There are several reasons for promotional comics. Some obvious, some not so. Most obvious is brainwashing of young minds. Studies show the nefarious concept of "branding" starts at a shockingly young age, and once hooked the fish is in the boat. A four-year old McDonald's fan has a good chance of being a fifty-year old McDonald's fan if blood clots and high cholesterol don't interfere.
Other uses are to sway young opinion. Nuclear power is fun and safe, Levi's are the only real rough and tough cowboy jeans, Remington BB-Guns let you kill small animals just like Dad kills big ones. but "B-B SAFE"
Also prominent is what I call the "STFU" factor. That's right, they are able to keep kids quiet on long trips. Hence crappy things like "Special Agent" above, a story which will keep junior occupied for that long rail haul through Texas (while he reads exciting tales of railroad cops tossing hobos off trains) The most common are probably Big-Boy, which are seemingly even more common than a pack of antacids on a trip across Route 66.
Shoe companies also seemed to be big users of promotional comics. I really don't know why, but there are tons of them. Crapass "Blue Bird Comics" put out this transparent rip-off of Caspar the Friendly Ghost they called Timmy the Timid Ghost. The funniest is certainly the fake "Archie" here for Taste-Freez...My God, could the blatant theft be any more apparent?. A fake Archie, a fake Reggie, a fake Bettie and a fake Jalopy! Plus a fake "extra guy" poorly rendered who probably gets killed off early in the story. Are these colorful propaganda pulps worth anything?
Nope, and they never were.
Except for THIS one. COOL!
Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books Available for Ordering HERE
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I just got a Smokey the Bear one a few years ago at the county fair.
ReplyDeleteI do remember having a lot of these, but they've all been tossed a long time ago.Now I'd happily give up one of my old Richie Rich's for some of these things.