Sourcing & Framing Vintage Maxell "Blown Away" Print Ads

This customer framed the ad with a plaque laser engraved to take them to the Blown Away commercial.

When we first started framing authentic, original Maxell "Blown Away" 2-page print ads—popularly also known as “Blown Away Guy”, "Man in Chair" or "Guy in Chair"—sourcing loose ads off eBay was relatively simple. But as standalone ad inventory dried up, finding clean, original prints required a more deliberate, systematic approach: going straight to the source publications. And forget about asking the seller to tell you what magazine they pulled it from, non-starter.

Because our core focus at SecondMoonshot Custom Picture Framing is the preservation-grade custom framing rather than simple print ad flipping, we developed a reverse-engineering process to track down complete vintage magazines containing these iconic double-page spreads. We love these ads and consider ourselves somewhat of a Public Service for these posters and ads. So here is some quick info on how to source them yourself for a lower cost...just buy the whole magazine with the bonus of the other cool ads you will likely find in the magazine.

How We Track Down Confirmed Original Issues

Uncovering which magazine issue contains a specific 2-page spread requires research and validation:

• Back-of-Page Reverse Engineering: We start by inspecting the reverse side of original ads already in our workshop. Distinct typography or headers often point straight to publications like Rolling Stone.

• Digital Cross-Referencing & AI Validation: For partial text or ambiguous article snippets, we use image recognition tools to cross-reference headlines, bylines, or photos against magazine back-catalogs. While helpful for narrow searches, AI misidentifies exact publication dates about half the time (often off by an issue or two), making human verification essential.

• Archival Indexing: For publication runs like Playboy, accessing digital issue archives allows us to pinpoint exact publication months before sourcing physical copies, saving time and avoiding unnecessary trial purchases.

• Physical Verification: We acquire a test copy of the target magazine to physically verify the ad layout, paper quality, and color saturation before adding the issue to our master record of confirmed sources.

Sourcing Tip for Crisp Framed Results

Since online sellers rarely scan every interior page of a vintage magazine, look for issues listed in Very Good to Excellent condition. Prioritizing issues with minimal age-toning or paper yellowing ensures your final framed piece maintains clean, bright contrast for decades. Also, look for the latest issue of the ad you are looking for, as it will likely be available in higher numbers, lower cost, and better condition options.

Variety of ads that I have available, more still in the magazine backlog I have.

The iconic Maxell "Blown Away" advertisement—featuring the "Man in Chair" swept back by high-fidelity sound—is a cornerstone of pop culture history. Based on historical publishing records, the first official appearance of this 2-page spread debuted in Rolling Stone Magazine, Issue #321 (July 10, 1980) - Well, AI can be wrong sometimes, but this is the earliest issue I have found the 2-page ad in, so if you know of an earlier issue, share the knowledge!

For collectors and vintage print enthusiasts, identifying specific print runs comes down to a small but critical detail at the bottom of the page: the cassette tape model.

Known Maxell Cassette Variations

• Standard Black Cassette: The original release featuring the classic dark housing. My personal favorite.

• XLII 90 Gold Cassette: The premium high-bias cassette preferred by audiophiles.

• XL-II-S 100 Black/White Cassette: A sleek, later-run formulation variant.

• Generic 90 Gold Cassette (Unbranded Model): A distinct gold variant seen primarily in early Rolling Stone issues. Not very popular.

• Grayscale Cassette: A monochromatic visual variation produced in lower quantities. The Blown Away Beach seems to only come in this, although also see the Blown Away Man in Chair with it too.

• There is even one with NO CASSETTE, Just a blank space with "Maxell, It's Worth It" under the non-existent cassette.

Catalog of Known Maxell Print Campaign Themes

While the "Man in Chair" remains the most recognized layout, Maxell expanded this high-impact visual style across a variety of original two-page print ad campaigns. :

• Blown Away, Iconic Man in Chair

• Blown Away, Porsche 911 Targa

• Blown Away, Beach

• Freestyle Skier

• Rock 'n' Roll Moon Robots

• Stealth Fighter Jet

• Upside-Down Car

• 3-page Blown Away foldout ad

• 3 Faces of the Blown Away Guy

• And a few other minor variations, like some of the "Blown Away" ones have big text on the left page bottom promoting the free poster giveaway. I stay away from these.

• Girl Doing Somersault (Extremely rare; likely produced for trade shows or limited industry promotions...I have seen one, but the seller lost it)

• Trade Show Exclusives (Specialized runs produced for events like CES)

At SecondMoonshot Custom Picture Framing, we specialize in transforming these delicate vintage magazine spreads into display-ready artifacts using reversible, preservation-grade mounting methods that protect high-acid newsprint from deteriorating over time.

Here are ads we have confirmed, are all exclusively for 2 page ads. We don't go looking for some the less popular ads as I don't sell them or rarely do. Note that the Rolling Stones ads are typically around 12.5"h x 10.5"w (although later editions seem to get smaller). Bold indicates most popular/relevant.:

Magazine	Date/Issue	Description	Notes
Rolling Stone	Nov 30, 1989 #566	Not sure, lost reference, but think its the Porsche.	In process of Confirming
Rolling Stone	July 10, 1980 #321	Blown Away, Black Cassette, "AFTER 500 PLAYS..."	Confirmed, First known publishing by me.
Rolling Stone	June 25, 1981 #346	Blown Away, Black Cassette, "AFTER 500 PLAYS..."	Confirmed
Sports Illustrated	Aug 30, 1982	Rock 'n' Roll Moon Robots, Black Cassette	Confirmed
Rolling Stone	August 23, 1990 #585	Blown Away, XLII 90 Gold Cassette	Confirmed
Rolling Stone	June 15, 1989 #554	Blown Away, XLII 90 Gold Cassette, "NO OTHER AUDIO TAPE DELIVERS..."	Confirmed
Playboy	December, 1980	Blown Away, Black Cassette, "AFTER 500 PLAYS..."	Confirmed
Playboy	June, 1981	Blown Away, Black Cassette, "AFTER 500 PLAYS..."	Confirmed
Playboy	November, 1989	Blown Away, XLII 90 Gold Cassette, "NO OTHER AUDIO TAPE DELIVERS..."	Confirmed
Playboy	December, 1980	Blown Away, Black Cassette, "AFTER 500 PLAYS..."	Confirmed
Playboy	June, 1983	Blown Away, Porsche 911 Targa, Black Cassette, "IF YOU'VE GOT THE WATTS..."	Confirmed
Playboy	September, 1982	Blown Away, Porsche 911 Targa, Black Cassette, "IF YOU'VE GOT THE WATTS..."	Confirmed
Playboy	Sometime in 1990	Blown Away, Porsche 911 Targa, XLII-S 90 Gold Cassette, "IF YOU'VE GOT THE WATTS..."	Unconfirmed
Rolling Stone	June 16, 1988	Blown Away, Beach, Grayscale Cassette, "NO OTHER TAPE DELIVERS..."	Confirmed
Rolling Stone	March 5, 1981	Blown Away, Freestyle Skier, Black Cassette, "PORTABLE TAPE DECKS..."	Confirmed
Rolling Stone	January 11, 1990	Blown Away, Porsche 911 Targa, XLII-S 100 Gold Cassette, "NO OTHER AUDIO TAPE DELIVERS..."	Confirmed
Rolling Stone	March 5, 1992	Stealth Fighter, XLII-S 100 B/W Cassette, "THE HIGHER THE PERFORMANCE..."	Unconfirmed
Rolling Stone	Sometime in 1988	Blown Away, Grayscale Cassette, "NO OTHER AUDIO TAPE DELIVERS..."	Unconfirmed
Rolling Stone	March 10, 1988	Blown Away, Generic 90 Gold Cassette, "NO OTHER AUDIO TAPE DELIVERS..."	Confirmed
Rolling Stone	December 15-29, 1988	Blown Away, Generic 90 Gold Cassette, "NO OTHER AUDIO TAPE DELIVERS..."	Confirmed
Playboy	September, 1980	Upside-down Car, Black Cassette, "IF THERE'S A MAXELL IN THIS CAR..."	Unconfirmed
Playboy	December, 1990	Blown Away, XLII 90 Gold Cassette, "NO OTHER AUDIO TAPE DELIVERS...", "Free Poster" on Left Page Bottom	Confirmed
SPIN	December, 1990 (The Year in Music Edition)	Blown Away, XLII 90 Gold Cassette, "NO OTHER AUDIO TAPE DELIVERS...", "Free Poster" on Left Page Bottom	Confirmed

The not-too-rare 3 page version of Blown Away....1990 or 1991 I think but have not researched.

Author's Note: A portion of this content was authored with the assistance of AI, mostly for wordsmithing my original technical notes.

Disclaimer: Any links provided are direct links. SecondMoonshot is not an affiliate for any manufacturer, product, or service referenced. We independently purchase and use the products and services mentioned.