VIDEO: Pocahontas Products, Toys in 25-Year-Old Ads
Twenty-five summers ago, Pocahontas was on silver screens across the world. It was also in our stomachs, and childhood bedrooms, thanks to Disney’s marketing machine. The Lion King had been featured on 1000 products the previous year, and a representative from Disney Consumer Products estimated that there’d be “at least” that number.Here’s a look at the ads promoting just some of the food and toys celebrating this animated feature film.
In mid-May, Nestle introduced Nestle Cool Creations Pocahontas cups. It wasn’t their only Disney tie-in: The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Hercules also were converted into Cool Creations.
That summer, they also offered Disney Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches (astonishingly missing the chance at a Minnie pun), Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bars, Goofy Ice Cream Cones, and Disney Shapes Pops.
Did your family collect Pocahontas Points? A carton of Dole Fresh ‘N Juice would get you 40 points, while a 7 lbs. bag of Friskies Dry Cat Good earned 60 points. Together, their UPC codes would earn you a soundtrack cassette, soundtrack Compact Disc, or sing-along cassette and lyric book.
The one and only taste of Cheerios came with restickable “fun patches.”
In the United States and Canada, Burger King offered toys in their Kids Meals, and a set of glasses, 99 cents each with purchase. They even had an ad targeted at adult fans. Nowadays, we’re a prime market for Disney merch, but it was relatively forward-thinking for the burger chain to take this approach in the mid-1990s.
McDonalds‘ advertising agency in Britain didn’t get the memo of what Pocahontas was about. This ad features curious creatures that look like a combination of Lord of the Rings‘ Ents, Tiki Gods from Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, and Thing from Fantastic Four. None of which relate at all to the movie.
Even New Zealand had their own kids meals, at Georgie Pie. Along with a pre-posed toy based on the movie’s characters, the food itself would be served in a cardboard canoe.`
British tea company Tetley had their Tetley Tea Folk cavort about as if they were in the “Colors of the Wind” sequence, in promotion of collecting points towards prizes like a mug or magnets.
Four different toys released by Mattel, in 1995, including one where Meeko would braid Pocahontas’ hair.
Finally, Disney’s Animated Storybook on CD-ROM, the next best thing to the hotly awaited VHS tape.