*sonorous voice* welcome to jurassic park…
Jurassic Park, based on the novel by Michael Crichton, was released during the early phases of the adoption of the personal computer (on June 11, 1993). The early 90’s saw the tech world introduce and refine numerous bits of software to further refine and expand the capabilities of the internet.
The internet, personal computers, artistic rather than utilitarian graphics on computers… it was all relatively new to the world at that time. There seemed to be a sense of wonder at these new technologies and what you could now do… and like any good marketer, the Hollywood merchandisers saw an opportunity to make money from people’s feelings.
Wired, Jan 94 pic.twitter.com/1sivwDA3qW
— Kyle Wrather (@kylewrather) August 2, 2017
That is an advertisement… to sell a screen saver and some other material from the movie… on CD-ROM… for $19.95.
And that was when $19.95 was serious money.
Jurassic Park was known for its merchandising. Jurassic Park simply offered the perfect plot line for merchandise… not only was it about dinosaurs, which children love, it was about dinosaurs at a theme park. What are theme parks known for beyond their rides? Food and… merchandise. Hollywood couldn’t resist.
Kids + neat dinosaur things = $$$
You can see this in the movie… as the camera pans over the items in the park’s gift shop you can see all kinds of merchandise from a lunchbox to a stuffed toy dinosaur. Pretty much all of which (or maybe all of it I don’t remember) was actually offered for sale in real life.
You could even get Jurassic Park merchandise at McDonalds.
So I suppose it should come as no surprise that Hollywood tried to sell Jurassic Park screen savers for $19.95.