Monday, February 21, 2022

Nintendo Grab the Blocks campaign (1970s)

I recently added an interesting promotional item to my collection of vintage Nintendo games and toys.

The item I am talking about, is the cardboard box shown here. It measures 32 by 32 by 42 centimeters and dates from the early 1970s.

All sides of the box are printed, with opposite sides showing the same image.

The text around the hole in the top says "GRAB THE BLOCKS" (ブロックのつかみどり) BOX.

If we peek inside the box, we spot a pile of N&B Blocks, Nintendo's LEGO inspired building block system. (For an introduction to N&B Block, see this earlier post).

The text on the red sides explains what this is all about: for each 1000 yen spent on Nintendo games and toys, a handful of blocks may be grabbed from the box for free (任天堂のゲーム・トイ1000円お買上げごとに1回!!).