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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 9:19 pm 
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Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick
I was reading an old Gold Key comic and saw this advert and got hit with a wave of nostalgia. So I checked online what it would cost to get a few of these now.

Click for full size

Boy howdy, the real thing looks awful! :facepalm:

Spoiler: show
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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 9:24 pm 
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That does look terrible, but honestly, even as a kid I thought they looked awful in the ad. It's pretty much truth in advertising.

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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 9:48 pm 
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I always wanted the 7 foot Frankenstein.


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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2023 11:14 am 
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How about the "giant" ghost?

Gandalf Products Company did have the most intriguing-looking merchandise back in the day. I was always fascinated by the key-chain flashlight that they advertised. I wonder if it was some kind of early LED light?

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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2023 12:28 pm 
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...

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I remember wanting to get the Spider-Man glove...but my Dad said it would get 'lost in the mail' since it was coming all the way from America, so I never got one.

https://www.ranker.com/list/vintage-com ... ker-comics

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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2023 1:33 pm 
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Simon wrote:
I remember wanting to get the Spider-Man glove...but my Dad said it would get 'lost in the mail' since it was coming all the way from America, so I never got one.

https://www.ranker.com/list/vintage-com ... ker-comics


Let's see...

My brother ordered the toy soldier set, with its "footlocker" box. They did put the box's tiny dimensions right there in the ad, and in reasonable-size type, too. But the designers knew that kids wouldn't notice. The toy soldiers, airplanes, etc. that he got were tiny, flat plastic things that looked like some kind of board game counters. And they were not to scale--a truck or plane was the same size as a soldier. They would melt if you left them in a car on a hot day.

When I was very small we tried getting Sea Monkeys. They never hatched, so we never got to see what they looked like.

Some of those ads on that site were from before my time, and are kind of shocking to see now. The caricature on the "Chinese Sticks" item is so offensive it's surprising they were still getting away with such things as late as the 1950s-1960s.

What's really kind of horrifying, though is the ad for live, mail-order squirrel monkeys. No telling how many of those poor creatures ended up in appalling conditions at the hands of cruel or hopelessly unprepared owners.

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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2023 8:44 am 
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That meddlin kid wrote:
Simon wrote:
I remember wanting to get the Spider-Man glove...but my Dad said it would get 'lost in the mail' since it was coming all the way from America, so I never got one.

https://www.ranker.com/list/vintage-com ... ker-comics


Let's see...

My brother ordered the toy soldier set, with its "footlocker" box. They did put the box's tiny dimensions right there in the ad, and in reasonable-size type, too. But the designers knew that kids wouldn't notice. The toy soldiers, airplanes, etc. that he got were tiny, flat plastic things that looked like some kind of board game counters. And they were not to scale--a truck or plane was the same size as a soldier. They would melt if you left them in a car on a hot day.

When I was very small we tried getting Sea Monkeys. They never hatched, so we never got to see what they looked like.

Some of those ads on that site were from before my time, and are kind of shocking to see now. The caricature on the "Chinese Sticks" item is so offensive it's surprising they were still getting away with such things as late as the 1950s-1960s.

What's really kind of horrifying, though is the ad for live, mail-order squirrel monkeys. No telling how many of those poor creatures ended up in appalling conditions at the hands of cruel or hopelessly unprepared owners.


I got the toy soldiers. Flat plastic.

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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2023 9:30 am 
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I wonder how many sets of toy soldiers they ended up selling over the years? They advertised them for a long, long time.

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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2023 10:01 am 
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That meddlin kid wrote:
I wonder how many sets of toy soldiers they ended up selling over the years? They advertised them for a long, long time.


I think a lot since the great Russ Heath drew the toy soldier and Roman army ads.

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 Post subject: I always wondered what these things looked like....
PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2023 9:08 pm 
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This book is a treasure trove of comic ad info.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/160887026X/?tag=imwan-20


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