Comments on: ADS FROM THE COMIC BOOKS

ADS FROM THE COMIC BOOKS

crunchland — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 06:45:19 -0800

SUPER MARKETING: ADS FROM THE COMIC BOOKS
"A look at some of the best, most-memorable, and most-audacious ads from American comic books."

By: jonmc

jonmc — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 06:57:39 -0800

This one is rather unfortunate, in retrospect.

By: ursus_comiter

ursus_comiter — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 07:08:53 -0800

I got the Army Men when I was a kid. Naif that I was, I was expecting ARMY MEN! Well, I got 'em. Sorta. The ones from the comic had clearly volunteered for some bizarre experiment involving 2nd dimensional space. They are scaled as tall as regular army men, but they were WAFER THIN! I suppose that presents an advantage when storming a bunker, but...

By: crunchland

crunchland — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 07:13:54 -0800

You can probably still get all the things listed in those ads and more, from the venerable Johnson Smith Catalog company.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 07:27:05 -0800

I remember the Sea Monkeys. I so wanted some. Recently I saw some in a candy store. One of these days I'm going to get me some. 'Cause in the cartoon they look pretty amazing.

By: Robot Johnny

Robot Johnny — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 07:37:51 -0800

I just posted something similar at my own site just the other day.

By: ahimsakid

ahimsakid — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 07:42:37 -0800

Ah Sea Monkeys . . . I was always afraid to order them; I didn't want them looking out at me with their humanoid faces.

By: whtsherbkt

whtsherbkt — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 08:13:22 -0800

I had friends who bought the Sea Monkeys. It was rather disappointing to watch the brine shrimp swimming about the little plastic tank. They didn't even wave.

By: dabitch

dabitch — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 08:22:01 -0800

orange swan, they are so boring, though they make a great conversation piece. Oh, and they do follow the beam of small flashlight if you darken the room. :))

By: Robot Johnny

Robot Johnny — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 08:30:41 -0800

I once spilled my friend's Sea Monkeys all over her desk. It was a horrible case of accidental mass genocide.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 08:48:21 -0800

Did you have a small grill and some batter handy?

By: Fupped Duck

Fupped Duck — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 09:19:22 -0800

I still wanna believe the polaris submarine is the real deal

By: SisterHavana

SisterHavana — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 09:35:13 -0800

I had the Sea Monkeys way back when. Those ads make them out to be way, way more entertaining than they are. What a disappointment! Great site. I remember many of those ads from the Archie comic books I used to read. I think I actually ordered the Johnson Smith catalog once. : )

By: tommasz

tommasz — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 10:04:55 -0800

I remember them selling spider monkeys, too. But my mom wouldn't even consider it. I shudder to think what would have happened had she said "yes".

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 10:05:47 -0800

Boy those pages bring it all back - I was just transported back to the barbershop on a saturday morning, thumbing through some comics while waiting for my daddy to have his haircut. I always wanted one of these but my mom was having none of it. Everything in those comic book ads looked so exciting and mysterious!

By: Shane

Shane — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 10:39:24 -0800

I got the Army Men when I was a kid. I got those too, ursus. I knew it was too good to be true, but I had to give it a shot. I mean, imagine how bad Scotty Marshall's army was GOIN' DOWN! ...when I would pull out 100 extra reserve soldiers an' tanks from a secret bunker! But these guys? They must have done too much time in a stalag. Skin-n-bones, I tellya. Whatta letdown... The cardboard footlocker was okay, though.

By: jonson

jonson — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 10:40:24 -0800

I like Basketball, but who is the "ernie d" whose autograph is on par with Dr. J, Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry in this ad?

By: crunchland

crunchland — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 10:48:53 -0800

I don't know basketball for shit, but google tells me that Ernie D is Ernie DiGregorio.

By: kavasa

kavasa — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 11:48:48 -0800

Fucking brilliant, I love. Thanks for FPPing it. Some of my favorites were "IRRITATED EYELIDES?" (what?), the Lee family clad all in denim and fighting off a forest fire with their jackets, and of course, the seamonkeys. I'd rather not imagine the puppymills that produced the "miniature dogs" though, nor the reality of shipping dogs hither and yon.

By: dr_dank

dr_dank — Fri, 26 Sep 2003 20:45:35 -0800

Damn, many of the return addresses for these offers are here on Long Island. Who knew that the place of my birth built itself on the shattered dreams of comic book reading boys?