiju Commercials portion of this list, we’ll include the Snickers and Fiat commercials for those of you who may have missed them. The Snicker’s ad is particularly notable for its use of classic suitmation – of which they did a hell’ova job! The suit harkens back to ShodaiGoji (1954), while the entire spot itself is hilarious in its depiction of modern culture/advertisements in general. Its a genuinely funny piece that helped bring Godzilla back into the limelight right before his big return earlier this year. The Fiat ad also scores major points on the opposite side of the spectrum for some fantastic 2014 CGI, and modern-ad-sensibility. Two great yet completely different ads advertising for the same film:

We certainly hope you enjoyed our latest G-TUBE, I’ve had a blast putting it together. If you haven’t seen Fresh Vinyl Review’s latest, here’s your chance. Rich tackles the X-Plus 30cm Godzilla 1992, and touches on everything from the absence of his box, to the intricacies of this fantastic sculpt:

Until next time, true believers!

Jon @ UnCanny