Use to be a time, like when comics were cheap and plentiful, that there were a slew of comic book characters that were the property of various companies, government agencies, and others with a “thing” they had to push.
They were a sort of Legion of Corporate and / or Government Avengers, Mascots & Spokes Critters… If you will, they however never got to have a team-up….
Now they can, well…. At least here is a listing of some of those characters.
The first one (yeah I'm as surprised as you, I thought it would be Smokey Bear) First saw the light of day on March 11, 1926! I wonder if he knows Jenny Sparks?
Before Smokey Bear Bambi here was the spokesmodel for the the Forest Department, the FD however didn't like having to shell out the big bucks to the House of the Mouse for the image so they started looking for their own.
By the way did you know that when the character first appeared in book form Bambi was NOT aimed at kids, but was sort of like Watership Down and a book about talking animals aimed at adults. That darn Dizney.
And then there was Smokey Bear, which by the way according to the the Forest Department is Smokey Bear not Smokey the Bear.
Used by the NFPA for a couple of years, but they were never really happy with him, he being an idiot and all, so taking a cue from the Forest Department they went looking for their own.
There you go.
Pretty big deal being the corporate face (so to speak) of the U.S. Army, but Sgt. Rodd was, and created by Will Eisner too!
Featured in PS: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly for so many years. Still is really, but she has been toned down so much since the 70s that it hardly counts.
He was there as well.... but not many people really noticed him what with Connie almost always being on the cover with him.
I know nothing at all about this comic, however it seems that these milk hawking corporation critters not only had a comic for a very short while, it also seems it was just a regular comic and not a "buy milk NOW" sort of thing. The 50s, go figure.
There’s something a little sad, and a lot annoying about the Big Boy, parodied as the Lard Lad on the Simpsons, it’s hard not to want to slap the needy little gremlin, I mean most Corporation Characters, or Corp Chars (“that’s mine and I want a quarter every time somebody uses it!” – J. Jonah Jameson) are a little on the shallow said, but Big Boy seems to abuse that privilege. He’s sort of the Snapper Carr of mascots I guess. Oh well.... I guess the Legion needs somebody to got for coffee and burgers (what else would he bring back?) and clean up the H. Q. after the latest adventure.
He had good strong teeth.
15 cents? Really 15 cents for 16 pages around these two clowns trying to sell your dad a Fram air filter when you could get a 34 page Tales From the Crypt at the same time and have a nickle left over for candy. No wonder these two didn't last long.
Appeared in hundreds of one page and half page ads for Tootsie Rolls chocolate candy in the 40s and 50s, as well as, oddly enough, in two issues of a comic where he was a Flash Gordon like space hero.
How have the mighty fallen, from iconic early Hard Boiled detective to mostly being seen hawking Wild Root Hair Tonic!
Secret origin... she was bitten by a radioactive tupperwere bowl.
Also of note, there is a character in this book that looks just like Lois Lane it having been drawn by her main artist in the 50's and early 60's.
There were so many things like this that made use of non-corp created character, bending such characters as Dagwood & Blondie, Rex Morgan M.D. and others so they could `teach the kids a lession'. These however were nothing compaired to the embarrassment that would be laid on Superman, Spider-Man and Batman in the 70s with the coming of the Hostess Fruit Pie ads in the 70s.
Two amazingly out of touch with life as she is lived double entendre ridden bombs of concentrated unintentionally funny images
Why they didn't put in a character called Captain Don't Ask, Don't Tell is beyond me.
Go eat some bread right now, RIGHT NOW, you wouldn't like her when she's angry.
Dare America learn the "secrets of roller skating!"
What the world needs now are more Science Heroes in sweater vests!
Today the comic would be about the Jinn of Aluminum I guess.
Commie
I wonder if she and Reddy Kilowatt ever dated?
Worst team-up ever? Willing Water and Reddie Kilowat.
If Smokey Bear were Superman, Woodsy would be Batman.
A 19 page comic given away to farmers they were trying to sell a new type of milking machine too. Looks a little like the Little Toaster who could... wonder if they are related?
He lives for you to crack him open and eat his insides, and he's happy about that.
The son of Orangeman & Orangewoman perhaps?
Immortal Jack in a Box who for some reason is named Jo-Joy. Spent 9 years hawking toys for a now defunct department store.
