Jaws Merchandise - part one

I was a big fan of Jaws back in the day - still am, in fact. I've seen it on ever theatrical release since it first came out and owned a lot of Jaws merchandise - the game, the 'shark in a bottle' model kit, the soundtrack LP, the sew on patch, the T-shirt and more. Most of these have long since been lost, but I did manage to hold on to the coffee mug and the necklace (I also still have the soundtrack LP and Lalo Schifrin disco single, but those are for another day...).

King Kong Board Game (1976)

One of a surprisingly small merchandise tie-ins for the much-hyped 1976 remake of King Kong, this was an unnecessarily fiddly, overly complicated and not very entertaining board game, in which you had to stop Kong reaching the top of the World Trade Center. This involved having human figures standing on the board who could be knocked off by the spinning Kong and assorted cards that offered assistance in the way of equipment. If a player successfully attacks Kong five times, they win. You can also win by carrying out a Special Mission (rescue the girl from Kong). The awkwardly sized board and lack of fun made this a 'play once and then shove to the bottom of the pile' game. Released in 1976 by Ideal.

Mine-a-Long-a-Max - When Max Bygraves and the National Coal Board joined forces to Do It The Safety Way

1976 saw the release of this curio - a health and safety 7 inch single produced by the National Coal Board (this may be the sole release of NCB Records), where the unlikely figure of Max Bygraves - who I suspect has never been down a coal mine in his life - sings a jaunty ditty telling miners that "common sense saves accidents, do it the safety way". he's backed by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band - sadly the only collaboration from these giants of the entertainment world.

Singalong fans will be thrilled to know that the lyrics appear on the back cover, and include gems like "Unless the roof's supported / it's odds on it will fall / And if you're underneath it / it's not very nice at all", which frankly sounds a bit of an understatement. The lyrics were by Coal News competition winner Jack Birchall, administrave officer at Lancashire's Bickenshaw Colliery. The music is by Ron Goodwin.

According to the sleeve notes, "the special sing-along style of Max Bygraves gives the whole arrangement hit parade appeal". An ambitious boast.