Occasionally, a movie character comes along that stands the test of time.
No character has been featured in films more often than the creature from the sea, Godzilla. This giant monster was first featured in the 1954 Japanese film, Godzilla, with a heavily edited version released in the United States in 1956 know as Godzilla, King of the Monsters.
The name Godzilla is actually a combination of two Japanese words, gorira meaning gorilla and kujira meaning whale. His appearance has changed somewhat over the years but his basic characteristics have remained the same.
He bears a strong resemblance to an ancient dinosaur consisting of bumpy, gray scales, dorsal fins on his back, and a long powerful tail. His roar has also remained the same with the exception of some slight changes in pitch in different versions of the movies.
Following a 1998 remake of the film, the advertising industry sought to capitalize on the film's success as Taco Bell introduced a line of cups and toys that promoted the film. Also, with the Taco Bell chihuahua at the height of its popularity during the summer of 1998, several commercials pairing Godzilla with the Taco Bell mascot were produced and aired.
This popular monster also appeared in commercials for the snack food Doritos depicting him consuming spicy Doritos and jumping into a river to try to cool his throat.
There was also another commercial showing Godzilla eating an entire tractor-trailer load of Doritos.
Since the original Japanese film, Godzilla has appeared in 28 films, as well as, numerous novels, video games, and comic books.
However, one of the most popular spin offs of this famous creatures films are Godzilla toys. These detailed action figures became extremely popular following the 1998 Hollywood remake of the Japanese film of the same name starring Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, and Hank Azaria.
Since the release of the film, hundreds of thousands of these Godzilla toys have sold worldwide with KB Toys crowning itself "Godzilla Headquarters" shorty after the film's release.
While time has continued to pass since the original film was released, this popular king of the monsters has remained a fixture due to the continual release of new film versions which fuel the imagination of each new generation.
The comic books and toys that have become so popular over the years are sought by youngsters for their entertainment value and by collectors for what they perceive as their increasing monetary value. Whatever the reason a person may choose to accumulate these items, the allure is due to the greatly entertaining films that have continued to be released in order to capture
the imagination of each new generation