Back in 2011, when this blog was a mere whippersnapper, fellow SuperStuff co-scrivener and lifetime chum Nigel Brown did a deep dive on how advertising in Batman comics had evolved from the 1940s. You can read his article here. Nigel does a run-down on the types of ads to be found within the pages of that great comic. Some products appeared consistently over the decades and generations (e.g. Daisy Air Rifles, Charles Atlas bodybuilding), while others were fads of a single year (Easy Bake Toy Oven).
Imagine my delight when I was made aware of a book called Mail-Order Mysteries, which arrived in the post over the weekend, which evaluates the reality behind the ads of comics from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Remember that full-size army tank? Or the Polaris submarine that only cost $6.98? Stuck in the UK, I could only imagine the great toys that American kids were able to buy through the pages of my favourite comics.
Mail-Order Mysteries is the work of Kirk Demarais. It was published around 15 years ago, and copies on eBay are fetching a premium. But it was worth it to learn the secrets behind the ads, and sympathise with the disappointment felt by each kid as buyer's remorse set in.
Go on - you owe it to yourself to snag a copy!
I may well treat myself to this book, even though I have no illusions about the 'quality' of those toys. A number of years ago I bought a pair of X-Ray Gogs (which were X-Ray Specs in all but name) and they were mildly disappointing. I say 'mildly' because, as an adult, I had no high expectations of them to begin with. Although if I'd been 10, my disappointment would have been immense.
ReplyDeleteThe book's a lot of fun, Kid, to just dip into it from time to time to read a page or two. Thanks for the feedback on the X-Ray Gogs. Looks like I dodged a bullet there. Like you, I'd have been mightily disappointed with the results.
DeleteI managed to get the book from e*ay for less than $40. There are a limited number of copies for sale priced in that region. Looks like it was $19.95 when it first came out.