Best ever free gift in comic

[wilsia]

Now free gifts in comics are a regular if not a permanent feature but as child of the 70s free gifts used to be a special event. Does anyone have a special memory of their favourite.

I loved the orange cloop that came wth Cor! no.1 and a cardboard skelton that came with Knockout No.3 (I think). Also loved the bangers that Dandy used to present to its readers,

Interesting fact I dont ever recall a free gift in TV Comic.

[Digifiend]

The Beano had those bangers too.

The ProFlix flip books given away with the last four Beanos are good. The best free gift they've had in years in fact. My mum even said she remembered such things from her childhood (the 60s and 70s).

[Steve Henderson]

Rasher Badge, Beano, valentine issue, 1993

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

'glow-in the dark' dancing skeleton from IPC circa 1969/70......WHIZZER and CHIPS, possibly? Anyone else remember this one?

but it could well have been KNOCKOUT, as you remember, wilsia.


I also remember a pretty good late 60s TOPPER free gift: this consisted of a batch of small celuloid cels...[very much like those used in hand-drawn animation, only smaller] that were interchangeable, so you could make up lots of different composite cartoon faces....a classy gift in it's day.

[STARBOY]

I remember the Dancing Skeleton well (I think I have one of those pink insert pages in another comic showing it) not sure which comic it was in, but Whizzer and Chips rings a bell (will try look it out) - My favourite free gift was the Hulk transfer in Mighty World of Marvel no1 (1972) I also remember as a kid one of the Odhams titles (Wham?) giving away a free gift of "stick on" scars - also recall a leaping frog in the Beezer that I liked and Thunder gave away a bat - and a kangeroo (or am I losing it here??- (the Bat being a Von Hoffman tie in possibly?) of course free sweets in the 60s early 70s were alsays welcome as well to us. I loved the free footy ladders and footbal cards IPC gave away still have a few in my loft - Marvel UK, for a time used to give away totally unrleated gifts in the late 70s of small clip together aeroplance (Boing 747s etc not ever spitfires )for some reason , although by then I was to old to bother either way I though younger kids would feel short changed with those gifts.

[Lew Stringer]

I remember the Dancing Skeleton well (I think I have one of those pink insert pages in another comic showing it) not sure which comic it was in, but Whizzer and Chips rings a bell (will try look it out) -

It was free in Knockout.

My favourite free gift was the Hulk transfer in Mighty World of Marvel no1 (1972) I also remember as a kid one of the Odhams titles (Wham?) giving away a free gift of "stick on" scars -

They were in Fantastic No.2:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_448y6kVhntg/R ... covers.jpg

also recall a leaping frog in the Beezer that I liked and Thunder gave away a bat - and a kangeroo (or am I losing it here??- (the Bat being a Von Hoffman tie in possibly?)

Kangaroo in Thunder 1, bat in No.2.

Sorry for the brief reply. Fighting off bug at present. I have loads of 1960s/70s free gifts and when I have time to photograph them I'll do a blog entry on them.

Lew

[STARBOY]

Thanks for that Lew, and the links to Fantastic (brought it all back) hope you feel better soon.

[Lew Stringer]

Thanks SB. Ah, the days when a kid could wear a free gift that looked like he was into self-harm. We'll never see their like again.

(I actually DID wear those fake scars to school in 1967. They fooled no one. )

Lew

[Digifiend]

also recall a leaping frog in the Beezer that I liked

Wasn't that the free gift from Dandy issue 2 in 1937?

[Phoenix]

Wasn't that the free gift from Dandy issue 2 in 1937?

This Jumping Frog certainly jumped about a bit, Digi. It was given away in issue 2 of The Hotspur (Sep. 9 1933) and also, perhaps appropriately, in issue 1 of The New Hotspur (Oct. 24 1959). When it was given away in The Beezer (Feb. 4 1967) it was called The Flip-Flap Frog.

[Lew Stringer]

There was also a jumping frog free in Smash! No.2 in 1966:





Lew

[STARBOY]

Pheonix/Lew - your putting me in nostalgia overdrive here - I remember that Smash free gift so well (still looks strange today) - the Beezer gift is still very fresh in my memory as I remember the Beezer gift was also worked into the cover story (Ginger) - thanks for sharing loved the Smash cover forgot how cool that comic was in the Odhams days to me as a 6 years old.

[Digifiend]

Wasn't that the free gift from Dandy issue 2 in 1937?

This Jumping Frog certainly jumped about a bit, Digi. It was given away in issue 2 of The Hotspur (Sep. 9 1933) and also, perhaps appropriately, in issue 1 of The New Hotspur (Oct. 24 1959). When it was given away in The Beezer (Feb. 4 1967) it was called The Flip-Flap Frog.

Nothing ever changes then, Beano and Dandy have often had the same free gifts over the years. Thanks for the info.

[Peter Gray]

I loved the Korky glow in the dark mask.the 80's version...the Dandy had the same cover for the same gift in the 70's.it looked great in my bedroom with the dim light...

[steelclaw]

Thunder gave away a bat - and a kangeroo (or am I losing it here??- (the Bat being a Von Hoffman tie in possibly?)

Starboy your not losing it.Although Von Hoffman was in 'Jet'



Ozzie the Kangeroo was a tie in for 'Fury's Family' Strip.

And Black Max's Bat was a tie in for 'Black Max' Strip