Original artwork, not a still
Merchandising! Merchandising! Where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs: the T-shirt, Spaceballs: the coloring book, Spaceballs: the lunch box, Spaceballs: the breakfast cereal, Spaceballs: the flamethrower--the kids love this one--last but not least, Spaceballs: the doll.
— Spaceballs · 1987
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A Star Wars-spoofing movie turns on the merchandising that made Star Wars rich, and does it with a straight face and a flamethrower. It is the film's most famous gag and the model for the joke 'Spaceballs: the whatever'. The joke is doubled by the fact that, as Brooks agreed with Lucas, none of this merchandise was ever made, so the shelf of Spaceballs products exists only in the movie.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for SpaceballsShow the scene
After crash-landing on the desert moon of Vega, Lone Starr, Vespa, Barf and Dot Matrix are rescued by the Dink-Dinks and taken to the hidden temple of Yogurt, a wise sage played by Mel Brooks. Yogurt promises to teach Starr about the Schwartz, but first he turns to the camera and breaks the fourth wall to run through the fictitious Spaceballs merchandise on offer, ending with a doll. Brooks has said the idea came from his deal with George Lucas that no Spaceballs action figures could be made. No Spaceballs merchandise was ever mass-produced.
Sources (2)
- Spaceballs, WikipediaPlot; ProductionReference checked
- Spaceballs, WikiquoteDialogue; merchandising gagsReference checked
Context reviewed
