Promotional VMU Sticker Sheet | Shenmue Merchandise

Today we introduce something I've never seen discussed in the Shenmue community, and in fact I didn't know this existed until recently.

It's a genuine Dreamcast item that was released by Sega, being a sheet of game-themed stickers / decals with which to customize the appearance of a Visual Memory Unit.

VMU Custom Sticker Sheet

They were part of a campaign that Sega ran as a present for purchasers of a new VMU. The sheet contains themed decals for seven different games.

The other six games besides Shenmue are:

• Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram
• Atsumare! Guru Guru Onsen
• Revive...: Sosei
• Climax Landers (Time Stalkers)
• J-League Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou!
• Maken X

Each of the decals is made up of three pieces that can be individually peeled off the sheet. Two parts are for the VMU cap that covers the connectors, and the third larger one is for the front controls.

The art on the Shenmue decal shows Shenhua in front of a Phoenix mirror motif and the Shenmue logo. Also in the lower left panel of the sheet there is a visual demonstration of where to attach the decal pieces on the VMU, which happens to use the Shenmue decal as the example.

The Shenmue decal art (left) and demonstration (right). The comment in the speech bubble says "Your Shenmue-customized VMU is ready!".

Shops in Japan displayed in-shop advertisements for the campaign (again featuring the Shenmue decal - probably thanks to it being one of the most heavily-advertised games at that time):

In-store campaign advertisement.

The blurb reads:

"Make Your Very Own VMU! If you buy a VMU now, you can create a custom VMU for a super-popular, super-talked-about game with this custom sticker present!"

The fine print also warns that numbers are limited; the stickers are available on a first-come first-served basis.

I wonder how many Dreamcast VMU purchasers in Japan played Shenmue after souping up their VMU up this sticker sheet...

Available For Your Shenmue Collection!

The photos of the sticker sheet for this post were provided by the fine folk at Retro Import Gamer who currently have it available for purchase at their Ebay store. They ship from the UK.

This one is more suited for the serious collector, as it's price level is reflective of its rarity and excellent condition, but if you are interested check it out at the link below.

Link to Ebay listing: Sega Dreamcast VMU Sticker Set

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