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| Copyright MARVEL COMICS & respective owners |
Presenting yet another bold batch of MARVEL covers from various British publications over the years, including humour, nursery and adventure titles. They pretty much speak for themselves so I'll spare you all my tedious prattle and let you get straight into them.
Considerate or what?
Those covers of Story Land Nos 1 and 2 are definitely remakes of illustrations or maybe even covers of Once Upon A Time magazines of the early 70s.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Irmy. I'd forgotten the name, but even back then it was obvious that cover & contents were probably reprints from another time, another title. The whole mag looked incredibly dated. (Which I liked, actually.)
ReplyDeleteInteresting Top Cat comics. Around that time, I hard even knew about him at all as I never saw the show regularly until it was on Cartoon Network in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteNoticed around the time those mags were in print, T.C. and the gang were seen in commercials for the Royal Bank of Scotland. You probably have seen/heard of those before but in case anyone hasn't...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77GTs1Hqi4o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA6R29gBL44
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP8J0AKB39o
Not knowing much about these, I sorta wonder how the Brer Rabbit story is told/adapted in "Story Land". The illustration on the one cover looks so appealing to me!
Seeing the Rupert covers reminded me how much America never warmed up at all to him. The first and only time I ever knew of him was for the Paul McCartney animated film that did get a lot of airplay over here (no doubt his name alone sealed the deal). The comics/stories alone were never published locally so I never really had him in my childhood, though I'm sure some in the 90's did through the animated series from Nelvana.
I've got an RBS poster from the time, Chris, with Top Cat on it. When he was advertised on TV and in TV listings in Britain, he was called Boss Cat because there was a cat food called Top Cat and the TV channel (and magazines) didn't want to advertise it. The programme itself remained unchanged 'though. Thanks for the links.
ReplyDeleteThe Story Land mags are tucked away again, so I can't look to see what the Brer Rabbit stories are like at the moment, Chris. Next time, maybe.
As for Rupert Bear, he's a distinctly British institution that probably doesn't travel too well.
I've got an RBS poster from the time, Chris, with Top Cat on it. When he was advertised on TV and in TV listings in Britain, he was called Boss Cat because there was a cat food called Top Cat and the TV channel (and magazines) didn't want to advertise it. The programme itself remained unchanged 'though. Thanks for the links.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about that Kid. Glad he can be called that nowadays over there.
The Story Land mags are tucked away again, so I can't look to see what the Brer Rabbit stories are like at the moment, Chris. Next time, maybe.
That's OK, you can take your time. I just have a thing for stories with animals like that.
As for Rupert Bear, he's a distinctly British institution that probably doesn't travel too well.
Much in the same way the classic American comic book series Archie, hasn't for you guys, at least I often hear the best anyone ever knew of those guys was either seeing the cartoons from the 70's or having listened to "Sugar Sugar" on the radio.
Talking of Sugar Sugar, I have Sugar Puffs Honey Monster's version of the song from the '70s. I did see Archie comics when I was a kid, but can no longer recall if I ever actually read any.
ReplyDeleteI loved Boss Cat - oops, I mean Top Cat - but did you know ,Kid, that TC and his gang were based on Sgt. Bilko ? Benny The Ball was even voiced by the same actor who played Doberman in the Bilko show. Amazingly, Top Cat was originally broadcast for just one season from 1961-62.
ReplyDeleteYup, knew all that, CJ. TC was voiced by Arnold Stang, who was Arnold Schwarzenegger's sidekick in Hercules In new York.
ReplyDeleteTalking of Sugar Sugar, I have Sugar Puffs Honey Monster's version of the song from the '70s.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of him before, though since Wiki has that info, I can at least be up to speed there! I see just like the US, they switched over from "Sugar" to "Honey" in the name. Many cereals over here use to had "Sugar" in the title until the 90's yet I still call it "Post Sugar Crisp", not "Super Golden Crisp as they want to use (although the Canadian version of that cereal is still called Sugar Crisp anyway).
I did see Archie comics when I was a kid, but can no longer recall if I ever actually read any.
The stories were rather predictable anyway, though I often say the 60's and 70's was the true peak of those comics (having many of those issues in my collection). Anything drawn by Dan DeCarlo is tops, no matter how much the company wants to whitewash him from memory.
Yup, knew all that, CJ. TC was voiced by Arnold Stang, who was Arnold Schwarzenegger's sidekick in Hercules In new York.
Recall him in a bit part of a gas station attendee in "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Many Americans also remember him as the voice of the titular brave mouse Herman in the Herman & Katnip cartoons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulORixwqAos
No Honey Monster in America, Chris? Ooh, the deprivation! There used to be a cereal called Sugar Smacks by Kellogg's, which was the exact same as Sugar Puffs. I don't think it's made anymore.
ReplyDeleteArchie must have had something going for him, I suppose, otherwise he wouldn't have lasted so long.
I remember seeing Arnold Stang in quite a few things, so he had a fairly good career. He died around 2009, I think.
Thanks for the link.
No Honey Monster in America, Chris? Ooh, the deprivation!
ReplyDeleteWell, on the plus side, we did have Cap'n Crunch over here (also put out by Quaker Oats), that has had quite a history for a cereal that is often know to tear the roof of your mouth a lot (the classic animated commercials by Jay Ward Productions saved it for a long time).
http://dai.ly/xw3wry
Incidentally, here's one of the first Post Sugar Crisp commercials from 1949! Looks pretty limited by today's standards, but I dig the tune!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beOZTE5Nf7s
There used to be a cereal called Sugar Smacks by Kellogg's, which was the exact same as Sugar Puffs. I don't think it's made anymore.
Yes it is, it's called "Honey Smacks" though for a while they wanted to simply call it "Smacks".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_Smacks
By the way, I noticed while at a supermarket today boxes of Cocoa Krispies (I guess where you are, these are "Coco Pops"). For years, we only ever seen the usual Rice Krispies elves promote this cereal at all except for one moment in the early 90's when they tested Coco the Monkey. I enjoyed those ads (though I'm sure some of them were merely ported over from the UK versions) but I guess it didn't tested well after a couple years and he was gone. Still it was a nice try if they had wanted to globally market the little guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhWH6xHKUJg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNI3QFDoG2M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsrpS-LsR00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGdNKDC88B4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG_EmZgUCi0
Archie must have had something going for him, I suppose, otherwise he wouldn't have lasted so long.
Well, they try to keep those guys relevant every generation or so. Latest entries include a token gay character (and for years I always expected Jughead to come out) and even alternate universes where Archie gets killed (you know, edgy).
In the U.K., Chris, Sugar Smacks are now called Puffa Wheats, and are only available in Poundland stores and some other Pound shops. Or at least, they used to be - I'm not sure if they still are.
ReplyDeleteI've got a few Archie comics, but they're from the '90s, I think.
Right, I'm off to look at those links.
Update: I checked in Poundland, Chris - they're now called Honey Pops. Wonder what they'll be called a few months down the line?
Is it through the same company? I usually check the fine print on the side.
ReplyDeleteThough we don't have "Poundland" in the states, one store of similar notoriety is "Dollar Tree".
http://www.dollartree.com/
They don't usually sell too many name-brand items (outside their "Greenbrier International" crap) there are one or two things that come up like Pepsodent toothpaste or this toaster pastry from the past I didn't know was even around called "Toast'em" (I thought it was a generic brand but they apparently had been at this as long as Pop Tarts). Here's an old animated commercial for them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPQezhMpjOY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oeg7RN1M3bU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y3pmBnbstQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oeg7RN1M3bU
Well, it says Kellogg's Honey Pops on the box, Chris, so presumably Kellogg's produce them mainly for discount stores. Either that, or the big stores simply don't order them. Think I'll buy a box of them next time I'm in.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... Honey Pops sounds very familiar to what we have over here as "Corn Pops" (originally "Sugar Pops").
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_Pops (according to this, they were once sold as "Corn Pops" in the UK during the 90's)
This one use to had a long-running campaign in the 80's and 90's where kids (mostly teens) had this craving for the cereal set to the theme from JAWS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65zAlOpXEy0
They'll always be Sugar Smacks to me, Chris. In the same way that Snickers bars are Marathons and M&Ms are Treets.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Mars, I found a place that had imported Mars bars from Poland. I bought one but hadn't opened it (I've read though it's the same as our Milky Way bars and I'm not nutty about them anyway). I guess it's a weird habit I have of saving whole candy items in their original packages. There was a Mars bar once sold in the US but it was much different from the one you know by heart. It's got a pretty interesting history to say the least (let alone how many different brands Mars puts out that were given different names across the pond).
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars,_Incorporated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw2s650e3nI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_(chocolate_bar)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxfsdkneYBA
I remember Bob Paynter, the IPC humour dept. group editor, bringing back a stash of chocolate bars from America or Canada in the mid-'80s. Mars Bars were like British Milky Ways, Milky Ways were different from ours (as they were then, the recipe has changed since), and there was a bar called Snickers that was the same as our Marathon, which changed its name to Snickers a few years later. I'll have a wee look at these links when I get a spare moment, Chris. Ta.
ReplyDeleteThe only one I ever liked (aside from M&M's) is 3 Musketeers. Just a plain, soft bar I could nibble on. I could never over the use of nuts and caramel in the others.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Musketeers_(chocolate_bar)
I'll eat just about any kind of chocolate - with a few exceptions. H'mm, now I'm hungry.
ReplyDeleteCheers Kidda, this is the post I was looking for!
ReplyDelete😁
Nae bother, JP.
ReplyDelete