Classic Ads: Building a Lifelong Friendship (Literally)

Those of us who grew up during the 1960's and 70's had some pretty bizarre toys...but few of them were quite as bizarre as Aurora's Big Frankie model kit.  Appearing on back covers of DC Comics dated February of 1965, readers encountered this simultaneously comical and disturbing ad (click on the ad for a larger view):

Where to start with this thing?  How about that inset shot of the kid maniacally grinning at the armless Frankie, like some sort of junior Victor Frankenstein?  Despite his clean-cut appearance, the madness and hubris of creating life from dead (or, in this case, plastic) human parts is obvious.

"Friendliest Monster in Town"?  You know, when I see this face from the package, "friendly" isn't one of the adjectives that come to mind.  And what's with the ruby-red lipstick?  That brings an even stranger vibe to an already unsettling advertisement. Plus, I'm thinking the cement block chained to Frankie's leg kinda negates the "friendly" message as well.


Of course, the most disturbing element of all is the ad's exhortation for kids to "make a friend" with a 2 foot tall grotesquery modeled after a homicidal creature assembled from corpses. Appearances aside, I could understand, say, a five or six year old kid wanting to lug around a large plastic playmate....but the (vaguely hunchbacked) kid in the ad appears to be twelve or thirteen years old, and clearly the age you wouldn't want to be spotted escorting a tiny Frankenstein monster down the sidewalk.

Comments

[Rick]

I have enjoyed reading through a number of your post this morning. I should be working. I'm hanging on to my stack of Spider-man Comics that I bought in the late 70's for who knows what. I think that I even have one Iron Man in there. Take care.

Rick
http://www.organizeddoodles.blogspot.com/

[Mark Engblom]

Glad you're enjoying the posts, Rick!

[Stan the Man]

It appears that Moebius Models is about to reissue this very kit, so you can still "build a friend" for yourself 44 years later! It's probably no longer going for $4.99 though...

http://www.moebiusmodels.com/

Smiley

[Guido]

Great Mark! That ad has definitely a creepy vibe, but there's also an almost endearing quality to it... like, you can almost feel the love that 12-year-old has for his monster!

One thing i can´t help but wonder every time I look at these ads (since I wasn't around when they were coming out) is, how the heck could you know what you were actually gonna get? If in this day an age, phoptography and even video shots of a product can be misleading, how could a somewhat crude drawing work as a reference for potential buyers? Simpler times, I guess...

P.S. By the way, I checke smiley's moebius models link, and the actual figure looks awesome! I can definitely see where the 12-year-old's love was coming from.

[Ralph C]

"Awww, Frankie, you're my best friend in the whole wide.... Frankie, what are you doing? No, Frankie, put that down... don't-- don't.... aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

[Hube]

Mark -- yet another classic! Made my morning and, thankfully, I managed not to spit out any coffee laughing.

Just three letters describe this ad: WTF?

[Ivan Wolfe]

Just three letters describe this ad: WTF?

That's right: Where's The Frankenstein?

Show me The Frankenstein, baby!

[stephen]

reminds me of et. when he's dressed up like a girl for halloween. I don't know why.

[Pat Curley]

Wow, $4.99 was a LOT of money back then; you could have bought 41 comic books for that price! I think that may be why they show the older kid with the monster; he's the only one who could afford that kind of coin.

[John Nowak]

"One doesn't easily forget, Herr Frankenstein, an arm ripped out by the roots."

Easy one, from Son of Frankenstein.

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, but I don't think Big Frankie could even reach my arm to rip it off!

Love the cute buttoned coat, though.