Jack and Jill (Teddy Bear)

[matrix]

Two pounds, goodness me, that is so cheap! Where did you get the info about that piece being a "style guide", Phil?

Posting these 'Walter Hottle bottle' scans as Rab mentioned them earlier, this is the first story from 'Jack and Jill' dated 9/3/63 by Walter Langhammer. By the early seventies the story appeared in colour. The story is about a young lads hot water bottle, that comes to life in some magical dreams!

[philcom55]

That Fliptail page still bears a sticker with printer's instructions where the line 'Dupe Only/Can Later' is crossed out and replaced with a handwritten 'KSP Later'; I'm guessing that the 'K' stands for 'Keep'. The idea that it was selected as a style guide or artist's reference comes from the fact that labels pointing out 'Debbie', 'Fliptail', 'Debbie's house' and 'Debbie's garden' have all been rather crudely pencilled in by someone in Editorial (I've carefully rubbed out the parts where pencil lines extend across the image itself).

I was really pleased to pick this up for just £2. The chap I bought it off had originally been given a pile of IPC cast-offs which he'd decided to offload - though most of the other pieces consisted of relatively uninteresting overlays and photocopies. I did manage to single out about 20 bits of original art for either £1 or £2 each - but the best of the lot was a two-page, red & black Clifford Crocodile strip. Unfortunately I had to shell out the princely sum of £10 for the latter, but as it's the only surviving example of Antonio Lupatelli's 'Fun in Toyland' series I've ever seen I reckon it was well worth it!

Interesting to see that early 1960s 'Walter' strip. A number of those were reprinted in the 1970s/80s but the reproduction was so poor it was difficult to follow the story.

There may have been some new material inside later issues of Playland and Jack & Jill Peter, but I suspect that it was heavily outweighed by reprints. By contrast Toby seems to have contained a much higher percentage of new work.

- Phil Rushton

[matrix]

According to Steve at Bear Alley by the early seventies most strips in 'Playhour' and 'Jack and Jill' were recycled confirms what you said Phil.

In respect to the 'Fun in Toyland' artwork Phil could possibly put a scan on here? What year is it from? Asteriti worked alongside Lupatelli and eventually took over the strip, I know Asteriti was active on it in 1961, I'm just trying to work out with the examples that I have when exactly he took over.

[philcom55]

As far as I can tell the Toyland story 'Clifford Crocodile Joins the Army' was drawn in 1962 for the 1963 Jack & Jill Annual - though it was later remounted for at least one reprint in the 1981 annual. Here's the way it appeared in the original version:





And here are some scans from the actual artwork:









I did wonder whether it could have been by Asteriti, but to my eye the style looks much more like Lupatelli at his very best - and he was certainly drawing 'Moony from the Moon' for Fleetway's annuals long after he'd left the weekly series.


Speaking of the annuals, by the way, I've just noticed that Fliptail the Otter appeared in what seems to have been a tryout strip in the 1966 Playhour Annual - over a year before his own weekly series began! Here's the first page, featuring art that looks to me like the work of Langhammer:



- Phil Rushton

[matrix]

They are some nice pieces, must be worth more than ten pounds.

I'm posting these scans for comparison, the elephant scan is definately Asterati as he has signed his work, the other page is I think Lupatelli, although no signature, and I could be wrong.

I personally would hedge my bets towards your artwork being by Asterati Phil, if I may give a novice opinion!

The Asterati scans are from late 61, the other is from mid 1960.

[philcom55]

Thanks for posting those pages Matrix - that's the first time I've seen anything actually signed by Asteriti. Going by that example you could well be right about him drawing Clifford. The fact that he was clearly imitating Lupatelli at the time makes it all the more difficult to be sure (and, of course, it's always possible that it might have been a joint effort!). Whoever drew it, however, it's still a wonderful piece of work!

Signatures are worth their weight in gold when it comes to identifying these artists, most of whom are no longer with us. It's for this reason I was really pleased that my recent purchase also included a 'Tommy Trouble' page that not only carried the name of the agency it was bought from (B.L. Kearley Ltd.) but also the signature of the artist himself: George Blake.

Another £2 well spent!

- Phil R.

[matrix]

That's a nice Fliptail example, I wonder if it appeard in any more annuals?

Back to 'Fun in toyland' I thought I would add a bit more information.
The early 'Fun in Toyland' scans below were drawn by someone with the initials J. M., this artist worked on the strip from 1954, until late 1956, early 1957, when Lupatelli/Asterati took over, with possibly a couple of fill in artists on odd ocasions.

The obvious question now to complete a near as possible picture for the strip, who was J. M? Anyone.

One for 'Playhour' topic Phil, but when did George Blake take over 'Tommy trouble'?

[philcom55]

I must admit that 'JM' has me stumped - though, interestingly, Denis Gifford listed Fred Robinson as the original 'Fun in Toyland' artist. I guess Toyland and it's inhabitants were largely inspired by Larry the Lamb's 'Toytown', but they must have proved quite popular in their own right as they even had their own annual at one point.

As for Tommy Trouble, I always felt that he fitted a bit uncomfortably with all the talking animals of Jack & Jill and Playland: in some ways his world was almost too 'normal', like a British version of the American 'Dennis the Menace' (renamed over here as 'Just Dennis' for obvious reasons). To be honest I'd thought he was drawn by just one artist throughout most of his run - presumably George Blake with his slick, commercial style and widespread use of mechanical tones. Do you have any earlier examples in a different style Matrix?

Here are a couple of scans of original art from 1964 showing the look I normally associate with Tommy and his dad:





...And here, for comparison, is a later drawing of Tommy produced by John Donnelly for the 1980 Playhour Annual:



- Phil Rushton

[matrix]

I guess Toyland and it's inhabitants were largely inspired by Larry the Lamb's 'Toytown', but they must have proved quite popular in their own right as they even had their own annual at one point.
- Phil Rushton

I can see why, personally I find Toyland a very clever strip, one that fits in really well in nursery comics, bit of a vintage 'Toy story'!

In respect to J.M., who was it that wrote the strip? I guess the writers never signed any work only the artists?

Phil, the earliest 'Tommy Trouble' I have is from April 1961, as far as I can tell he must have started in Feb/Mar 61 in Playhour. Did he arrive from another comic? You mention 'Playland' or did you mean Playhour?

This early example is drawn by Ferguson Dewar of 'The mysterious island of yum' fame.
I was not sure if you already knew he was drawing this? I wondered did he stop when 'The mysterious island of yum' started in 'Harold Hare' sometime in 1962, with George Blake taking over?

[philcom55]

Oops - I did indeed mean Playhour, not the later Playland. I must have had Toyland on my brain when I posted that!

It's fascinating to see your Ferguson Dewar version of Tommy Trouble - I'd no idea that he worked on the strip, though he suits it surprisingly well (as well as seeming to have originated the use of Letratone). As far as I can tell Dewar was already in demand as an advertising artist when Leonard Matthews secured his services, giving his work a professional gloss that Blake was particularly well suited to carry forward.

As you say it seems likely that Dewar switched from Tommy to 'The Mysterious Island of Yum' when that series began. As a matter of interest here's an example of his original art for that rather surreal strip which, going by its unusually large size, looks as though it must have been produced for one of the early, newspaper-style editions of Harold Hare.



- Phil Rushton

[matrix]

I only mentioned about 'Playland' as I was thinking it may have come from that comic and like you said it does seem an odd strip to debut in Playhour.

Excuse my ignorance, but is letratone to do with the shading?

Don't tell me that's your nice piece of original artwork Phil? And to make it worse you only paid two pounds!

Just for the record Phil, by the time Yum started in 'Harold Hare' the paper had already shrunk. All the weekly Yum stories started with a large panel as per scans, in July 1963 it moved from the centre pages to page four and five becoming red black and white which is a real shame as it looks really good in colour.

Your example looks different, the writing definately, could it be from an annual?

I have included 'Harold Hare' in the title. At least I thought I did, how do you edit the title?

[DavidKW]

I quite liked Tommy Trouble as I could relate to the character quite a bit.

[philcom55]

...I'm afraid the 'Yum' page wasn't one of those I picked up for £2. This one cost me £4.50!

Well spotted about the lettering - that was apparently added when the strip was reprinted in the 1984 Playhour Holiday Special.

'Letratone' was the name of a range of mechanical patterns printed on adhesive transparent sheets which were cut to the required shape with a scalpel. They were generally used to create tonal effects for letterpress printers which couldn't reproduce greys. (Come to think of it, the fact that my oversize 'Island of Yum' page does use grey washes suggests that it might not have appeared in the early Harold Hare after all! )

I have included 'Harold Hare' in the title. At least I thought I did, how do you edit the title?

I think you need to edit the title in your initial post.

- Phil R.

[matrix]

...I'm afraid the 'Yum' page wasn't one of those I picked up for £2. This one cost me £4.50!
Phil R.

I feel so much better knowing you paid that extortionate price for that artwork! Now where did I put that bucket!
Just a thought, but do you think that piece could be from a special Phil?

That is interesting about using Letratone was that common?

Just thinking should I add 'Harold Hare' to the title as it joined Playhour?

[Phoenix]

I've just been rooting round my back room, looking for my still unread collection of Jinty (24 issues between January 1979 and December 1980 I find), and I found this large format 36-page book, which my mother gave me soon after I had learned to read. I had never met this story previously, and I loved it. For every text page there is an illustration page. Just wondering out of interest whether Phil or someone might know the artist, who is not credited as far as I can tell. This thread seems the best place to post it.