Possibly one of the strangest aspects of David Lynch’s 1984 Dune was the promotional memorabilia associated with it. The production studio behind the film seemed unsure whether to target Dune as a darker film for an older audience, or as their own attempt at a family focused Star Wars saga. Enter the Dune Coloring & Activity Books, written by Arlene Block and illustrated by Michael Nicastre.
The cover of the coloring book features 1984 Dune’s Albertus logo with a modified U. The subtitle is in all-caps ITC Isbell.
Juxtaposing lines of Melior typical to children’s coloring books with strange illustrations of scenes from Lynch’s films, the coloring book breaches the absurd.
Even more absurd is the activity book pages, featuring type with psychedelic appearing illustrations and blue text. One section features a Dune themed recipe.
See more images from the books on the Coilhouse blog. A digitized copy of the Coloring Book is available at the Internet Archive.
