“It’s Terrific!
It’s Fantastic!
It’s Kryptonastic!”
In 1978, Fan Club Corporation of America (FCCA) began selling glow-in-the-dark Kryptonite Rocks. The idea was to cash in on the waning Pet Rock fad as well as tie into the forthcoming release of Superman: The Movie. FCCA marketed the rocks primarily through ads in comic books and employed a marketing campaign that – although it was over the top – was common in similar ads of the time.
The campaign implied that the company had discovered a large chunk of Kryptonite on Earth and had broken it into a million pieces. Shards of the alien mineral were being made available (for $2.50 plus a shipping charge) to “true friends of Superman” as a way to keep them out of the hands of his enemies. Given that Kryptonite was the one substance that could be used to weaken the Man of Steel, it was a small price to pay to keep Superman from certain destruction, perhaps to the chagrin of parents everywhere. The fact that each rock glowed in the dark was an added bonus!
FCCA packaged Kryptonite Rocks in a suitably branded box. Content included up to three rocks of varying sizes and a small instruction booklet. The Rocks were primarily advertised for sale in comic books.
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