Difference between revisions of "Kids Go HoJo with Sega"

Revision as of 03:51, 4 November 2021

To do

PRIORITY: Migrate Kids Go HoJo Fun Club (non-italicized?? do you italicize groups/clubs?) to its own section, and all relevant content as well, per context here.
Per Asagoth's link below and a few other sources, the campaign seemed to extend to all of North America (Canada + Mexico). Which I have no doubt it did; I want to know to what extent. The article in question mentions a video game tournament, which is super easy to do at other properties without much extra work/shipping promo materials/etc. But the campaign proper wouldn't have been too hard to do elsewhere.... I think the issue would have been more with licensing, and then ensuring properties that were advertised for actually had the amenities advertised... either way fascinating stuff.
Find the Bob template for advertising campaigns and get it on the article.
Find a Sega-relevant photo of the actual hotels (preferably that lobby Sonic standee)
Write a brief history of Kids Go HoJo in general.
Write a brief section on likely investment vs. return?
Create a press releases section.
Browse through the comment sections of all these VHS tapes' YouTube videos for any information/experiences/etc.
Brief mention of relations to Post Sega Game Tips Video.
Per Reddit user's firsthand experience: Only a few games were available for rent at once, and renting the Game Gear required a $150 deposit in case it was broken.
Also the above experience mentions a likely Sega Saturn-HoJo promotion!! This is interesting: Either the Saturn was approaching and HoJo with Sega finished off their campaign with a few very early Saturn mentions, ORRR there was an entirely new campaign after this one. Which wouldn't seem too unlikely given its success. OR OR OR it was merchandise from one of their post-campaign video game competitions. Asagoth's got a couple relevant articles uploaded for further research :) Seriously, I wanna see some HoJo Saturn stuff.
Get whatever information can be gleaned from this (other than 1: A Kids Go HoJo talent show, and 2: more proof a lot of this/all of this was produced in Canada.)

CartridgeCulture (talk) 06:03, 26 October 2021 (EDT)

Yep... I saw some comments about that deposit ... someone said it required a $300 deposit... I'm not sure which one is correct, but yeah it required a deposity... never heard of a Sega Saturn-HoJo promotion but it might be true... who knows?...--Asagoth (talk) 05:58, 30 October 2021 (EDT)

Yes, it lists (bottom)--Asagoth (talk) 06:11, 26 October 2021 (EDT)

Oh awesome, thanks for pointing it out :) Got it added back. CartridgeCulture (talk) 06:26, 26 October 2021 (EDT)

Kids Go Hojo did not started with Sega... it started in April 1990 ... initially with other franchises such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (kids who joined the Kids Go HoJo Fun Club at the time were also provided with toys, the very first edition of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Magazine and a t-shirt of the club for example)... but it only became a thing when Howard Johnson's partnered with Sega :) ...--Asagoth (talk) 13:56, 26 October 2021 (EDT)

"The chain will also sponsor an international videogame championship at 100 of its properties..."...--Asagoth (talk) 16:03, 26 October 2021 (EDT)

Press releases

For later addition to (likely) a dedicated section.

Sega Game Gear Tips actors...

What about those two guys?... I know that the actor who plays the guest is known, but I can't remember his name... but what about the other guy? (I don't know why but he reminds me a bit of Kyle Anderson from "Last Man Standing" :) ...) I could almost swear to have seen this guy in another show back then, but I might be wrong... his face looks familiar...--Asagoth (talk) 04:52, 27 October 2021 (EDT)

im dying, this article is the funniest thing ever. thank you for enlightening me to this, the research is awesome. And yeah, his face is kinda familiar, but I cant place it either. I think I have a vague memory of seeing either an interview or something with one of these guys years later, but I can't remember where to find it. Either way, if you remember what the guest's name is, please share :) I'd love to get a mention or two added, especially on the video-specific articles ;) CartridgeCulture (talk) 05:03, 27 October 2021 (EDT)

Yep :)... it would be cool to have some information about those two guys ... maybe we'll get lucky...--Asagoth (talk) 05:12, 27 October 2021 (EDT)

I discovered the name of the actor who played the guest ... it's Canadian actor / voice actor Robert Brewster (here and here)... he starred in at least two episodes of the original release of Nicklodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? horror anthology television series, in the role of a "dad /father" ... one of the episodes is The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner (+ 07:23) ... =) ... --Asagoth (talk) 15:30, 27 October 2021 (EDT)

His CV ... and official website ... "A CRAZY PROMOTION FOR HOWARD JOHNSON'S & SEGA. FILMED DURING MY CHUBBY PERIOD. HERE'S PART ONE..." he said... =) ...--Asagoth (talk) 15:39, 27 October 2021 (EDT)

St. Michel Productions?

So, the production company that created the two Tips tapes... I can't find much under "St. Michel Productions", but in France/Canada that's often written as "St-Michel", "St.-Michel", or more importantly: "Saint Michel Productions", which IS returning leads. Not great ones, I'm getting a film production company in France active around the same time... which is likely them, given they're French, and it was produced in Canada. Might be a coincidence, but if anyone's doing research on this studio, it's a start. EDIT: So it might be them? They released a few videos in Canada, per this link, and appear to also go by the name "Saint Michel" or "Saint Michel Company". BUT maybe not... this is all educational/art stuff.... BUT then again, this database would prefer those listings over something like promotional work... hm. I wonder if this is the same company after all...

CartridgeCulture (talk) 21:56, 27 October 2021 (EDT)

I think not... it must have been a company based in Quebec, Canada... but I couldn't find anything... even on the Wayback Machine... but I know who made the television advertisements thanks to Barry Parrish... the now defunct New York-based advertising agency Christy Macdougal Mitchell (later known as Christy Macdougal Mitchell Bodden, Inc after a merger)...--Asagoth (talk) 06:26, 28 October 2021 (EDT)

Links

1994 article about HoJo video game competition.
1997 article with the rough number of Kids Go HoJo-participating properties (around ~600 in March 1997.)

Cool! :) ... I will upload this stuff to Retro CDN...--Asagoth (talk) 05:24, 30 October 2021 (EDT)

youre the besssttt, ty again dude. and also ty for all the new research, sick job on finding that Christy Macdougal Mitchell lead ;) CartridgeCulture (talk) 05:43, 30 October 2021 (EDT)

Thanks, but there's no need to thank me :) ... it was no big deal... anyone could have found this stuff... and we are all on the same team...--Asagoth (talk) 06:25, 30 October 2021 (EDT)

And here they are (ONE, TWO)... feel free to use them where you want (I had to use Microsoft "print to pdf" to print that scan of "Newark Post"... the pages got a bit cut off at the bottom... changing the scale would normally fix this... but it's not working... so it's better than nothing, I guess... )--Asagoth (talk) 07:11, 30 October 2021 (EDT)

Wait a minute... Mexico? ... am I reading this correctly? There were Howard Johnson hotels in Mexico? ... mind blowing!!! :) ...--Asagoth (talk) 09:44, 30 October 2021 (EDT)

"Saturday 13; Video Game Competition: A trip to Orlando, Fla., is among the prizes at "Kids Go Hojo", a video game championship benefiting local Big Brothers/Big Sisters chapters. 10-4, Howard Johnson Pickwick Hotel, 85 5th St., SF. $5 donation. (415) 421-7500."- San Francisco Bay Guardian, August 10, 1994, page 67...--Asagoth (talk) 01:23, 3 November 2021 (EDT)

Strottman International

Greg Marko ... former Creative Director at Strottman International : "Howard Johnson: Increased family bookings with 1st video game release promotional partnership - Kids Go HoJo With Sega"...--Asagoth (talk) 15:14, 30 October 2021 (EDT)

Barry Parish

Whatever he claims... the trademark "Kids Go Hojo" was first used in commerce on April 1st, 1990 ... newspaper The Tennessean, Sunday, July 15, 1990; Page 198 (OCR); thumbnail ... I guess he's getting old...--Asagoth (talk) 21:04, 31 October 2021 (EDT)

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 *[[Press release: 1994-04-10: Hotels Aim Their Deals At the Kids]]
 *[[Press release: 1995-05-07: PRACTICAL TRAVELER; Hotels Offer Deals and Toys]]
+*[[Press release: 1995-06-05: VIDEO-GAME WHIZ KIDS PUT UP A SUPER SONIC FIGHT]]
 *[[Press release: 1995-07-16: AUTISTIC CHILD IS A CONFIDENT VIDEO GAME ACE]]
 *[[Press release: 1997-01-08: HOJO ADS SAY "FEEL AT HOME"]]

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