ANTI BULLYING AD - 1966

Some of you may remember ads like this cropping up in boys comics such as Rover, Tiger and so on, back in the 60's. They always depicted men rather than boys in them - another one for example was the body building ads for Bullworker. I think they were trying to make sure us boys grew up big and strong so we were able to defend ourselves when the occasion arose.

This one above is dated 1966 and was for a variety of books containing different courses to try out - things like Ju Jitsu, Self Defence, Karate, and a few others in that territory.

However, there are also a couple of courses in there that has got me wondering how they can help you when you are being bullied - books on Stamps and Typing?!!

Then again, I suppose if you chucked your Olivetti typewriter at your assailants noggin, it could do a bit of damage!!

FREE GIFTS FOR KIDS - 60'S & 70'S

Youngsters do like to get their grubby mitts on free stuff.

Here's how us school kids got some of ours back in the 60's & 70's - as gifts in comics.

I'm sure you'll remember some of the ones shown above.

The Super Skimmer and the Wiz Whizz were the same thing, only different names, but they were plastic rotor blade wheels that used either lollipop sticks or elastic bands to get them spinning off into the air.

Toys that made noises were popular.

The Red Racketty was on a length of line and spun around over your head, the toy emitting a rasping buzzing noise in the process.

Thunder Bangs were great - just a swift downwards swipe to set off the loud bang.

I remember we made Thunder Bangs as part of crafts in Primary.

Then there was the Pop Gun of course, with its plastic plug to get the popping noise.

Balloons were also used for their sounds, coming in all shapes & sizes & names, fitted with plastic valves that made the balloons rasp when let fly around in the air.

As well as the Beezers Flying Fizzer above, the Beano also had the Flying Snorter and the Screamin' Demon.

There were whistles too - the Whoopee Whistle and the Happy Howler that made siren noises.

An annoying one was a toy called the Clicketty Clicker which was a hollow metal object with the image of Dennis The Menace on it, and when pressed in & out, made the clicking sound. Not a fave with parents!

The Whizzer & Chips was already 2 comics for the price of 1, but they also gave away free stuff, the one above being for a Flick Book.

Again, we used to do our own versions of flick books by drawing wee animations on the corners of our jotters.

Many of the gifts that were specifically for girls were adornment based items, while the boys were catered for in other comics with football related freebies.

So there's just a small selection of stuff we got for free when we were kids, generating lots of mucking about in the playground and at home.

THE Q-BIKES! - 1966

Who better to get a 60's school kid in the mood for going out cycling, than the Q-Bikes.
This gang of cycling do-gooders, drawn by Andy Hutton, first appeared in the Beano in 1963. Each week the team would get up to all sorts of adventures which would always result in them either rescuing people in distress or catching villains!
They also looked pretty cool, dressed way ahead of their time, wearing helmets with built-in headsets!
The above image comes from an old Beano I have from June 1966, just as they start a new series. The gang are introduced and take the opportunity to give a couple of safety tips while they're at it. In this particular episode, the Q-Bikes went on to capture a pickpocket who was operating on Blackpool beach. Cycling on sand - now that's impressive!
In 1969, however, they ditched their bikes and became the Q-Karts!
So I'm gonna take my cue (Q) from that, and bring this little 60's cycle run to a close.

PHIL LYNOTT & DENNIS THE MENACE - 1982

Thin Lizzy front-man, Phil Lynott, was a big fan of comics when he was a school kid, with Dennis The Menace a particular favourite.
When the band were playing in Dundee, Phil was wearing a Dennis The Menace top during their sound-check and was approached by a young local lass who told him it was her father who drew Dennis The Menace for the Beano.
Phil gave her a bundle of Thin Lizzy t-shirts, badges and so on, then told her to ask her father if he could do the band a drawing.
Sure enough, his request was fulfilled when a Dennis The Menace cartoon arrived through the post.
The photo is of Phil showing the cartoon which has Dennis & Gnasher holding a large scarf with Thin Lizzy on it.
And Phil's pet dog was also called Gnasher..!!

DAVID BOWIE & DENNIS THE MENACE - 1973

In October 1973, Top Of The Pops celebrated their 500th episode, which was an hour-long special.

They had 4 DJ's present it, had special guests and so on, making it a bit different from their usual half hour weekly show.

At the time, David Bowie's "Laughing Gnome" had been re-released and made it into the top 10.

For this episode, they didn't have Bowie make a studio appearance but instead, BBC commissioned a promo film to accompany the track.

So on the night, it was the Laughing Gnome film they broadcast.

Bowie doesn't appear in the film either but an actor looking like a cross between Aladdin Sane & Marcel Marceau, was the main character, along with animated gnomes.

There is a short scene in it where a gnome is reading the Beano, with Dennis The Menace the page displayed on screen.

Only around half a dozen clips from this TOTP episode survived, but luckily, The Laughing Gnome film was one of them.

That's the background story - and the images above are...

The credit caption at the end of the programme confirming the screening of the David Bowie film.

2 images from the film with gnome holding the Beano.

I managed to track down the exact issue of the Beano, so have put the page up in full.

Click images to enlarge.

OINK COMIC - ISSUE 1

Oink hit the shelves in 1986, and although the comic was aimed at youngsters, the rebellious humour of it's content soon had it become a favourite read of student types and the like. It's not surprising Oink grabbed the attention of an older crowd because it was put together by a team of UK's top comedy writers.

Some of those who contributed material were my colleagues from Private Eye, cartoonists - Banx, Clive Collins (Phil Collins brother), Tony Husband and Haldane.

Another contributor was well known BBC DJ and ex member of The Fall, Marc Riley.

TV satirist, Charlie Brooker also had a stint on the comic.

I'll refrain from mentioning them all, but one final Oink associate, Kev F Sutherland, later went on to work for the Beano.

As you can see above, the first issue of the comic had a free flexi-disc - 2 tracks, "The Oink Song" by The Oinklettes and "Oink Rap" by Uncle Pigg.

I remember John Peel was a fan of Oink and used to discuss it on his radio show. Issue 1 actually has a colour poster of "Bacon Stevens" accompanied by an interview by John Potatopeel!

Another amusing music item inside is a sexy sketch of blond bombshell, Hamantha Fox!

Unfortunately, there are no references to Dundee band, Pigs Are Cute..!!

VIZ COMIC - ISSUE 1

Most of us were brought up on DC Thomson comics as kids - the Beano, Dandy, Topper, Beezer etc. However, we also reached the stage when we all grew out of them. This is where Viz stepped in, giving the older teenager/young adult something to giggle at with it's mix of crude & clever material.
I suppose not many of you have seen the rare 1st issue of Viz though (above). Looking more like a fanzine than a fully-fledged comic, it came out in December 1979. Only 150 were printed, and all sold out in one night at a punk gig in a pub in Newcastle.
Issue 1 began as a "Bumper Christmas Special", which is a good wee joke in itself, but another good laugh is that it cost 20p...30p for students!
As you can see on the cover, there is also a nod to the Beano, with Billy Whizz having a speedy look through the comic and appearing to be very impressed with it.
The Dundee seal of approval..!!
Click image to read full size version.

MUSIC CELEBS WITH DCT MAGS #1

A wee bit of fun now as I indulge in a short, quirky sequence featuring famous music biz personalities photographed reading DC Thomson publications.
Starting with this LP released in 1966, the John Mayall Blues Breakers album which has Eric Clapton reading a well known Dundee comic on the cover. The image has become so iconic, that the record has since become known as "The Beano Album".
Although it's quite an amusing sight, the album itself is seriously considered to be one of the most influential LP's in rock history because it spotlights for the very first time, the sound of a Gibson Les Paul being powered through a Marshall amp. A phenomenon which itself eventually became a bit of a cliche in rock music and was comically parodied in Spinal Tap...remember..."the numbers all go to 11"

DESPERATE DAN x STEELY DAN - 1974

The sight of 2 well known Dans teaming up together for an advert, cropped up in the national music press in March 1974.
Yes it's Dundee's Desperate Dan carrying an album by U.S.A.'s Steely Dan.
It could be interpreted as Dan stealing the LP, giving it a visual pun (stealy Dan), especially as it may also be a rogue Dan (bolts in the neck?!).
Anyway, it's quite amusing, and I remember buying Pretzel Logic too.
If I incorporate a 3rd Dan onto the scene, Dundee's Danny Wilson, some of you will know that they were somewhat inspired by Steely Dan's music.
In fact, they even released an EP in the late 80's which gave a bit of a nod to Pretzel Logic - cheekily calling it Strepzil Logic!

BOOKS FOR GIRLS - CHRISTMAS 1973

This advert for DC Thomson products appeared in the Sunday Post on 16th December 1973.
The four 1974 annuals are - DIANA - BUNTY - MANDY - JUDY.
And I didn't get any of these in my stocking that Christmas!

DC THOMSON - KINGSWAY - 1974

This is DC Thomson's retouching department based in Kingsway. Picture taken in 1974.

They worked on the negatives as part of the pre-printing preparations.

The guy in the photo is working on a page called "Linda of Nursery Rhyme Land" which I think may be for Bimbo.

Needless to say, nowadays it's all done on computer rather than by hand.

Photo by JDG.

DC THOMSON PUBLICATIONS - 1966

Here is the entire list of weekly magazines, papers & comics published by DC Thomson in 1966. The above info also includes their issue day and price.
The comics and mags listed are as follows - BEANO - BEEZER - BIMBO - BUNTY - DANDY - DIANA - FAMILY STAR - HORNET - HOTSPUR - JACKIE - JUDY - MY WEEKLY - PEOPLE'S FRIEND - RED LETTER - RED STAR WEEKLY - ROMEO - ROVER & WIZARD - SECRETS - SPARKY - THE TOPPER - VICTOR.
A mixture of fun for the kids, romance for the females and a little something for the parents.
Below is a rare, if short, piece of footage from the same year, showing covers and artwork from some of the publications on the list.

KIDS TRANSFERS IN THE 60'S

Another quirky little item I can remember from 60's childhood is transfers. I don't recall ever buying them from shops, they just seemed to be items I got "free". I got them out of comics and from the rag man who used to drive his van around Dundee's housing schemes for jumble. There were usually around 10 transfers on a sheet of paper and what you did was, cut out one of the images, wet your arm or back of hand (usually by licking), place the transfer onto the wet patch, hold into position for about a minute then peel off the back paper to reveal the image on your body like a tattoo. They were usually pictures of rockets, birds of prey, sportsmen and soldiers. The transfer above is an original unused one from the 60's which was too precious to waste my saliva on!

BEANO'S TEASER TIME - 1960'S

Even at primary school age, I was always interested in all things arty, whether it be a visit to Dundee Museum's galleries, or a wee read of the Dundee comics. One of the highlights as a school kid was to be found in the Beano. It was called "Teaser Time" and it featured puzzles & word games sent in by readers around UK. The section I looked forward to most was the "Strange Object", a simple optical illusion graphic you had to solve.
You can give the one above a go before moving onto some more examples below that I recall from the mid 60's.