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Printed final artwork created and hand-embellished for newspaper ad slicks from the promotion of Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Artwork of E.T. (Pat Welsh) and Elliott (Henry Thomas) biking over the moon was created by the B.D. Fox & Friends agency and featured throughout the film's marketing campaign, including on the hugely popular US one-sheets.

So beloved was the "Bike Over the Moon" image, as it would later become known, that Spielberg later adopted it for the logo of his production company, Amblin, despite the director having rejected posters featuring the artwork for wider dissemination during the promotional campaign out of concern that it revealed too much about the plot.

This artwork was created by hand-painting over a black-and-white printed image of the B.D. Fox & Friends poster. The hand-embellishments were likely completed by an ad agency to enhance the contrast of the printed poster for better reproduction in monochromatic print publications, including newspapers, with airbrushed embellishments added for final approval. Missing from the print are text elements, including the title and tagline, which were intended to be added later. This artwork was then run in many newspaper publications advertising the film and its showtimes, representing a unique part of the history of its groundbreakingly successful advertising campaign. The print comes backed with white matte board which exhibits some staining and bent corners. Dimensions: 29.5" x 25.5" (75 cm x 65 cm)

Sold without copyright; see notice in the Buyer's Guide.

Estimate: $4,000 - 8,000

View all lots from E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)