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Welcome back to Myths & Mischief! This is your Lovable Lord of Lore, today’s mischievous myth is about the failures surrounding the 1982 hit film E.T..

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Now, back to our topic!

 

When E.T. hit theaters in 1982, and stayed in theaters for almost an entire year, it became the highest grossing film of the 80s and out-earned every other film until Jurassic Park was released in 1993. It was a big deal, with Steven Spielberg and Michael Jackson collaborating, it cast aliens, and alien movies in a new light. Buried beneath all the awards and accolades were some missed marketing opportunities that, in retrospect, look like horrible decisions.

 

Mars Incorporated was approached for a possible product placement in the film. It was proposed that the character Elliott entice the alien by luring him out with a trail of M&M’s. Mars Inc. turned down the idea, based on their concern for negatively impacting their brand, since previously released alien movies depicted aliens in a negative light. Spielberg’s attempt to make a family friendly movie raised doubts about the potential success of the film. In order to protect their top-selling candy, they demanded to see the entire script, which Spielberg refused. 

 

 

The studio then approached The Hershey Company with the same idea, this time for Reese’s Pieces, a candy similar in size and shape to M&M’s. The Hershey Company bought in, Elliott left the trail of Reese’s Pieces and cinematic history was made. Reese’s Pieces had been declining in popularity before the release of the film, but sales increased by 65 to 300% within weeks. While Mars Inc. remains one of the most popular candy manufacturers, they missed out on an opportunity to crush their competitors and boost their sales.

 

 

The creators of E.T. also approached the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, Gary Gygax for a product placement deal. The deal was rejected for numerous reasons, but Spielberg used D&D as a way to test the compatibility of the cast. It was reported that actors played D&D for their auditions. Robert MacNaughton, who played Michael in the movie, told Spielberg in an early audition that he played D&D, which was then used as future auditions and helped him land the role.

The initial script of the movie started with the kids sitting around a table playing D&D and ended with Elliott as the dungeon master, showing that his experience with E.T. had gained him acceptance into the group. Gary Gygax was protective of his game amidst the swirling accusations by religious groups during the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s. When the scene called for the table where the game was being played to have money on it to pay for pizza, Gygax rejected its use in the film. He wanted to avoid associating the game with gambling.

 

 

Instead, the game was referred to as “Tunnels and Trolls” or “Wizards and Warlocks.” It was one of several overly protective actions of Gygax that caused the hostile board takeover by the Blume brothers, which ultimately ousted Gygax from TSR (Tactical Studies Rules, the original publisher of Dungeons and Dragons), the company in control of the game. Gygax had also rejected other interested larger corporations that had attempted to acquire the game while he struggled to maintain creative control and protect the brand before being ousted.

 

 

Considering the popularity of the movie and its lovable alien, these choices either emboldened competitors like The Hershey Company, or led to the ousting of the co-creator from his own company. The family-friendly product placements would have been exactly what M&M’s and D&D wanted. Unfortunately for these companies’ profit margins, they were unable to realize the potential and instead made some of the worst marketing decisions of the 80s, which is saying a lot, considering New Coke laid an egg for Coca Cola in 1985, but that is a story for another time.

 

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Until next time, this is your Lovable Lord of Lore.