I am not really knowledgeable about such matters, and I really appreciate the many things I have learned on this board. Especially as there are very knowledgeable members of this forum who have experience / careers currently, or have had careers in the entertainment, marketing, toy, etc. industries.
The Super Friends in such a great historical piece (in context), that was aired over many years, and seen by (if I were to speculate) millions of kids.
This seems to be an accurate perspective when the show / cartoon is taken into temporal and historical context with regard to the plethora of great superhero items released in the 1970's, that I would assume many here are fond of.
The Super Friends cartoon in its various versions, most likely spawned the spending of millions of dollars on related merchandise (not necessarily the Super Friends brand, but superhero items in general), and greatly influenced an entire generation of kids growing up.
I would think for many (especially given the 1970's nature of Mego items in general), that the 1970's bring fond and strong connections to superheroes in general.
Okay, sorry for the long preamble.
All that being stated, there are some concerns, questions, etc. that I have for those in the know. Some of the questions might be interrelated.
First, why has it taken decades (okay maybe less than that since the advent of the DVD) for the Super Friends seasons to be released (in season format)? On top of that all of the seasons / episodes to my knowledge are - still - not released.
Second, why the confusing (at least to me) and especially haphazard approach to releasing the seasons?
One look at Amazon and the series is all over the place. There is not only confusing packaging, but somewhat irrelevant packaging as far as the artwork not being indicative or representative of the contents at least not directly, but yes, perhaps peripherally (meaning yes, there are superheroes in the content of the dvd). Take King Kong. King Kong has of course been theatrically released in many versions. Shouldn't the proper "Kong" be on the packaging. To clarify this example, I would not think it prudent to put the 1930's King Kong on the packaging for the King Kong movie from the 1970's. Or to use either of those Kongs for the later King Kong movie. The example might not be directly analogous, but I am just trying to provide a loosely related example that a 1973 Super Friends Superman is artistically unique to that of much later versions.
Third, the release of the seasons, to my knowledge, was - not sequential -. Why?
Meaning, for example, it took a long, long time for the first season to come out after some of the other seasons had been released. That in my experience is not consistent with today's seasonal dvd releases (again from what I have experienced).
Fourth, and this relates to the second inquiry, why for such a popular and long running series is the packaging / artwork so haphazard (artwork, fonts, color schemes, general design, presentation, etc. etc.)? Again, this would seem to contribute to consumer confusion. I have a knowledge of the Super Friends, and I am still confused when looking at the various packaging / artwork for these sets. Compare that with other releases (i.e. The Avengers cartoon from the last few years, The Justice League cartoon, Justice League Unlimited, etc.) where the packaging is consistent and indicative of the series, therefore igniting a psychological light bulb to the consumer that, "hey, that's the new season for the series I have been collecting". Of course long running live tv shows tend to stick to a "thematic" design for their various seasons, but the Super Friends...are all over the place (in my humble [and probably confused] opinion).
Lastly, why the haphazard releases? Again, the various seasons (if available at all) are all over the place (literally). From what I understand (which could very well be incorrect), some episodes / seasons are only available in some kind of download format from various entities, a season (perhaps more) only available at a specific retail outlet, some available on dvd, and of course, there are some(?) not available at all.
That leads me to the second half of this "Lastly" inquiry. Given the enormity of the Super Friends major impact (mostly on kids...who are now adults...who have kids who continue to be influenced by the show), continued popularity (i.e. superheroes are still enormous money makers...record breaking movies, merchandise, toys, posters, clothing, etc. etc.), temporal longevity (the thing has been on tv in one form or another and on various networks (initial release, Cartoon Network, Boomerang (?), etc.) for 40 years!...Why not release a comprehensive boxset.
Perhaps some kind of deluxe boxset with an insightful book that takes a season by season look at the series. Topics in the book could possibly be the philosophies expressed in the show over time, and the background behind the influences on those philosophies expressed in the show, the move towards an increasingly ethnically diverse team of superheroes over time, the non-violent nature of the show and the shift to that kind of tv for kids, a plethora of production artwork / unused artwork / style guides, various merchandise, toys, etc. - just some random thoughts...but the book could be great...I know I would appreciate a somewhat definitive look at the series and its characters over time).
Well, that is about it. Your insight into something that has perplexed me over the years of these releases would be greatly appreciated.
Before closing, I would like to state that I am thankful (although it might not seem like it from this post) for what we do get from the Super Friends seasons. Some of the episodes have aged better than others, but it is still great to know that they are available.
Thank you for taking the time to read my (probably overly verbose) post.
The Super Friends in such a great historical piece (in context), that was aired over many years, and seen by (if I were to speculate) millions of kids.
This seems to be an accurate perspective when the show / cartoon is taken into temporal and historical context with regard to the plethora of great superhero items released in the 1970's, that I would assume many here are fond of.
The Super Friends cartoon in its various versions, most likely spawned the spending of millions of dollars on related merchandise (not necessarily the Super Friends brand, but superhero items in general), and greatly influenced an entire generation of kids growing up.
I would think for many (especially given the 1970's nature of Mego items in general), that the 1970's bring fond and strong connections to superheroes in general.
Okay, sorry for the long preamble.
All that being stated, there are some concerns, questions, etc. that I have for those in the know. Some of the questions might be interrelated.
First, why has it taken decades (okay maybe less than that since the advent of the DVD) for the Super Friends seasons to be released (in season format)? On top of that all of the seasons / episodes to my knowledge are - still - not released.
Second, why the confusing (at least to me) and especially haphazard approach to releasing the seasons?
One look at Amazon and the series is all over the place. There is not only confusing packaging, but somewhat irrelevant packaging as far as the artwork not being indicative or representative of the contents at least not directly, but yes, perhaps peripherally (meaning yes, there are superheroes in the content of the dvd). Take King Kong. King Kong has of course been theatrically released in many versions. Shouldn't the proper "Kong" be on the packaging. To clarify this example, I would not think it prudent to put the 1930's King Kong on the packaging for the King Kong movie from the 1970's. Or to use either of those Kongs for the later King Kong movie. The example might not be directly analogous, but I am just trying to provide a loosely related example that a 1973 Super Friends Superman is artistically unique to that of much later versions.
Third, the release of the seasons, to my knowledge, was - not sequential -. Why?
Meaning, for example, it took a long, long time for the first season to come out after some of the other seasons had been released. That in my experience is not consistent with today's seasonal dvd releases (again from what I have experienced).
Fourth, and this relates to the second inquiry, why for such a popular and long running series is the packaging / artwork so haphazard (artwork, fonts, color schemes, general design, presentation, etc. etc.)? Again, this would seem to contribute to consumer confusion. I have a knowledge of the Super Friends, and I am still confused when looking at the various packaging / artwork for these sets. Compare that with other releases (i.e. The Avengers cartoon from the last few years, The Justice League cartoon, Justice League Unlimited, etc.) where the packaging is consistent and indicative of the series, therefore igniting a psychological light bulb to the consumer that, "hey, that's the new season for the series I have been collecting". Of course long running live tv shows tend to stick to a "thematic" design for their various seasons, but the Super Friends...are all over the place (in my humble [and probably confused] opinion).
Lastly, why the haphazard releases? Again, the various seasons (if available at all) are all over the place (literally). From what I understand (which could very well be incorrect), some episodes / seasons are only available in some kind of download format from various entities, a season (perhaps more) only available at a specific retail outlet, some available on dvd, and of course, there are some(?) not available at all.
That leads me to the second half of this "Lastly" inquiry. Given the enormity of the Super Friends major impact (mostly on kids...who are now adults...who have kids who continue to be influenced by the show), continued popularity (i.e. superheroes are still enormous money makers...record breaking movies, merchandise, toys, posters, clothing, etc. etc.), temporal longevity (the thing has been on tv in one form or another and on various networks (initial release, Cartoon Network, Boomerang (?), etc.) for 40 years!...Why not release a comprehensive boxset.
Perhaps some kind of deluxe boxset with an insightful book that takes a season by season look at the series. Topics in the book could possibly be the philosophies expressed in the show over time, and the background behind the influences on those philosophies expressed in the show, the move towards an increasingly ethnically diverse team of superheroes over time, the non-violent nature of the show and the shift to that kind of tv for kids, a plethora of production artwork / unused artwork / style guides, various merchandise, toys, etc. - just some random thoughts...but the book could be great...I know I would appreciate a somewhat definitive look at the series and its characters over time).
Well, that is about it. Your insight into something that has perplexed me over the years of these releases would be greatly appreciated.
Before closing, I would like to state that I am thankful (although it might not seem like it from this post) for what we do get from the Super Friends seasons. Some of the episodes have aged better than others, but it is still great to know that they are available.
Thank you for taking the time to read my (probably overly verbose) post.
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