This latest addition to the SUPERMANIA archive is a generous gift from longtime Superfan Chris King. Distributed in 1983 by Present Needs Ltd, this complete set of four promotional pinbacks were a mainstay of local comic shops for years (bagged separately on a blue backing board) and, according to Chris, available in the foyer of the cinema where the movie was screening.
Featuring sharp, colourful graphics, besides the obvious spelling faux-pas (third pic down) the most curious concoction is easily the last button (fourth pic) where a still from the computer showdown is paired with a still from the junkyard sequence for a supposed ‘reflection’ (with the help of a laughably rendered mirror).
Like many promotional items from Superman III these, although considered ‘shelf warmers’ at the time, are increasingly rare as a set today…
I can confirm that these were indeed available in cinema foyers in the UK. I went with my parents and schoolfriends to see the picture in Leicester Square and came away with the second two badges. I still have the fourth somewhere and I really liked it because the mirror looked a bit like a cartoon mirror!
Hi –
Many thanks for your comments!, great to have further clarification 🙂
yes I also got 2 of these (funnily enough the first 2) in the cinema as well (UK) along with the fold out poster magazine and DC adaptation…i distinctly remember being asked if i wanted the wire over the face badge and said no! only have 1 badge now and im looking at it right now! (top one which I think is meant to be evil Superman)
that was 31 years ago!!
Ha, ha! Fantastic! I had the same reaction to the wire over the face badge, and yes, the fold out magazine! I had totally forgotten about that! Heavens knows whatever happened to it, but if I recall it had a fold out of the European poster, the one with Supes flying across Gus’s supercomputer.
Hi there –
Fascinating stuff -so the Poster Mag and the adaptation were also available in Cinema Foyer’s? This kind of thing is why going to the Movies 30 years ago was such an event. Look out for the Poster magazine here in a future post…
hello again – yes it was where you bought the popcorn, cokes etc – it was the UK poster mag, comic, and badges…can only vaguely remember it now but still remember it!
going further back to Superman II (the first film I ever saw at the cinema) i remember there being a guy outside selling the program magazine and seeing this portrait of Reeve on the back cover (the guy was holding them in a way that i could see the back cover)
http://www.movpins.com/big/MV5BMTY5MzIwMzI0M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzk5NTU yNw/still-of-christopher-reeve-in-superman-ii.jpg
i wanted one but no one would buy one for me… maybe a day or so later I was given the Superman II fold out poster magazine (which I think was also available at the popcorn place im not sure) which was of course magnificent but I really wanted that program magazine. 20 years on i managed to track one down (along with a bunch of other stuff id always wanted like the oversized SII DC magazine to go with the STM one i had) after I discovered this new site called ebay 🙂
Was too young to see STM, and SIV had no memorabilia in the cinema (I think cinemas weren’t doing that anymore by that time) so I went to my local comic SF store and bought the Starlog poster mag and DC comic