With their addictive melodies and boyish charm, The Beatles were catapulted to international fame not long after their debut in 1960. The Beatles have gone down in history as the most influential band of all time, achieving a cult status which is unsurpassed; its key members, comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, are now considered synonymous with the 1960s counterculture movement.
Apart from selling over 600 million records and revolutionising the world of pop music, their legacy has also spawned countless merchandise and memorabilia which are coveted by diehard fans and collectors all around the world.
This Beatles Memorabilia exhibition charts the band’s meteoric rise to superstardom and their continuing legacy, through collections such as Media Highlights, Vinyl Records and Song Books, Advertisements and Merchandise, Yellow Submarine, and Limited Edition and Novelty Merchandise.
Yellow Submarine
Shelf 5
From 1965, The Beatles began experimenting with psychedelic drugs, which led to a profound shift in their musical sound. Their 1966 album Revolver saw the band shedding their clean-cut, boyband image, incorporating sophisticated songwriting and elements of psychedelia.
The album debuted the hit single Yellow Submarine, which would come to be known as one of The Beatles’ most acclaimed songs. Its catchy, childlike arrangement and vivid imagery fitted with the contemporaneous psychedelic aesthetic, so much so that it inspired a 1968 animated musical comedy film of the same name. The film brought a new wave of commercial success for the band from promotional merchandise sales.
The Beatles Yellow Submarine
Shelf 5
This Corgi die-cast toy of the submarine from the Beatles film “Yellow Submarine” was first issued in 1968.
Today, after more than 50 years, it is still reproduced for sale on the Corgi UK website, a testimony to the enduring appeal of the Fab Four band from Liverpool.
Measuring roughly 5 inches in length, the bright yellow submarine moves on its freely rotating wheels. The four periscopes at the top rotate when the submarine is moved. As each lever is pressed, a hatch opens, revealing two of the Beatles. The propeller at the back holds three blades
The main box has a cellophane front window, and measures 3½” x 6½” x 2½ with a backing card extending another 3½” upwards with cartoon representations of the four Beatles.
The Beatles Yellow Submarine
Maker
Year of Make
Material
Country of Origin
Corgi, Mettoy Playcraft Ltd.
1968
Metal and Plastic
United Kingdom