The first time I noticed over-the-top DVD packaging was when the complete series of The Brady Bunch arrived in a box made of green shag carpeting. On inspecting the set, I found its interior lined with 1970s paneling; "How clever," I thought. "It almost makes me want to watch these crappy shows all over again."
Thanks to Netflix, digital downloads, and on-demand TV, DVD movies will soon be obsolete. And that's especially true for DVD television series; who wants to pay $20 for Hart to Hart when Hulu is half the price, and allows unlimited streaming of every show imaginable?
Thanks to Netflix, digital downloads, and on-demand TV, DVD movies will soon be obsolete. And that's especially true for DVD television series; who wants to pay $20 for Hart to Hart when Hulu is half the price, and allows unlimited streaming of every show imaginable?
The exception would be "specialty DVD box sets," where fun packaging is more important than content. The kitschy Brady Bunch is the perfect example, but I can also think of others: A Mad Men box, shaped like a Zippo lighter. The Simpsons Movie, shaped like a donut. Hell, you can even count the less-clever-but-far-bigger-boxes-box-sets, usually for a single title, like Gone With the Wind, Close Encounters, or Al Jolson as The Jazz Singer (though I don't know how Blu Ray can improve a movie from 1927).
The Wizard of Oz is barely 100 minutes, but the boxed set (as large as a Whitman's Sampler) has hours of bonus features, as well as replicas of movie souvenirs It's so big, it won't fit on the same shelf as the rest of your DVDs...and it makes green shag carpeting seem practical.
All that being said, allow me to help keep DVD boxed sets alive for just a little longer. It's clear that in order to be successful, it's all about the packaging - and to be as obscure, niche, and impractical as possible. With that in mind, I give you:
The Wizard of Oz is barely 100 minutes, but the boxed set (as large as a Whitman's Sampler) has hours of bonus features, as well as replicas of movie souvenirs It's so big, it won't fit on the same shelf as the rest of your DVDs...and it makes green shag carpeting seem practical.
All that being said, allow me to help keep DVD boxed sets alive for just a little longer. It's clear that in order to be successful, it's all about the packaging - and to be as obscure, niche, and impractical as possible. With that in mind, I give you:
TOP TEN LIST:
Fun Packing for DVD Boxed Sets
1. The George Reeves Superman boxed set, shaped like an athletic cup - to hide that manly bulge from a 1950s TV audience. Special features include a flask of vodka, a bottle of Lithium, and a 1979 copper penny from Somewhere in Time.
2. The Different Strokes boxed set, shaped like a commercial washing machine (in honor of Dana Plato). Special features include a rap sheet for Willis, a porno mag from "the bicycle man" episode, the Gary Coleman episode of "Where are they now?," and one of Mrs. Garret's girdles.
3. The Hello Larry boxed set, shaped like a remote control to quickly change the channel. Special features include McClain Stephenson's resume, and both wooden & plastic coat hangers (an inside joke for the handful of viewers who watched the show).
4. The SuperTrain boxed set, shaped like a bomb. Special features include a written apology from the show's producers, a copy of 30 Rock's second mortgage, and various pieces of metal, plastic, and glass that fell from the SuperTrain model during filming.
5. The Bradys boxed set (not to be confused for the Brady Bunch from the 70s) shaped like a brick cell phone. Special features include a Members Only jacket, a "silver fox" permed toupee, a copy of The Sexless Marriage, and a home HIV test.
6. The Falcon Crest boxed set, shaped like a box of house red. Special features include a corkscrew, Jayne Wyman's shoulder pads, an autographed glossy from Lorenzo Lamas' Body Rock, Chase's rose-colored sunglasses, and various Redken salon product samples.
7. The Fantasy Island boxed set, shaped like Kahn's foam rubber chest. Special features include a tin of white shoe polish, an owner's manual from a 1977 Chrysler Cordoba, a plastic lei, a copy of Tattoo's bar tab, and assorted drink umbrellas.
8. The Love Boat boxed set, shaped like 1970's-era Samsonite makeup case. Special features include a bottle of Valium (but labeled "Dramamine"), a doggie bag from the midnight buffet, Isaac's mustache comb, and a VHS copy of Titanic.
9. The Duck Dynasty boxed set, shaped like a shirtless bust of Vladimir Putin. Special features include a Bible cover crocheted from Uncle Phil's hair, a crucifix-shaped vibrator, a tube of Jack Beard Lube, and a well-worn Damron Guide with its pages stuck together.
10. The Anna Nicole boxed set, shaped like a can of hairspray. Special features include a pair of pink stretch pants, a bottle of propathol, a Mr. Burns-shaped Pez dispenser (but filled with Viagra), and a damp faux fur G-string.