KISS merchandising
Encyclopedia
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
has had a large and relentless licensing of merchandising throughout their career. A full list of Kiss-related products and services is not possible, but this article lists the most notable in terms of success and scope. According to Sandra O'Loughlin in an article for BrandWeek magazine, "Kiss has licensed its name to more than 3,000 product categories, from lunch boxes and comic books to credit cards and condoms to become nearly a one-billion-dollar brand."
Kiss have more pieces of merchandise and have generated more money from merchandise, than any other artist in the history of music. Bass player Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
, who has been the most aggressive and ambitious member of the band in seeking merchandising deals, has voiced disregard for the portions of his fan base who disapprove of such merchandising. In his book Sex Money Kiss, he states: "I think it's cool to see my face on a lunchbox. It's fun. I'm doing this for me. You don't have to buy one."
Merchandise
- Action figures - In 1978 the popular superhero toy company MegoMego CorporationThe Mego Corporation was a toy company that dominated the action figure toy market during most of the 1970s. The Mego Corporation was founded in the early 1950s by David Abrams and was mostly known prior to 1971 as a producer of dime store toys.-Golden age:...
released a line of action figures of each band members. There exist two variants: one series with ordinary "skinny" bodies, and one series with muscular, more superhero-like, physiques. Starting in 1997 and continuing to the present day, McFarlane ToysMcFarlane ToysMcFarlane Toys, a subsidiary of Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc., is a company started by Todd McFarlane that makes highly detailed models of characters from movies, comics, musicians, video games, and sport figures...
has manufactured several different series of action figures and figurines, ranging from the exaggeratedly demonic Psycho CircusKiss: Psycho CircusKiss Psycho Circus is a comic book series published by Image Comics and Todd McFarlane Productions. It was written by Brian Holguin and illustrated by various artists, including pencillers Angel Medina and Clayton Crain with inker Kevin Conrad...
series of figures to the more realistic and representative "Alive" series, depicting the band performing in 1975 costumes. See also: Kiss action figuresKISS action figuresAction figures have been an important staple of the rock band Kiss financial empire. Kiss merchandising currently includes more than 2,000 product categories and are popular with collectors. -Mego:...
. - Comic booksKiss (comics)In 1977 Marvel Comics published a magazine-format full-color comic book presenting the band as superheroes. Blood from each band member was drawn by a registered nurse, witnessed by a notary public, and poured into the vats of red ink used for printing the comic at Marvel's Borden Ink plant in...
- In 1977 Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
published a magazine-format full-color comic book presenting the band as superheroes. Blood from each band member was drawn by a registered nurse, witnessed by a notary public, and poured into the vats of red ink used for printing the comic at Marvel's Borden Ink plant in Depew, New YorkDepew, New YorkDepew is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 16,629 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Marvel also published a second Kiss comic magazine in 1979 with much less fanfare. In 1997, Image comicsImage ComicsImage Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
began publishing Todd McFarlaneTodd McFarlaneTodd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
's Kiss: Psycho CircusKiss: Psycho CircusKiss Psycho Circus is a comic book series published by Image Comics and Todd McFarlane Productions. It was written by Brian Holguin and illustrated by various artists, including pencillers Angel Medina and Clayton Crain with inker Kevin Conrad...
, a much darker and mystical series than the previous Kiss comics. 31 issues were published. In 2002, Dark Horse comicsDark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
published a Kiss comic book authored by X-MenX-MenThe X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
writer Joe CaseyJoe CaseyJoe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as Wildcats 3.0, Uncanny X-Men, The Intimates, Adventures of Superman, and G.I. Joe: America's Elite, among others.-Biography:...
, which lasted for thirteen issues. Each issue was released in two versions, one with a drawn cover and one with a photo cover. The first four of these stories were later collected in a graphic novel entitled Rediscovery. . On January 30 2007 it was announced that the KISS Comics Group, a joint venture between Platinum Studios and the band, would launch a new comic "KISS 4K" with an oversized $50 Destroyer Edition, at the Wizard World Los Angeles Convention in March and with an ongoing series to follow in May by writer Ricky Sprague and artist Kevin Crossley. - Condoms - In 2002 a line of Kiss condoms ( entitled " Kiss Kondoms")entered the market, in varieties such as "Love Gun Protection," "Tongue Lubricated," and "Studded Paul".
- DVD and VHS - Kiss has released - and kept in print - more video releases than many other bands of similar stature. Their video output runs the gamut from live performances like Rock the Nation Live! to MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
television specials like 1985's Animalize Live Uncensored and 1996's Unplugged, to video collections like 1989's Crazy Nights and documentaries like 1992's X-treme Close-up. A slightly edited version of their 1978 feature film Kiss Meets the Phantom of the ParkKISS Meets the Phantom of the ParkKiss Meets the Phantom of the Park is a 1978 television film, starring American hard rock band Kiss...
was finally officially released on DVD as part of Kissology Volume Two: 1978-1991Kissology Volume Two: 1978-1991Kissology Volume Two: 1978–1991 is a DVD/Home Video that was released by Kiss on August 14, 2007. It contains three discs, plus three separate bonus discs sold only within initial first pressings. Some initial packages included a replica ticket to Magic Mountain for Kiss meets the Phantom of the...
after years of alleged copyright issues which saw a VHS version released by GoodTimes in the 1980s and a contested DVD pulled from the shelves shortly after its release in 2005. See also: Kiss filmographyKISS filmographyThe following is a complete filmography of the American rock band Kiss. It does not count film appearances by individual band members.-Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park :...
. - Games (non-video) - The "Kiss On Tour" board game was offered in stores in 1978. In 2003 a Kiss-themed variation of MonopolyMonopolyA monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
was released as Kiss-opoly. In 2006 a card game called "Got to Choose" appeared. - Kiss CoffeehouseKISS CoffeehouseThe Kiss Coffeehouse is a privately owned specialty coffee retailer operating at Broadway at the Beach, an entertainment complex at Myrtle Beach, SC. Its theme revolves around the band Kiss...
- A specialty coffee retailer operating in Myrtle Beach, SC, with other outlets in the planning stages. Sells Kiss-brand coffee, food, thermoses, mugs, and other products. - Kiss Him/Kiss Her - In February 2006, the band announced a new product line of beauty, shampoo and fragrance products entitled "Kiss Him" (for men) and "Kiss Her" (for women). The Kiss Him" line includes cologne, shampoo/body wash, deodorant, body spray and shaving cream. The "Kiss Her" line features perfume, body lotion, shower gel, and bath splash. Both are marketed by Gemini Cosmetics.
- Kiss KasketKISS KasketThe Kiss Kasket is an item of merchandise licensed by the rock band Kiss. It is an actual coffin, decorated with a Kiss logo and pictures of the band members. In introducing the Kiss Kasket, Simmons quipped, "I love livin', but this makes the alternative look pretty damn good." The Kiss Kasket...
- From 2001 to 2006, Kiss offered for sale a custom-made coffin emblazoned with imagery of the band for $4500. On the Howard SternHoward SternHoward Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
radio show, Gene Simmons said of the casket, "This is the ultimate Kiss collectible. I love livin’, but this makes the alternative look pretty damn good." The coffin is frequently cited as a prime example of just how extreme the band's quest for merchandising can be. Notable people to be buried in a Kiss Kasket include PanteraPanteraPantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
guitarist Dimebag DarrellDimebag DarrellDarrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
. - Memorial Products - On December 1, 2010, Kissonline.com announced a new licensing agreement between KissKISS (band)Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
and Eternal Image Inc. (a public company engaged in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of officially licensed memorial products) to design, manufacture, and market a limited edition line of official KISS branded memorial products. In addition to caskets (see Kiss Kasket above), the line will reportedly include cremation urns, bronze memorials, memorial prayer cards, registry books, memorial candles, and pet cremation urns. http://kissonline.com/ - Pinball - In 1978 the first Kiss arcade pinball machine was introduced by Bally, and stayed in circulation well into the 1980s. In 2001, a Kiss PinballKISS PinballMultiple actual and virtual Kiss-themed pinball games have been made over the past few decades, beginning with the Bally-made machine first conceived in January 1978.-Pinball machines:...
game was released for the PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
. In September 2006 it was announced that a new coin-op machine was in the works from Kiss licensee ICUP. http://kissonline.com/ - Platinum Visa Card - FirstUSA bank offers a Kiss Platinum VISAVisaVisa or VISA may refer to:* Visa , a document issued by a country's government allowing the holder to enter or to leave that country...
card. According to their promotional material, cardholders "receive monthly updates, news and inside gossip straight from the veteran shock rockers". - Trading cards - Over the years there have been a number of Trading cards series released beginning with the original and most famous series in 1978 by DonrussDonrussDonruss, currently known as Panini America and owned by Panini Group, manufactures sports cards. The company started in the 1950s, producing confectionery, evolved into Donruss and started producing trading cards. During the 1960s and 1970s Donruss produced entertainment-themed trading cards...
since then there have been releases in the nineties and 2000s as well. Below is a complete list:- 1978 Donruss Series 1
- 1978 Donruss Series 2
- 1980 Donruss Series (re-release of the 1978 series 1 exclusively in Australia for the 1980 Unmasked tour)
- 1997 Cornerstone Series 1
- 1998 Cornerstone Series 2
- 2001 NECA Alive! series
- 2008 Presspass Ikons series
- 2009 Presspass 360 degrees series
- 2010 Presspass Legends series
- Video games - Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare ChildKISS: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare ChildKISS: Psycho Circus - The Nightmare Child is a first person shooter computer game developed by Third Law Interactive and published by Gathering of Developers for the PC in August 2000. It was also released later that year for the Dreamcast following a port by Tremor Entertainment...
for PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and Dreamcast in 2000, Kiss PinballKISS PinballMultiple actual and virtual Kiss-themed pinball games have been made over the past few decades, beginning with the Bally-made machine first conceived in January 1978.-Pinball machines:...
for the PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
in 2001. - Zippo lighters - In the 1990s a set of four Zippo lighters was released, each featuring a cover image from the band's 1978 solo albums.
- Other - There have been KISS cigarette lighters, ashtrays, wine, and a drinking game.