Top 40 Video Games: Store Signs?

[Fushek]

Hello! I'm looking to see if anybody remembers these signs or has any other information about them. They are a light plastic design and measure 6.5" x 8.5". I'm assuming that they would have been displayed with a backlight in a video game department at a store. There were Atari, Coleco, Imagic and Intellivision varieties that I've seen and all have the "Top 40 Video Games" logo. I have 9 of them.

 

Does anyone else have any of these or have any other information about their origins?

 

 

 

[jhd]

Very cool, thank-you for sharing.

 

I have never seen anything like them. It is interesting that they exist for multiple systems/manufacturers; this suggests that they were not an "official" advertising product from Coleco, Inmagic, etc.

 

Is there any copyright notice or such like on the back?

 

I wonder if Top 40 was the name of either a local gaming store, or a section/department within a larger store.

[Fushek]

Thanks for the reply.

 

No copyright or any other information on them unfortunately. I was thinking a section of a dept store which is why I was hoping someone would recognize.

 

I'm thinking of making a backlit display with them but we'll see. I know there were some intellivision specific ones that I'd love to find.

[Gabriel]

There was some kind of Columbia Video Game Club in the early 80s. Initially they focused heavily on Coleco and Imagic games like your sample advertisements. In fact, I think Donkey Kong, Venture, and Atlantis were the opening salvo of their promotion.

 

I remember, for some reason, they advertised out of a major music chain. Sam Goody? Musicland? The only reason I remember is because when Donkey Kong for the 2600 was released, there was a line from the store halfway down the mall of people waiting to buy it.

 

I don't know if any of that is right, but it's what immediately came to mind from seeing those ads.