At the 2001 licensing show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City , among the wanderingPokémonandSesame Streetcharacters , something of an anomaly lurked , right in plain sight . KISSbassist Gene Simmonswas there to plugthe late in a farseeing stock of authorized and licensed product from the ring . Not a plaything , not a set of bedsheets , but the first - ever amply back coffin .
The waterproof , at rest human entrepot whole was formally dub the KISS Kasket . allot to Simmons , it could double as a drink tank until the owner departed from this mortal carpenter’s plane .
“ It serves two purposes , ” Simmons said . “ you may have your last ride with your favored band . But while you ’re living , you could have a cold one . ”
KISS and Make-Up
It ’s no stretch to state KISS may be the most commoditized rock band in the history of music . Not evenThe Beatlesand their myriad of box band can compete with the sheer tonnage of KISS ware out there , much of it using their on - stage iconography to great force .
It ’s quite a feat when you realize the band could barely give their early album away . Formed in 1973 , KISS was originallycomprisedof lead singer Paul Stanley , bassist Simmons , guitarist Ace Frehley , and drummer Peter Criss . ( Simmons and Stanley had tried forming earlier mathematical group like Wicked Lester to no apparent essence . ) Their first three albums ( Kiss , Hotter Than Hell , Dressed to toss off ) were underwhelming , die to crack the top of the sale charts .
The problem was that KISS was first and foremost a live experience . dress in kabuki - style make - up and outfits considered outlandish even by rock standards , the band literally suspire fire and spew phase blood ; Criss rode a harness 10 groundwork in the tune during tympan solos . The vim in concert was tough to replicate on a studio apartment album , which is why Neil Bogart , CEO of the band ’s recording label Casablanca Records , had the idea to immortalize a live record album , complete with screaming rooter and banter between song .
It exercise . record and put out in 1975,KISS Alive!spent 110 week on theBillboardchart , at long last selling over 9 million copies . The KISS Army , as fans were known , enlisted in massive numbers . And thanks to their distinctive mirthful book aspect , KISS conquer the opportunity to commercialise more than just records .
A Marvel comedian — printed with a few drops of their parentage — was a smash success . So were the KISS make - up outfit , toys , and apparel . In the ‘ 70s , KISS ’s licensing computer program was second only toStar Wars . At one point , SimmonsfiguredKISS merchandise had brought in about $ 500 million .
Not all of the set ’s idea make . A 1978 made - for - tv set movie , osculate gather the Phantom of the Park , was a critical flop . A 1999 lineament film , Detroit Rock City , did n’t fare much better . But buss die - hards could always be relied upon to scoop up whatever licensing efforts the band pursue .
Then someone had the idea to act on a young KISS demographic : beat hoi polloi .
Dead in Concert
Simmons debuted the coffin at the Licensing 2001 external trade show in New York City . And while he was forever the KISS salesman , even Simmons agreed this was a step beyond . “ The idea was a little bit morbid,”he told MTV in 2001 . “ Obviously , jewel casket are all about death , and they ’re not reusable . It ’s a no - depository , no - replication policy . So I came up with the brilliant impression that if death was so awful , why not fete lifetime ? In other words , why not have a daily role for the caskets ? Why not watch your pet ball plot on video , invite your friends over and launch the Kasket to get a drink ? ”
The KISS Kasket , with a suggested price of $ 4700,launched in 2001via the band ’s official web site . “ The KISS Kasket is completely covered with a specially laminated photomural that features the KISS logo and the image of the striation extremity , ” the ad transcript read . “ The words ‘ KISS Forever ’ are imprinted on the side of the coffin . In addition , KISS Kasket can also be used as a Giant KISS tank , enabling fans and their friends to savour ice - cold-blooded sodium carbonate and beer served straight off from the ice - fill , wholly waterproofed KISS Kasket . The KISS Kasket is autographed and signed . ” ( Unsigned , the casket ran between $ 3300 to $ 3900 . )
of course , the KISS Kasket was targeted at those looking for the ultimate novelty item for their collections , though it appeared to be perfectly suitable for submerging in dirt . Nor were “ fun ” coffins unheard of : A casket for linksman colour with the slogan “ Fairway to Heaven ” sold 800 units across the nation as of 2001 . Whitelight , Divine of the KISS casket , also made a box for NASCAR fan . Another coffin was designed to resemble the Department of the Interior of a Cadillac . KISS evenissued an urnfor those prefer cremation .
But did anyone really buy a candy kiss Kasket ? Sort of . In 2004 , former Pantera Centennial State - founder “ Dimebag ” Darrell Abbott was slay by a disturbed fanduring a showin Columbus , Ohio . A god-fearing KISS lover , Abbott had requested in his will that he be eat up in a KISS Kasket . ( Pantera had onceopenedfor KISS in 1997 . ) Simmons donate the prototype to Abbott ’s kin .
In 2018 , Abbott ’s brother , musician Vinnie Paul Abbott , died at years of 54 of raw crusade . At the family ’s postulation , he was also lay to breathe in a KISS Kasket , once again donate by Simmons and Paul Stanley . By this point , the coffin was being made byNashville Casket Sales , who had picked up the license . ( Another company , Eternal Image , hadproducedtwo KISS coffins in 2011 . )
Ace Frehleywas asked aboutthe Vinnie Paul funeral onThe Cassius Morris Showin 2020 . After admit the KISS Kasket was a intersection that had made him quail a bit , Frehley said the religious service mat slightly odd . “ Vinnie Paul was buried in a KISS casket , and I had to make a lilliputian address outside at the burying ground , and it was weird , ” he said . “ Vinnie was inside this boxwood and my boldness was on it . ”
Not every departed looking for the KISS experience opts for the fully licence interlingual rendition . In 2017 , buss sports fan Kenny Miller of Newfoundlandasked to be buriedin a osculation - themed casket , which was customized with a KISS Army logo and flame on the outside . Miller also invite a call from Simmons , as per one of his final indirect request .
Nashville Casket Sales recentlyproducedaGhostbusterscasket designed to resemble the Ecto-1 , consummate with the Ghostbusters logo and the Eco-1 license denture . Inside , the visages of Bill Murray , Harold Ramis , Dan Aykroyd , and Ernie Hudson smile down upon the occupant for timelessness . Made to promoteGhostbusters : Afterlife , it ’s stillavailableon eBay for $ 5000 .
They still offer the KISS Kasket too , which is enjoin to be made from 20 - gauge blade with a “ bad ass ” Interior Department adorn in dim velvet .
