Anyone out there with memories of sending a joke to a comic?

[toxteth o'grady]

Anyone out there with memories of sending a joke/letter to a comic (particularly Buzz comic/DC Thomson) and having it printed? I ask as when I was reading the 'Postman Knox' pages in Buzz comic for the website I noticed early on that a lot of jokes were being repeated (and like any good anorak started to document them...). I have just updated the 'Postman Knox page' (http://home.btconnect.com/thetopper/postmanknox.htm) with examples, and wonder if anyone can shed any light on whether repitition was down to plagiarism, coincidence, or staff writing the jokes and inventing the contributors.

[Muffy]

I had 2 different letters published.
My brother did have a joke published in a 1981 issue of Whoopee and got a bit of money and a t-shirt, so nice to still have the issues.

[Kremmen]

In 1973, I sent some jokes to The Hotspur, which I'd copied from Whizzer & Chips (!) About six weeks later the postie delivered a parcel to me, and I didn't know what it was as I wasn't expecting something. 'Twas the prize I'd requested - swimming gear. My little brother decided he wanted in, and I was pressurised into writing off again to The Hotspur, but in his name this time! The same little sod who always bragged that he was cleverer than me couldn't, wouldn't go to the effort of writing for himself. Anyway, six weeks later, "his" jokes appeared in The Hotspur, and his prize - a £1 postal order - came. But guess what? I got a Hotspur pen, he didn't. Guess who had to write asking for a pen? I didn't dare try writing to the Hotspur ever again because they'd probably have thought I was trying it on by writing in two different names and recognising my handwriting.

[karl]

had a joke published in 'lion'. still have the copy with gadgetman and gimmick kid on the cover.
won a copy of huckleberry finn for my efforts
what a great feeling to see your joke in a comic at that time
probably means very little now

[Digifiend]

Most comics probably don't even have jokes pages any more, and if they do, they probably aren't reader submitted - even The Beano's aren't, they run uncredited so presumably staff written jokes at the bottom of some pages.