TSR paid $1,000,000 for the Dragonlance logo? (New: Response from the authors)

[Noble Knight Games]

Random musings

What an interesting thread this has become with posts from all sorts of gaming personalities

I never would have guessed this piece would cause such a controversy! To me, its an interesting curiosity, that like all collectible and particularly one of a kind items has a completely subjective value. I'm happy just to keep it along with some of the other paintings and stuff on the site - I'm just a big a fan of this stuff as anyone!

Jamie - you really don't see any resemblance to the finished logo? The general concept seems to be there, to me. What I recall Jim saying was that TSR wasn't thrilled with it, and then had one of there staff artists take the general idea and embellish it further (Larry Elmore apparently from Margarets post). Oh, and the front paper cover (which isn't pictured) clearly has the "Camel Advertising" logo on it.

Oh, and someone mentioned B3's, we have 2 left, in the shrinkwrap. We never had "cases" of them (I wish lol).

Best Regards,
Aaron Leeder

Noble Knight Games
"Where the Out-of-Print is Available Again"
http://www.nobleknight.com

 

[Orius]

No. Everything was pertty ugly in the 70s. The 80s had big hair, sure. But the 70s had afros, bell-bottoms, polyester disco clothing, and interior decorating that should have struck the entire nation blind.

That's because everyone was so stoned in the '70s that they didn't know how awfully bad everything looked.

 

[d20Dwarf]

I don't doubt a million was paid. UPS paid a million for its current logo...yes, a square with two lines. At its highest levels, marketing and advertising are huge cash cows where reputation can earn you very large sums. While in Chicago I witnessed a photographer come to a meeting 45 minutes late, act like a total wackjob, and then get paid $800/click of his camera.

 

[CharlesRyan]

Count me among the doubters. I wasn't there at the time, but I've worked with many people who were. In my time with the D&D brand, I heard a great many stories about the TSR days--most of them many times, often from different sources with different perspectives. This story would have loomed large in the TSR mythology if it had any basis in reality, I think. But this is the first I've ever heard of it.

 

[kenobi65]

I don't doubt a million was paid. UPS paid a million for its current logo...yes, a square with two lines. At its highest levels, marketing and advertising are huge cash cows where reputation can earn you very large sums.

True...but companies that pay a million dollars or more for these things are much, much larger than TSR was, even in its heyday. $1 million would have been a very significant chunk of TSR's revenues...while, I suppose, it's possible that they'd be willing to blow such a chunk of change on that (given what we know now about the business acumen of some of the folks there at that time), it just doesn't seem likely (esp. given the accounts of folks like Tracy, who were there).

Did TSR hire this Camel Advertising to develop logos? Sure looks that way. Did they really pay $1 million for it? Gads, I doubt it.

 

[glass]

it's a steaming pile of design.

I work for an architects' practice. I'm going to remember that phrase!


glass.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I work for an architects' practice. I'm going to remember that phrase!


glass.

Christmas Greetings!

The degree of mismanagement at TSR from 1982-85 was quite astonishing, and much of it was pretty well hidden, discovered only when potential investors did a complete audit in 1985.

For example, TSR had something like 70 owned and leased vehicles for employee use. I already mentioned the million plus systems furniture unused and crated on the premises of the corporation.

I have no direct knowledge of this matter, but, sadly, grossly overpaying for logos would fit right in with how the company was run then.

Yuletide best wishes,
Gary

 

[glass]

Christmas Greetings!

And to you (and everyone else!).


glass.

 

[vrykyl]

What an interesting thread this has become with posts from all sorts of gaming personalities

I never would have guessed this piece would cause such a controversy! To me, its an interesting curiosity, that like all collectible and particularly one of a kind items has a completely subjective value. I'm happy just to keep it along with some of the other paintings and stuff on the site - I'm just a big a fan of this stuff as anyone!

Jamie - you really don't see any resemblance to the finished logo? The general concept seems to be there, to me. What I recall Jim saying was that TSR wasn't thrilled with it, and then had one of there staff artists take the general idea and embellish it further (Larry Elmore apparently from Margarets post). Oh, and the front paper cover (which isn't pictured) clearly has the "Camel Advertising" logo on it.

Oh, and someone mentioned B3's, we have 2 left, in the shrinkwrap. We never had "cases" of them (I wish lol).

Best Regards,
Aaron Leeder

Noble Knight Games
"Where the Out-of-Print is Available Again"
http://www.nobleknight.com

Aaron,

It looks very AD&D !st Editionish -- more of the late seventies look. One way or another, Jim does claim it's part of the development of the Dragonlance logo and I certainly believe him. The whole million dollar story and "Camel Advertising" sounds just stange to me, but I was the same age then as my youngest daughter is now -- so I'm definitely not an authority! It was also before Margaret got to the company, so she doesn't know for sure either.

In any case, it's definitely an interesting piece and it's brought up some interesting discussion. The value it might have is in the eye of the beholder. We have some collectors that offer us plenty of cash for pieces of Dragonlance history, so who knows?

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Jamie Chambers
Sovereign Press, Inc.