Comic Coverage

A Blast from Christmas Past: The MEGO Superheroes!

As a lad in the mid-70's, the top of my Christmas wish list was usually reserved for the the Mego Superhero Action Figures (action figures, mind you....not dolls!).

Between my friends and I, we had just about the entire line with the exception of a few oddball (or scarce) figures. Heck, we even had The Invisible Girl, owned by the paperboy down the block (back then, paperboys were rolling in the dough). Of course, nobody had much to do with her since she was essentially a Barbie doll in a Fantastic Four costume (and perhaps an uncomfortable reminder of just how doll-like all of the Mego heroes actually were).

Despite those vague misgivings, we spent plenty of summer afternoons creating action-packed scenarios for our band of Mego superheroes (and villains), each one more elaborate and outlandish than the last.

Well, imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I stumbled across a vintage TV commercial for the Mego Superheroes on YouTube. If you've got high speed internet service, click on the screen below to relive your own Mego memories or, if you're too young, to see what you missed out on.

Before you begin, a few things to watch for:

1. The "authentic" settings for some of the heroes, such as an Aquaman figure nestled near a lapping shore and a tiny Spider-Man figure unceremoniously stuck to a concrete wall.

2. What appears to be a phone cord strung across the frame featuring Captain Marvel, simulating what could only be...a magic lightning bolt?

3. Green Arrow is apparently "the crimefighter from the forest".

4. "The Falcon, that great black superhero!" (their words, not mine)

5. The Human Torch is revealed to be "faster than the speed of light" (coming as news to Fantastic Four fans everywhere).

6. According to Mr. Announcer Guy, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl both have the power of invisibility, with no mention of Reed's stretching abilities. Oops!

7. Conan's "sword of justice"? More likely his sword of blood and gruel-caked vengeance!

8. "Thor...using his viking power against evil!" Listen, I live in Minnesota, and if there's one thing we Minnesotans are sure of, it's that Vikings really aren't all that powerful (as any glance at NFL stats should confirm).

Anyway....enjoy the video!

Classic Ads: The Frontier Cabin

Even a casual glance at a newspaper over the past several months would tell you that the formerly red-hot housing market has cooled off considerably.

Realtors and economists have blamed a whole host of factors for the so-called "slump" in home sales, none of which fully explain the alarming dip in new housing starts and existing home values. However, while paging through one of my old comic books, the true reason behind the housing slump hit me like a ton of bricks....

...or should I say a ton of LOGS?

(click on image for a larger view)

Priced at a staggering $1.00, this "huge, western-style" 23 cubic ft. cabin is becoming a real alternative to traditional, much more expensive housing all across the nation. Hence the dip in sales. Just check out some of these amazing features, and you'll see why America is flocking to the Frontier Cabin:

Apparently, a special "DuPont Polyethelene" allows the cabin to stand up to the rigors of outdoor conditions, making this much more than a simple playhouse.

In addition to all-weather durability comes the irresistible appeal of fine craftsmanship:

That's authentic brown, mind you...none of that artificial brown the so-called "real" houses use.

As amazing as those features are, the real power behind the Frontier Cabin phenomena remains its revolutionary 5 for $4.00 pricing plan. Get this: When you buy a cabin for $1.00, you can get up to four more cabins for only an additional $3.00!  If that crazy math is blowing your mind, let me put it this way:  For the cost of two modern-day comic books, you've got yourself an entire neighborhood, pal!

Don't believe me?  Fine....but if you're not convinced the Frontier Cabin has forever altered the contemporary housing market, let me direct your attention to this little tidbit from the ad:

Got that?  In addition to the boy-favorite Frontier Cabin, girls (a.k.a. "the other 50% of the population") now have a playhouse model of their very own. The same amazing features (although "authentic pink" is substituted for the cabin's "authentic brown") and the same amazing pricing plans ensure that this revolutionary trend is here to stay, rocking the housing market for years to come.

Classic Ads: Escalating the BB Gun Arms Race

Anyone who's read an older comic book should be familiar with the ubiquitous ads for the Daisy Manufacturing Company and their dazzling arsenal of BB guns. Boys (and their dads) were hectored by Daisy's breathless ads to buy the latest in BB-gun technology, along with a dizzying array of accessories, upgrades and add-ons (kinda like computers, now that I think about it). 

This "BB-Gun Arms Race" resulted in neighborhoods that were stuck in a perpetual stalemate of "mutually assured destruction", as no boy and his rifle seemed to have a clear advantage over his equally well-armed pals.

That is, unless they happened to come across an ad in Superman #116 (1957) for The Automatic Tri-Pod Machine Gun!

(click on the ad for a larger view)

Just check out these features:

Key words:  "fighting", "ammunition" and "real".

Okay, what else?

Music to my ears. Tell me more....

Good thinking.  In the world of BB-gun warfare, a direct hit is crucial.

Finally...the Coup De Gras:

It's like a magical kid-Valhalla!  It...it's simply beautiful (sniff).

You may ask: "Why would a child need an Automatic Firing Tripod Machine Gun? Aren't they dangerous?"

To which I would reply, "How long have you been without a human soul?"

Look, don't ask questions.  Just bask in the zen-like glory of the Tripod Machine Gun...a relic from an ancient time when a child's toy ad could include the words "ammunition" and "deadly" with nary an eyebrow raise.

Classic Ads: Be a Good Citizen!

A common feature of comics published from the 1940s through the 1960s were their earnest Public Service Ads (PSA's), which sought to teach a variety of social and moral lessons to young readers.  However, their undeniably good intentions sometimes produced unintentionally amusing or even surreal results...such as the day in 1962 when Superman taught two youngsters the virtues of good citizenship.

Our lesson begins as John and Billy arrive at the
local community club to do some charity work.
Hey!  That sounds like good citizenship to me!  What's the problem?

(click on the panels for a larger view)

Ah....yes.  Billy's careless placement of his bike, like the Serpent lurking in Eden, foreshadows troubled times ahead.

In panel three, Billy casually dismisses a dropped gum wrapper...signaling his plunge into the abyss of mindless anarchy!  Luckily, Superman is on the case!

(click on the panels for a larger view)

An indeterminate amount of time "later", the boys exit
the community center and behold a shocking sight!

(click on the panels for a larger view)

Despite Billy instantly making sense of the madness before him, Superman's "lesson" raises a number of uncomfortable questions:

1.  Isn't there a bank robbery or a sinking ship somewhere with Superman's name on it?

2.  Whose bikes are those?  More importantly, are they even ridable after Superman's ramshackle pileup?

3.  Assuming he could be seen by the naked eye, how insane did it look while Superman was unwrapping and flinging hundreds of gum wrappers?

4. In the final panel, Superman states that "we must be thoughtful of others in little ways, too".  Yeah, like stealing the bikes of dozens of children to prove a point...or completely freaking-out young Billy and John.

Despite these troubling questions (and Superman's disturbing surplus of free time), the Man of Steel's little stunt not only taught youngsters a valuable lesson, but may have also inspired the invention of the renowned Kryptonite Bike Lock.

Classic Ads: Buy a Monkey!

Of all the novelty gadgets, swindles and pranks I've come across in old comic book ads, the strangest one (by far) was this ad for a Darling Pet Monkey:

(By the way....for those of you accustomed to Photoshop tomfoolery
here at Comic Coverage, I assure you...this ad is the "real deal".)

Every time I've seen the monkey ad, my thoughts always drift back to those families of the 1940's, 50's and early 60's who found themselves the unwitting recipients of a live squirrel monkey that Junior ordered from his comic books. 

As I read the sales pitch, a number of questions come to mind:

1.  Do these eyes look warm to you?  "Feral and jugular-craving", maybe....but warm?  Not on your life....which it just might come down to if you brought this leering homunculus into your home.

2.  Lollipops....no doubt recommended by 4 out of 5 veterinarians and zoologists?

3.  Right....but did their guarantee also cover the years of psychotherapy required after finding a dead monkey in your mailbox?

  Taking a wild guess here, but those "instructions" were probably little more than a five page non-liability statement from "Animal Farm", with precious little information on how to deal with the monkey flinging its fecal matter at family members while they sleep.

Yes...an adorable pet and companion....FOR SATAN!

"SKREEEEEEEEEECH!"

Classic Ads: A Prankster's Paradise!

If Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald was correct...and my dreams were indeed shaped by the advertising of my youth, then I guess my highest aspirations somehow involve Whoopee Cushions, Black Soap, Joy Buzzers and X-Ray Specs!

You see, lurking within every comic book published from the 1940's through the mid-80's were pages of tiny, densely-packed ads guaranteeing Herculean muscles, Svengali-like romantic powers, instant wealth and...of course....the perfectly executed prank!

Since pulling pranks was one of the Three Primary Reasons to Live for young boys of the 60's and 70's (the other two being the building forts and the eternal quest for firecrackers), you can imagine how tempting these pranks were to our mischievous little minds.

Peddled by the likes of S.S. Adams, "Uncle Harry", and the ironically-named "Honor House", it was only a matter of time before we gave in to their enticements of non-stop mirth and sent away for an actual prank or two (or three).

  Since a boy's unofficial fourth Reason to Live was anything having to do with flatulence, the choice for our first mail order prank was obvious:  The Whoopee Cushion! (click on the ad for a larger view)  When it finally arrived, I remember being a little taken aback by its strong industrial rubber odor...making its inflation a little off-putting.  Ahh...but after a few hilariously successful attempts, the smell of radioactive waste was no longer an issue. I think we played the prank on just about every friend and family member in the tri-state area, until it finally blew up from the sheer pressure of all those clueless rear-ends mashing into it.

Next up, Black Soap! 

Like the ad says, "a great trick".  In the case of groggy parents who've just woken up...not such a great trick.

After viewing the "shocking" reaction illustrated in the ad, what kid could resist ordering a Joy Buzzer?

Not us!

Sadly, the Joy Buzzer turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment.  Instead of the electrocuting agony depicted in the ad, the Joy Buzzer simply vibrated weakly in the victim's palm...eliciting only mild bemusement instead of a completely freaked-out, knee-raising leap from the victim.

As much of a let-down as the Joy Buzzer turned out to be, the most disappointing prank by far had to be the X-Ray Specs.  I think even as kids we knew that the $1 pair of glasses wouldn't allow us to truly "look through flesh to see the bones underneath", but even that natural skepticism couldn't prepare us for their underwhelming performance.

From what I can remember, the plastic frames contained double-layer cardboard "lenses", each with a small hole punched through them.  In between the layers was inserted (believe it or not) a small feather, which refracted the light coming through the holes so that images seen through the feather seemed to blur or diffuse.  So, needless to say, no bones were seen through the fabled X-Ray Specs...or much else, for that matter.

Once the late 70's rolled around, my friends and I discovered the Spencers chain of stores, with tacky pranks (and Farrah Fawcett posters) as far as the eye could see, so our reliance upon the comic ad prankmeisters came to an end at that point.

Still, I have fond memories of that time, when a summer's worth of mischievous schemes could be conjured up from a tiny comic book ad's crude drawings and breathless hokum.

So much so, that I created a design for my Secret Identity shop called...what else?...X-Ray Specs!  Despite the actual X-Ray Specs of my youth being such a crashing disappointment, I think the idea of X-Ray Specs is still a great symbol for those bygone days of joy buzzer anarchy, fake vomit peddlers, and mail-order dream merchants.

In the innocently prankish spirit of those wacky times, I wish you a Happy April Fool's Day!  May your pranks be many....and perfectly executed!

Secrets of Super-Sharp Coolness

Since ancient times, men have devised countless ways to attract the attention of women.  When it comes to romance, men have always been willing to abandon whatever shred of good taste, intelligence and dignity they might have once possessed for the promise of a lady's affection.

Naturally, crafty entrepreneurs have long since figured how to make a buck off of this love-starved lunacy, each offering their own unique blend of snake oil and promises to snare hapless, romance-challenged males.

The perfect embodiment of these sleezy desperation merchants was Masculiner, whose ads were a familiar feature of comic books published from the late 60's through the 70's.

First, the oh-so-subtle opening pitch...

What man wouldn't want to look exciting,
romantic and impressive?  So far, so good!

Tell me more!

Yes, that's right.  Masculiner sold fake
stick-on hair to smooth-faced losers who yearned to:

In short, a bold

If these three distinct macho looks weren't enough to clinch the sale, Masculiner administered the killing stroke with...the Fake Facial Hair Trifecta!

Surely no living female could resist the
combined romantic power of The Three!

Classic Ads: Count Dante...Deadliest Hairdresser Alive!

Anyone remotely familiar with mid-70's comic books should instantly recognize the ominous, sneering figure on the left as Count Dante'...the Deadliest Man Alive! (Click on the ad for a larger view)

As a relatively new comic book reader in the summer of '75, this bizarre, dangerous-looking character obviously made quite an impression upon my nine year-old imagination.  For a naive country-boy like me, the ad's talk of "fighting arts" and "death matches" was simultaneously fascinating and a bit scary. 

Were there really people who fought in these so-called death matches?  Could the world's most deadly fighting secrets really be mine?  Is that really his hair?

Well, one ad for Mego Superheroes or X-Ray Specs later, Count Dante and his deadly world faded from my hummingbird-like attention span...but years later, whenever I came across this classic ad, I'd wonder:  "Who was this 'Count Dante' and whatever happened to him?"

Well, my curiosity finally got the best of me and, a few Google searches later, here's what I came up with:

FACT: The Count was born John T. Keehan in 1939. Growing up in a wealthy Chicago family, he eventually became involved in the early Karate programs of the 1950's. 

FACT: Keehan became an expert in Judo, Jui-jitsu, Gung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan, Shaolin Boxing, Kempo, Karate, Yawara, Boxing, Wrestling, Aikido and Kibo...awarding himself the title The Crown Prince of Death.

FACT: While he mastered every deadly art known to man and demon, he also found time to serve as the director of a wig and hair-piece company(!), eventually becoming a "world famous hair stylist" and creator of the "natural seductive hairstyle" of many top Chicago models and Playboy Bunnies.

FACT: Keehan co-founded the United States Karate Association (USKA).  He later became disillusioned with the formality of conventional karate and developed his own "street effecive" style dubbed the Dan-Te or "Dance of Death" system.

FACT: In the late 60's, Keehan changed his name to Count Juan Raphael Dante, claiming that his parents were secretly royalty from Spain who'd fled to America during the Spanish Civil War (which may or may not have actually happened).

FACT:  He retired undefeated from professional competition in 1968 when he became Grandmaster of the Black Dragon Fighting Society in the United States and Canada.

FACT:  At various times, Dante and the pupils of his school (or "dojo") became involved in "The Dojo Wars", a chop-socky swirl of attempted arson, booze, dynamite, building invasions, and ultimately the death of one of Dante's students.

FACT:  Dante died in his sleep in May of 1975, due to internal hemorrhaging from a bleeding ulcer (kinda anti-climactic, huh?).  I was expecting "died after single-handedly defeating five hundred nunchuck-wielding zombies".

NOT A FACT:  It's rumored that Dante's 1975 death was actually a clever ruse, allowing him to assume a third identity, this time as mellow painter Bob Ross.  Exchanging his throwing stars for a fan brush and Magic White, Dante/Ross appeared on the PBS series The Joy of Painting...until dying for real in 1995.

So, there you have it.  The murky world of Count Dante in all its death-dealing, hairdressing, and nature-painting glory.  If you want to find out more about this fascinating figure (and who wouldn't?), you might want to check out In Search of Count Dante, a recent documentary film by Floyd Webb.

Ironically, when I saw this ad in the spring/early summer of 1975, Dante had just died. Allegedly.

Classic Ads: If the Boots Don't Fit, You Must Acquit

Back before O.J. Simpson was a shameless pariah, he was the pitchman for a variety of 70's and 80's products...such as stylish Dingo Boots. 

Take a creepy walk down memory lane as the "Dingo Kids"
meet and gaze adoringly at the future double murderer.

The Blog of Horror....DAY ONE!

As we slide into October, I thought it would be fun to devote most of this month's blogging to the creepier side of comics.  Rest assured, not everything I do during October is going to be Halloween-oriented (such as my coverage of the Minnesota Fall-Con, Oct. 6-7), but I'll definitely be putting a Halloween spin on many of the regular Comic Coverage features, along with some fun new stuff.  Oh, and since last year's Bizarro Justice League went over pretty well, I think that calls for the Second Annual Bizarro Super-Team Challenge, don't you?

Well, to kick off the month, I thought I'd pan for a Gold Nugget in Quality Comics' Out of the Night #5 (1952), but to my surprise, the flat-out scariest part of the entire issue wasn't in any of the stories...but on the back cover!

In an ad for Uncle Bernie's Fun Shop (Bernie was a little on the sinister side himself), I spotted two items that couldn't have come from anywhere but the DEVIL'S TOYSHOP...compelling me to scream:

I don't know what it is about dolls (or mannequins, their eerie grown-up  cousins), but they've always been pretty high on the creep-out scale for me.  It's usually the old-fashioned glassy-eyed girl dolls and the eternally-bizarre ventriloquist dolls that really get my skin crawling...and here they both are in a single ad.

The first of our Demonic Duo is the terrifying GINGER (click on the image for a larger view...if you dare)!  From the hell-glow around the word "Ginger", to that sinister stare...with those tiny hands raised and ready to scratch, is this really the "perfect playmate for the Junior Mother"?

And what's this about "Wonderskin"?  (shiver)

Next up is the HAPPY THE COWBOY nightmare dispenser...and, yes, he IS smoking a gigantic cigarette (click on the image if you don't believe me)! 

If there's anything more unsettling than a ventriloquist doll (a species long known for its wide-eyed malevolence), it's a ventriloquist doll with a heater hanging out of its plastic rictus-grin.  No doubt countless young lads of the early 50's awoke in the middle of the night to see Happy's silhouette outlined against the moon-lit window...with the orange glow of his lit cigarette dimly illuminating his unblinking gaze....accompanied by a soft, creaky-jawed chuckle.

Classic Ads: Trick or Treating...Minnesota Style!

Back in the early to mid-70's, my friends and I were crazy about Marvel Comics and their stable of characters. In fact, we were so crazy about them, we'd always want to dress up as those characters for Trick-or-Treating. Imagine our delight when we came across this ad appearing in October 1975 issues of Marvel Comics:

Priced at a mere $2.79 each, we could look like our favorite heroes for Halloween. Just think (we thought), in the dim evening light, we might even be mistaken for the real deals, appearing more like the ghosted hero images in the ad than mere children!

But then, depressing reality would soon settle in, as we all remembered that wearing cool trick-or-treat costumes in northern Minnesota was a near impossibility. 

You see, it can get nasty cold the final week of October in the Great Northland. It wasn't unusual for the first snowfall to have already occurred once Halloween rolled around, so naturally all good moms and dads would stave off frostbite and frozen death by almost completely obscuring our costumes with winter jackets, hats, snowpants, scarves, mittens, and boots.

"But mom!...Spider-Man doesn't wear a hat or a jacket!"

To which mom would calmly reply, "He does if he wants to go trick-or-treating."

"Awww, mom!"

Of course, after visiting the first few houses, the costume controversy was soon forgotten. Massive amounts of free candy have a way of doing that.

Classic Ads: MONSTER Size Monsters!

To every kid, Halloween is the ideal season for scary practical jokes, right?

WRONG!  Every single day of the year was ripe for scaring the living daylights out of friends, parents, sisters and/or brothers, grandparents, neighbors, pets...well, you get the picture. Stoking this mischievous spirit of childhood were the countless prank and novelty merchants who hawked their wares in dense-packed comic book ads...priced right and promising to trigger gales of laughter or screams of fright.

One of the ads that really got me reaching for my piggy bank was this classic specimen...the towering menace of the MONSTER-SIZE MONSTERS (click on the ad for a larger view):

Let's examine the masterful Honor House sales pitch:

I don't remember my exact reaction as a kid, but I think it went something like this: "Seven feet tall?  Wow...that's taller than my DAD!  Also, who's this 'Polly Ethelene' person?"

Um...yes?  Okay, here's where the pitch wandered off into the tall grass.  Listen, I wanted to scare people with Seven Foot Frankie...not talk to him!

"Aweful"? So they couldn't spell or proof read at Honor House...big deal?  After all, who needs good spelling skills when you've got seven foot monsters to share with the world?

Ahh, but what if I order one or both of the monster-size monsters and I'm not satisfactorily horrified?

As if sensing my wavering skepticism, Honor House drives home the point:

"Shivers of delight"?  Before puberty? I'm sold!*

*Sadly, I wasn't allowed to order either of the Monster-Size Monsters.  Maybe because my mom was secretly terrified of their giant-sized menace. That, or the prospect of me talking to them while experiencing prepubescent shivers of delight.

DC Comics Asks: What Do YOU Think is Groovy?

While recently paging through Justice League of America #83 (1970), I came across an interesting little reader poll conducted by a desperate-to-be-hip DC Comics (some things never change).  Leading off the pitch was the epitome of hipness himself...Superman!

To which wary readers might have replied,
"Hey, Far Out!...but what's in it for me, man?"

Flash?  Tell the hippie what he could win if he fills out the Groovy Quiz...

Get that?  A portable TV set...see the handle on top?  Sure, not a big deal here in the iPod age of portable video...but back then?  Let me put it this way:  A portable TV in 1970 was the equivalent of the iPhone on the High-Tech Awesomeness Scale.

If the prospect of winning a portable TV wasn't hip enough for the readers, surely this additional blurb from Superman completely sealed the deal:

DIG!  Click on the link below to jump to the survey!

Classic Ads: Candy of the World's Wonder Children!

You'd think a product with origins as controversial as the Baby Ruth candy bar would try to avoid more controversy at all costs.  When Curtiss Candy introduced the Baby Ruth bar in 1920, everyone assumed they'd named it after baseball superstar Babe Ruth, though they always claimed to have named it after President Grover Cleveland's daughter Ruth (despite the girl having died sixteen years earlier).  Sounds like a dodge from paying Babe Ruth royalties, right?  Right.

Flash forward two decades to 1940, as Curtiss Candy once again dives headfirst into controversy. 

In this ad that I oh-so-carefully scanned from my copy of Superman #15, we can see that Curtiss enlisted the infamous Dionne Quintuplets to sell their Baby Ruth candy bars (click on the ad for a quintuple-sized view).

Who were the Dionne Quintuplets? Quick history: Shortly after their birth in 1934, their parents signed a contract to live in a special World's Fair facility where the public could view "The Quints". Following an angry public outcry, the government of their native Canada removed the babies from their parent's custody and put them under the guardianship of four government officials.  Now that the Canadian government had saved the baby girls from crass exploitation, they almost immediately began exploiting the girls themselves.  Housed in a specially-built government facility, the Quints and their "caretakers" could be viewed in an observation room twice a day by the public.  When the facility was expanded to a "Quintland" themepark, an average of 6,000 people a day came to view the Dionne sisters...eventually surpassing Niagara Falls as Ontario's most popular tourist attraction!

It's against this backdrop of ignorance and exploitation that we return to the Baby Ruth ad.  Now that the "World's Wonder Children" were receiving their "first and only candy", let's see why the Canadian government selected Baby Ruth for such a momentous occasion:

Ah, yes..."pure, wholesome candy made of fine, natural foods". 
And what might those "fine, natural foods" be? 

Dextrose?  Isn't that just a type of SUGAR? 
That's the "fine, natural food" in a Baby Ruth bar?

What did the medical community of the time have to say about this?
Let's ask Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe for his opinion...

Okay, that's better.  I mean, if a real doctor thinks a Baby Ruth bar is "wholesome" for children, I guess it was okay for the Dionne Quintuplets to make this their first candy experience.

Unless, of course, that doctor was actually one of the Quint's government-appointed guardians! 

It's true!  Allan Roy Dafoe was one of the creeps who allowed the Quints to be viewed by the public. Need more proof?  The government facility they lived in was named the Dafoe Hospital and Nursery.  I knew there was something creepy about that guy!

So, the next time you enjoy a "wholesome" Baby Ruth bar, be sure to think about the five little girls who enjoyed the nutritious bounty of dextrose while 6,000 nose-picking rubes stared at them.

Classic Ads: Evel Obsessions

Yesterday all of us kids of the 1970's lost a mighty champion....EVEL KNIEVEL!   

Once in a great while, when ABC's Wide World of Sports wasn't covering dull bobsled races or flabby Russian power lifters, they would broadcast the insane motorcycle stunts of Knievel, inspiring countless boys (like myself) to stage our own spectacular jumps using our bikes and crude plywood ramps (I still cringe when I recall my pal Chucky hitting the jump and flipping end over end on his mom's "extra speedy" 3-speed bicycle).

Well, all of us naturally wanted the Evel Knievel action figures (not DOLLS, mind you!) and the other cool accessories (like the Scramble Van and the Sky Cycle) hyped by ads like the one above (click on the ad for a larger view).

Unfortunately, only a few of us had parents who were willing to actually buy them. You see, most moms and dads obviously didn't want to fan the flame our Evel obsessions...a flame that only encouraged more of our spectacular bike jumps (and spectacular skin abrasions), so the Evel Knievel toys weren't high on the gift priority list.

Despite never getting my own Evel Knievel action figure (or even a Robbie Knievel figure), I still have fond memories of the quirky folk hero in his goofy Elvis jumpsuits and his death-defying stunts. 

Oh, and as a little tribute, I thought I'd post a great Evel Knievel bit by comedian Brian Regan (funniest guy in the business).  Just click on the audio clip below and enjoy!

UPDATE!  Brian Disco Snell (yet another funny guy named "Brian") alerted me to a series of YouTube videos featuring the Evel Knievel toy in action.  I had to feature at least one of 'them because...well, there's no such thing as too much multimedia in a single post!

Classic Ads: Brap! Brra-a-a-ap!

Little boy love guns.  They love pretending to shoot guns.  In fact, boys probably pretended to shoot guns before they were actually invented. Looking back at my own childhood, a virtual arsenal of toys guns was scattered throughout the neighborhood:  Daisy B-B guns, Wham-O Air Blasters, rifles with puffs of simulated smoke, and....the king of all kiddie firearms:

(click on the ad for a larger view)

Appearing on the backs of DC comics cover-dated August of 1967, the simple illustration of a lucky lad packing serious heat and the alluring sales pitch was enough to get any boy to break into his piggy bank.  The first selling point?...

Sure, considering most of us boys would settle for stray tree branches or baseball bats as impromptu gun stand-ins, "authenticity" wasn't high on our list....but when a toy gun was said to be the most authentic toy gun we've "ever seen", well...that captured our moth-like attention spans.

Here...you be the judge.  The top photo is an actual M-16 5.6 mm assault rifle, and the bottom photo is an actual Mattel M-16 Marauder:

Sidenote:  When the M-16 was used by American forces in Viet-Nam, its small size, use of plastic parts and frequent jamming caused frustrated soldiers to apply the term "You Can Tell It's a Mattel" to the troubled weapon (which happened to be the toy company's official slogan at the time). In fact, this disparaging label was so common, an actual urban legend popped up claiming that soldiers noticed the Mattel logo on the M-16's handgrip, which Mattel had supposedly manufactured.  No doubt Mattel's toy M-16 further blurred the distinction between myth and reality.

Okay, back to the ad: As cool as the promise of visual authenticity was, it was the M-16 Marauder's authentic sound that really grabbed our imaginations...

What more could a young lad ask for than "a solid blast a whole minute long"?  With the "loud, realistic sound of the actual M-16 rifle", no less?

(Because if anyone could verify its uncanny similarity to the sounds of an actual M-16 rifle, it was midwestern grade school boys with not even a millisecond of real weapon experience).

Well, because the toy gun looked and sounded so much like the real thing, it quickly fell out of fashion as anti-war sentiment grew through the late 60's, to the point where toy guns were virtually gone from stores by 1969. However, enough of the M-16 Marauders remained in toy boxes and were passed down from big brothers for me to experience their "authenticity" during my early-to-mid 70's boyhood.

As time wore on and the moral landscape steadily darkened, kids packing ultra-realistic toy firearms became a thing of the past as cartoon-like fantasy guns and orange-tipped machine guns eventually replaced their "authentic" plastic predecessors.

UPDATE: I stand corrected! Almost a year after posting this, I received this clarification from Dan Childers, an ex-Sargeant with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division:

"The "urban legend" you mention is in fact, true. The Mattel company did make the plastic and spring steel handguards and stocks of the early M-16 under license. I had one. The winking crowned emblem and "Mattel" were clearly stamped into it. The legend is that they made the WEAPON, which initially used underpowered ammunition, and often jammed."

Thanks for the insight, Dan! 

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.

Super Cereal Spokesman...or Creepy Peeping Tom?

Superman and Kellogg's go way back...all the way back to the early 1940's with Kellogg's PEP cereal, a frequent advertiser of the Superman radio show. In fact, a rare store display for PEP cereal featured a magnificent painting of Superman visiting with his young fans (click on the image for a larger view).

The Kellogg's/Superman alliance continued into the 1950's when the cereal company became a key sponsor of the Adventures of Superman TV series. In a series of commercials for the new Sugar Frosted Flakes cereal, Superman star George Reeves (as Clark Kent) is shown strolling through 1950's suburbia and occasionally stopping to eavesdrop on families and friends discussing the tasty new cereal.

Peering through fences and pup tents with his x-ray vision, Clark's most egregious violation of privacy occurred when he observed a squabbling brother and sister...who ultimately come together through the healing power of Sugar Frosted Flakes. As "Peeping Tom" Kent summed it up, "Kids may argue, but never about Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes". Check it out:

 

Classic Ads: Of Fish Glasses and Hellfire Jet Engines

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average price for a gallon of gas on the West Coast (as of July 14th) is a whopping $4.23.  

What do you think that same $4.23 could buy us in, say, the summer of 1967?

Let's see...how about a pair of Water Vision Glasses, which allegedly bestowed the amazing ability to "see deep below the surface of the water" and catch more fish?  With shipping and handling, the Water Vision Glasses will only set us back $2.23 (click on the ad for a larger view).

With our remaining $2.00, how about nabbing a Hellcat Jet Engine ("America's Lowest Priced Jet Engine"), providing "strong thrust for exciting experiments" with its "ram jet principle"? (ahem) Also included in that $2.00 investment was 50¢ worth of mysterious "solid fuel". Let's review that again: Something named "Hellcat" that "takes off all by itself" with ignitable fuel which could be ordered with no parental approval or knowledge whatsoever. In other words, "The Golden Age of Comics".  

So...would you rather spend your hard-earned $4.23 on a lousy gallon of gas, or on a pair of magic fish glasses and a tiny, flame-spitting jet engine?

Answer: Forget all three, save $1.25 and get yourself a 10 ft. hot air balloon for only $2.98.

I mean, come on...what better way to put 

my collection of small animals to use?

Classic Ads: Ten for a Buck

While working on an upcoming post, I came across a great old "house ad" appearing in DC Comics cover-dated September of 1964. Granted, inflation is the big culprit here...but just look at those rates. Do you realize that for the cost of a single modern $2.99 comic book (plus one penny) you could buy ten issues each of Superman, Flash, and Detective Comics? For those of us seriously recoiling at the next bump in cover prices (Marvel's already floating out a number of $3.99 titles), ads like this really focus the mind, don't they? 

So...how many of you are planning on sticking around when the standard cover price hits $3.99? Sure, we've threatened to quit comics many times before over price increases (as I illustrated here), but really...are we getting to a threshold where the skimpy 22 page format can no longer justify the cover price...leading to a "mass exit" effect?  I'm thinking "yes".  Your thoughts?

Classic Ads: Jean Jacket Firefighting

Let's face it...the entire 1970's was a crime against all that was visual, whether it was architecture, interior design, graphic design, or worst of all: fashion design. As such, there wasn't much boys my age had any desire to wear...with the exception of jean jackets! 

Whether it was the cowboy cred they imparted or the rare pleasure of wearing something that wasn't plaid, every guy I knew owned at least one jean jacket...with some guys owning several jean jackets of different colors. 

But wait...true story...my pals and I also used our snazzy jean jackets to fight fires in the wilds of northern Minnesota! With the TV show Emergency a big hit at the time (both a live action and animated version), we were anxious to get in on the fire fighting action ourselves and, living near grass fields and forests that routinely caught fire during dry summer days, we had that opportunity. Most of the time we'd be shooed away by justifiably irritated adult firefighters (some using rather colorful language as I recall), but sometimes we'd be able to stick to the margins of a grass fire and slap the flames with our trusty jean jackets without the adults noticing...fulfilling our dreams of firefighting glory (at least until our moms chewed us out for coming home with singed and smokey jackets).

So, with this youthful anecdote in mind, imagine my surprise when I came across this early 70's comic book ad, which featured some startling parallels to my own jean jacket heroism (click on the panels for a larger view).

Unlike my own foolhardy firefighting adventures, Tom and Danny Lee had parental approval to fight a raging forest fire with no discernable firefighting equipment or skills.

Wow...that's some amazing parenting on display there, isn't it?  Yet through all the reckless decision-making, Mike Lee still had the presence of mind to work a plug for Lee into his utterly insane plan.

See, this was the outcome my friends and I always imagined would happen: grateful authority figures thanking us with the promise of medals! In reality, young Tom and Danny Lee might have been placed into protective custody while their danger-loving dad was questioned by social services...but not here in the peculiar alternate reality of advertising.  Instead, a man and two boys put out a forest fire with only their crisp, clean jean jackets...miraculously unfazed by the flames and smoke!

"Yeah, dad...and you were pretty reckless back there. We were so scared we wet ourselves...and we're going to tell mom when we get home."

Classic Ads: "The Wildest, Way-Out Prize"

In all my years of reading and collecting comics, I've come across literally hundreds of contests and promotional sweepstakes offered by comic book advertisers. My interest in each contest would vary depending on how cool the prizes were...some of which definitely did look cool, while most didn't seem worth the hassle.

Recently, I came across a 1967 sweepstakes ad that...quite simply...featured the coolest prize in all of comic book history. Or was it the most bizarre? I can't decide.

But before I get to the prize itself, a little background. As anyone who's collected comics between the 1950's and the 1970's would know, plastic model kits were a big hit with boys of the Baby Boom generation. So much so, that model giant Revell was able to stage an annual sweepstakes with amazingly lucrative grand prizes, such as motorcycles, around-the-world trips, or...

A Full-Size Replica of a Gemini Spacecraft!

 

Since the ad's copy is a bit tough to read, here's the first paragraph in blue, followed by my own comments:

"First Prize...a Gemini Spacecraft! No put-on. This is for real--the wildest, way out prize ever awarded in any contest: a 19-foot prototype of the famed NASA spacecraft."

Nineteen feet? Where in the world would a kid keep a nineteen-foot NASA spacecraft prototype? The word "treehouse" comes to mind. 

"Your Gemini capsule is just like the original. There's a detachable hatch, equipment section, and retro-fire package. Accurate from the ground up!"

I'd love to find out more about that "retro-fire package".

"When you win Gemini you'll be at the airport when it arrives in a 'Flying Guppy' Aero Spacelines plane. Your name and picture will be in newspapers and magazines all over the country. How will it feel to present your spacecraft to your city for a park or museum? Famous, that's how."

Well, apparently not famous enough...since an exhaustive Google search for who the winner might have been came up with nothing. If any of you out there have any clue as to who won the Gemini spacecraft replica, PLEASE send me an article or photograph that gives us "The Rest of the Story" as old Paul Harvey might say. I'll definitely do a follow-up to this post if anything pops up.

Finally, as if a 19-foot spacecraft wasn't enough....

"There's more. As the grand prize winner, you'll receive a professional Vox 'Serenader' guitar--plus, every Revell Model Kit! Sounds great."

 

So, picture this: Sitting up in your Gemini Spacecraft treehouse, assembling Revell models...pausing only for the occasional wicked lick on your Vox Serenader.

Could life get any better?

On The Flipside: The Wonders of PLASTIGOOP!

Hey, you 21st century kids may have your Playstations and iPods...but back when I was a kid, we had Plastigoop! 

Possibly created in some dark sub-basement of DuPont Chemical Co. or the Pentagon, Plastigoop was a multi-colored compound included in Mattel's Thingmaker kits, which kids could heat-set into several different shapes using various metal molds.  Yes, heat-set...as in, "giving kids stuff to play with that could burn their skin".

The Thingmaker kit I vividly remember is the Creepy Crawlers set, which featured molds of all kinds of cool bugs, lizards, and assorted slimy critters. However...I wish I'd seen the other Thingmaker kit that was advertised on the back covers of July, 1967 DC Comics...The Fright Factory!

 

(click on the ad for a larger view)

Unlike neon-colored bugs and worms, Fright Factory creations could be worn on your face and eyes (perhaps imparting super-powers due to their mild radioactivity)...but beyond that, how about that AD? Imagine the horrified moms across the nation when they spotted that insane image while Junior read his comic book?  Worse yet, how many kids actually followed the ad's suggestion and cut out the eye-hole? I'm sure just the thought of that would terrify those comic book collectors who "slab" their comics in hermetically-sealed plastic cases.

Though I wasn't able to find a retro commerical for the Fright Factory, I did find one for the good ol' Creepy Crawlers kit...complete with a mini-demo of the process.  Enjoy!

The Gemini Spacecraft Mystery: New Details!

Remember that ad for the Revell sweepstakes I ran last week?  You know, the one that promised a full-size replica of a Gemini spacecraft as its grand prize?  Yeah, that one.  I was dying to find out more about this insanely cool prize and, at Ian's suggestion, decided to go right to the source and contact the Revell PR department.

Shortly after I sent off my note, several readers posted interesting clues that seemed to answer at least where the mysterious Gemini prize ended up.  From "grayman" came a link to some chatter on a space modelers message board, which included this comment from a teacher named Bob:

"That Mockup was won by a youth in Portland Oregon and was donated to OMSI where it has been a valuble tool for teaching. I know as I have simulated missions many times with my students."

Ahhh...a location!  "OMSI" is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry located in Portland, and it's definitely the home of a Gemini spacecraft according to a profile on the Waymarking, a website featuring cool stuff from around the world (thanks for the link, Pat).  So...it appears that this, indeed, is the spacecraft we've been looking for:

Click here for more views of OMSI's Gemini exhibit...but that still leaves us with the question of who won the spacecraft.  Unfortunately, I still haven't found out...but today I did get an interesting letter from Ms. Joyce Collier of the Revell company's sales department, who was gracious enough to do some digging.  Here's what she had to say:

"Dear Mark, 

I spoke to a man by the name of Howard Reider. Howard was the man who brought this idea to life. In 1967, he was the PR & Marketing Manager for Revell. He was very sorry, but had zero information on who won the prize. His best suggestion would be to look in local papers in Oregon or possibly Boys Life Magazine archives as the prize was donated by a winner to a local museum. Possibly, the museum in Oregon has a file on this and the boy that won. 

To confirm for all, this was not a model. This was an actual replica that was produced by McDonald Douglas. The capsule had to be shipped via railroad direct to the museum. The prize was awarded via a sweepstakes type entry, in order to win; the winner had to agree that they would donate to a local museum for two reasons, (1) So that others may enjoy and (2) Because it had to be shipped via railroad direct to the donation site. 

A little more trivia for you, the cost of building this kit was $5,000. In 1967 $5,000 was unheard for any type of prize. Plus the additional model kits that the kid won. At least the kid got to keep all the model kits as he watched his beloved capsule given away. There were numerous glitches along the way in production. At the last minute McDonald Douglas said they would not provide the capsule. However, after seeing all the press etc, they some how found a way to complete the project and deliver to the museum. 

I would be interested in hearing any further information on this if the museum has the name of the winner etc. 

I realize this does not answer your number one question of WHO the big winner is, hopefully, you will find some of this info helpful. 

Also, it made Howard's day when I called him and asked about this. He said in all the years after this contest, not one person ever called him about it again. He was astounded that now 40+ years later that people are interested. 

Please keep me advised if you are able to find the winner etc." 

Regards, 

Joyce Collier 
Revell Sales 

Thanks, Joyce!  I really appreciate the time and effort you spent looking into "The Gemini Spacecraft Mystery", as well as Howard Reider's helpful spirit.  Wow...what a promotion, especially in light of how special it really was.  Hats off to you, Mr. Reider!

Based on Joyce's information, it sounds like the capsule wasn't delivered on a Flying Guppy aircraft afterall (as it said in the original ad)...and can you believe McDonald Douglas deciding not to send the capsule at the last minute? Wow...I'm betting that caused Mr. Reider a bit of heartburn.

So, there you go. The latest update in the Gemini Spacecraft Mystery...but hopefully not the last. I will take Mr. Reider's suggestion, contact OMSI and (hopefully) get the winner's name!

Classic Ads: From the Battlefield to Your Backyard!

Having a comic book collection that spans over half a century, I'm continually fascinated by comic book ads and the insight they offer into their native eras.  My favorites were the eclectic, low-budget ads published prior to the 1980's, before slick campaigns for video games and junk food crowded out all of the fly-by-night hucksters, musclemen, and pranksters.

In that pre-1980's era, you never knew what you'd see advertised in those crazy-quilt grids of low-tech capitalism. In fact, taken together, it's astounding to realize just how much bizarre and flat-out dangerous stuff was readily available to the average kid of the 1950's, 60's, and 70's. Sure, there were the karate ads promising forbidden knowledge of secret pressure points...ads for fireworks, live monkies, model rockets, and sweepstakes with knives, whips, and axes for prizes. But they were nothing compared to the deadly loot available from the US Army Surplus ads!

When the US military no longer needed various types of equipment, it would sell the surplus items at public auction, usually to entrepreneurs who'd then sell the goods to the general public through surplus stores or ads like this one. Appearing in late 1966 issues of Marvel comics, this half-page ad is tough to decipher at first glance due to its tiny type and cluttered layout. So, instead of straining your eyes to read those itty-bitty blocks of copy, let me blow a few of them up...because they've got to be seen to be believed.  Keep in mind, these ads were aimed squarely at children and teenagers. Look this stuff...and imagine you're a kid in 1966 with a few bucks to spend.  What would YOU buy?

Machettes? Hand & Leg Irons? CANNONS?

Now, alot of this stuff was well beyond what one kid could afford in 1966, but you'd be surprised how much money enterprising Baby Boomers could scrape together in no time flat! How many neighborhoods do you think pooled their resources together for their very own jeep, boat, airplane, or passenger bus?

Army weapons and vehicles not your style? Well, in another ad from the same comic book, the smart kids could spend $6.95 for their very own Atomic Energy Lab!

Truly an age of WONDERS (and cheap, readily-available cannons)!

Classic Ads: Who SAYS Comics Aren't Educational?

Back in the 1960's, whenever DC Comics had unsold ad spaces to fill, they would plug the gaps with various in-house features such as simple cartoon strips, hobby hints, or educational facts. 

In most cases, the educational factoids were interesting and memorable stuff...like when I learned the speed of light* from the "Flash Facts" feature of the super-speedster's solo title. In other cases, like this filler ad printed in Justice League of America #22 (1963), the information wasn't exactly stuff you were clamoring to know.

* 186,282 miles per second.

Classic Ads: Thrill! Amaze! Save a Dollar!

In the parallel universe of old comic book ads, huge muscles, deadly karate skills, hilarious pranks, and pet monkeys could instantly be yours for a dollar or less. Among these low-cost miracles was the amazing Hypno-Coin and its eerie power to thrill, amaze, and command those around you!

(click on the ad for a thrilling and amazing view)

 

Despite being one of the ugliest ads to ever appear in a comic book, the pitch clearly worked on someone...as page 20 of my copy of Thor #127 (1966) demonstrates:

Apparently, somebody was so anxious to Thrill and Amaze, he decided to save a buck and cut out the printed image of the Hypno-Coin. Unfortunately, he applied a bit too much pressure on his cutting blade and cut through the next two pages as well! Of course, Big Spendin' X-acto Boy never got the "FREE revealing booklet of secrets and instructions", so truly Thrilling and Amazing feats of hypnotism would never be his!

(serves him right for jacking up my Thor #127)

Classic Ads: Thanks For the Memories (and the Lesson in Comparative Religion)!

When it comes to the weighty matters of philosophy and theology, some of history's greatest thinkers come to mind: Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Martin Luther, and Bob Hope.

That's right, Bob Hope. Appearing in nearly every form of popular entertainment during the 20th century (including comic books), Hope was often referred to as "America's Entertainer". However, judging from this 1964 public service ad appearing in April issues of DC Comics, we should add "Philosopher" and "Comparative Religion Expert" to Hope's versatile resume (click on the ad for a larger view).

A couple of things to note:

1. Apparently, there actually was a Brotherhood Week sponsored by an organization known as The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) from the 1940's through the 1980's. However, I'm not sure if Bob Hope actually hosted a Brotherhood Week event...or if ten year-old kids actually attended such an event....or, if they did, actually used the word "swell" to describe it.

2. Observation: Kids who attend Bob Hope shows wear suits and ties. Kids who don't...and trip suit-wearing kids, wear jeans and windbreakers.

3. What were the odds a celebrity of Hope's magnitude could sneak up, ninja-like, behind windbreaker-lad?..and was I the only one to hear mysterious-sounding bamboo flute music when he appeared?

4. Bob Hope...always ready with a quip...and a large scroll comparing Golden Rule variations. The very quality that made him America's Entertainer!

5. Since Hope apparently believed in and promoted the Golden Rule, one can only assume that he preferred not to be helped off the ground if he was tripped by a bully, as his indifference toward the young (and obviously injured) tripping victim seems to imply.

6. "Get wise, son, and join the human race! Also, be sure to surround yourself with a harem of big-haired hotties for your early-1980's USO shows!"

"Do unto others as you would have Miss USA Judy Hyek, Cathy
Lee Crosby, Ann Jillian, and Brooke Shields do unto you!"

Classic Ads: Roller-Skates of Justice!

Following World War I, a gun manufacturer named the Winchester Repeating Arms Company decided to use its surplus production capacity to manufacture various consumer goods like refrigerators, kitchen knives, and....believe it or not...roller-skates!

 

It's hard to comprehend now, but these clunky slabs of metal were once promoted as a wondrous form of personal transportation, capable of granting the wearer "super speed"! 

Appearing in magazines since the early 1920's, ads for Winchester Roller Skates later made the jump to comic books through a recurring campaign starring Wings and Winnie Winchester. This brother-sister team constantly promoted the super-speed capabilities and civic value of their namesake roller skates. In fact, in November 1958 issues of DC Comics, Winchester roller skates were used by Wing and Winnie to "Bag a Thief"!  Sporting the standard flat cap and suit coat from the Joe Chill Criminal Collection, a purse-snatcher disrupts the peaceful suburban serenity (click on the panels for a larger view)...   

 

Attaboy, Wings!  Leave the womenfolk behind and chase that creep down! What'll Wings do when he catches up with him? A spinning axe kick to the jaw? Quickly reassemble the skates into a tiny Winchester firearm? What?

Sadly, cooler minds prevailed and Wings merely staked out the purse-snatcher's house until the cops showed up. With typical Wings Winchester modesty, he credits his skates for his impulsive and somewhat dangerous act of heroism!

Of course, those of us who grew up on dirt roads out in the country could never realize the universal dream of roller skate crime fighting. 

Also, is it just me, or does the criminal in the final panel look like a desperately-in-need-of-a-bathroom Leonard Nimoy? Okay, that was a cheap shot...but with the new Star Trek movie hitting Friday, you can't blame a guy for doing a little preemptive Google-baiting.

Classic Ads: Stuck on Stick-Ons!

As an enthusiastic new fan of comics in the early-to-mid 1970's, my fascination for superheroes extended beyond the comics themselves and into a dizzying array of merchandise sporting their image. Some of my favorite products at the time were Mego action figures, Slurpee Cups, t-shirts, and superhero bubblegum stickers.  However, as cool as that stuff was, there was an ad for a product that seemed to put them all to shame: Marvel-Hero Stick-Ons!

I craved those giant stickers like nothing else!  I just had to paste them on my walls, doors, notebooks, lampshades, lunchbox, or whatver!  Trouble is, my mom took one look at the ad and gave me the instant "thumbs down", reasoning (correctly) that the stickers would probably be murder to get off the walls. Of course, I was dumbfounded she couldn't see the awesome possibilities of affixing giant Marvel superheroes to the walls of our home (the nerve!)....but I got over it.  

Still...I wonder if anyone else's mom actually did let them order this set of stick-ons from "Our Way Studios".  Any fellow old-timers like me out there who had the Marvel (or DC) Hero Stick-Ons?...or even saw what they looked like on someone else's wall?  Were they anywhere as cool as the ad implied...or did they just limply peel off in a matter of hours?