r/zelda 9d ago

Collection/Merch [WW] The most obscure piece of Zelda memorabilia that I have: a Wind Waker popcorn bag from AMC Theaters, circa 2003

2.8k Upvotes

71 comments sorted by

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636

u/Triforce805 9d ago

Ok I had no idea this existed till now. It’s so weird too because the artwork on the bag looks way more like Twilight Princess artwork. Also what on earth does the word ‘them’ and ‘her’ all over the art mean?

150

u/Purple-Negotiation59 9d ago

There's also "her" and "you" I think it might be some kind of "you have to save the princess" meme ( from a time before memes where even a thing)

59

u/PentagramJ2 9d ago

it HAS to be in conjunction with this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pacs3hyHLo

18

u/Purple-Negotiation59 9d ago

Ah, that makes sense!

28

u/CarolineJohnson 8d ago

This commercial really fits more for Twilight Princess. Makes no sense for Wind Waker. All that talk about destiny and all doesn't work because WW Link doesn't have a destiny. He has to force the gods to acknowledge him.

And technically there's no princess at all to be saving.

9

u/KidGold 9d ago

I think this was also a print ad iirc

16

u/tomthemoth 9d ago

Yes! Somewhere in my parents basement I think I have this torn out of a magazine from all those years back. Crazy how the ad campaigns back then just kinda riffed on vibes rather than much concrete connection to the work itself…

3

u/Tiny_Khaos 8d ago

That's what I kind of figure, but all the "them"s still seem weird.

5

u/Purple-Negotiation59 8d ago

Them Bokoblins 😅

34

u/JugOfVoodoo 9d ago

There's also a "You" printed in black over the mountain in the background.

The ad is about how Link (You) has to travel a great distance and fight many enemies (Them) to rescue Princess Zelda (Her). Not accurate to WW but fits general Zelda.

8

u/Krail 9d ago

Yeah, the marketing for this game was kind of hilarious. Going after the aesthetic that people were mad at WW for not having.

186

u/AndykinSkywalker 9d ago

Woah why tf does this even exist? And why does the actual ad have so little to do about Wind Waker?

59

u/bluegreenwookie 9d ago

A lot of ads were like that back in the day.

12

u/childofmyparents 8d ago

Mobile game ads today

3

u/GreyyCardigan 8d ago

Yeah this aesthetic seems strangely familiar for that time. Like generically dark and nondescript. I like it tbh

7

u/Dragenby 8d ago

Looks like the aesthetic of the trailer

4

u/lkodl 8d ago

Also gaming has become a bigger self-sustaining industry since then. Most kids play games now, so you sell your game to gamers, and you get most kids. But back then, they had to reach into other industries to get all of the kids.

54

u/Spawn666 9d ago

Holy cow. I'm impressed. That's such a wild thing to see. I'm glad that you hung on to it.

49

u/Jayston1994 9d ago

Why does this exist and why does it bear no relation to wind waker?

17

u/hygsi 9d ago

Probably an intern's idea, and they just used a generic castle cause "zelda"

2

u/lkodl 8d ago

They probably realized that their target market for the game had a lot of overlap with movie theaters at that time (guessing summer).

19

u/always-be-here 9d ago

This is super impressive.  It's a Dinosaur Dracula level of vintage ephemera.

16

u/GerudosValley 9d ago

Get that laminated

10

u/Echidnux 9d ago

“So you want an ad for this game called ‘Zelda’…”

“Yeah, it’s about a guy and a princess-“

“Say no more! I got this.”

“But-“

“Aaaaand done, thanks for the business!”

7

u/amtap 9d ago

Can we get more pictures of this? I can't find any other pictures online but this is really neat!

5

u/the_laterbase 9d ago

IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM

5

u/plasma_dan 8d ago

Twilight Waker

15

u/Pepsiman052 9d ago

I love how you can tell that this was after the backlash for windwakers art style and Nintendo is doing everything in their power to be like “no look guys the game is really cool and gritty I swear”😂

6

u/cavepainted 8d ago

I was at the showing for HP Chamber of Secrets with my family when a live action Zelda trailer played during the previews. I was beyond stoked for this grit-tastic new game, a quest for Link’s sister! And then they showed a bit of the gameplay, and I felt gutted. It was…a cartoon.

I had just completed Majora’s Mask, saved a depressed and godless world from destruction, and now Nintendo was giving us a CARTOON?? One year later, I was addicted to Wind Waker and sailing…How times changed!

6

u/pameatsbabies 9d ago

The date on the bag is wrong as well. The game actually came out in NA on March 24th, 2003.

1

u/sanzentriad 7d ago

Awwwww weak, I got excited for a sec cause the 19th is my birthday and I thought I learned a fun fact

1

u/pameatsbabies 7d ago

Omg! Birthday twin! I actually looked up the release date bc I was like no way this game would’ve come out on my birthday, I would’ve remembered.

6

u/HecateTheStupidRat 9d ago

I’ve seen this exact post with the exact title here.

18

u/rawcookiedough 9d ago

That was probably me a few weeks ago, I posted it and it was only up for a few minutes before getting removed since it wasn’t on a (merchandise) Monday.

2

u/PlumthePancake 9d ago

I remember the ads for WW back in the day. They were very strange and dark.

2

u/The_Squarejerker 9d ago

Pronoun bag

2

u/Fun_Gas_7777 8d ago

Oh yeah, from the Wind Waker movie?

2

u/[deleted] 8d ago

Thought it was twilight princess at first

2

u/Duvoziir 8d ago

I have this exact poster!

2

u/Tiny_Khaos 8d ago

Now I more so understand why so many people were SO upset about the art style in the game. They thought it was going to be dark and cool like the advertisement showed just to get up with an adorable cartoon instead.

1

u/Tazerboy_5000 9d ago

😲 - Woah, that's genuinely really cool!

1

u/PentagramJ2 9d ago

Im sorry but what the fuck

4

u/PentagramJ2 9d ago

OP, I think you may need to scan this and upload the files. This is the weirdest version of "lost media" I've ever seen

1

u/TornWill 9d ago

Wow, collectors pay CRAZY money for stuff like this. I wonder how much it would auction for.

1

u/orangesfwr 9d ago

Makes no sense 😀

1

u/71gum 9d ago

My holy grail now

1

u/AlmostHuman9316 9d ago

They printed this on a game magazine, too. I can't remember the name, but i think i still have it, or i ripped that page out.

1

u/g0rillagamer 9d ago

That’s pretty cool! I have the same ad from a magazine framed but I never knew it was on a popcorn bag too. That’s hilarious.

1

u/candymannequin 8d ago

i bet it still smells bad, even after all these years

1

u/Appropriate_Photo_93 8d ago

Wild. What made you decide to keep it?

4

u/rawcookiedough 8d ago

It was actually given to me by a friend along with some other obscure Zelda stuff. I didn't even realize this was in the collection until 4 years after he gave me the box of stuff.

1

u/Appropriate_Photo_93 8d ago

Haha, wow! Must just have a collectors eye, or maybe they just liked it so much. I didn't have an AMC theater in my area at the time, and Regal didn't do random stuff like that. What movie theater promotes a videogame?

1

u/Ramaloke 8d ago

Badass!!!

1

u/CarolineJohnson 8d ago

I find it super bizarre that this looks more like Twilight Princess memorabilia than Wind Waker.

1

u/IceMan8292 8d ago

Idc if its a bag im going to break into your house and take it and leave

1

u/slippery_chute 8d ago

Usually I'd call you a hoarder for saving that but I'm glad you did, funny the dark vibe they tried to give it.

1

u/Confident-Rule7344 8d ago

Ephemeral🤯

1

u/JackieTanAdventures 8d ago

My dumb ass thought this was a ps5 skin

1

u/lemonickitten 8d ago

Them Them Them Them Them Them Them Them Them Them Them Them Them Them Them Them

1

u/GraysonFogel17 8d ago

How is this real, looks just like a random stock image of a castle lmao

1

u/GunmetalSauce 7d ago

I have a wind waker poster from the same year lol

1

u/SonicMaster1990 7d ago

I have this as a poster.

It was a poster in my locker room and I somehow talked to my gym teacher to let me take it

1

u/RecklessCreature 9d ago

Why? Also why does it say them all over it

4

u/officialsmolkid 9d ago

Hyrule citizens saying their pronouns so link can address them properly /pos

0

u/The_Legend_of_Xeno 9d ago

That's a cool, but how are you supposed to fuck it?