The Ultimate Dennis the Menace Thread 5 5

[ComicBookGuy]

In 1954, these boxes of napkins were released...

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here is a close-up of one of the napkins:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

None of the previous stuff is that hard to find,

but let's look at a few you don't see too often.

How about this Halloween mask? Looks like

the late 1950s or early 1960s. Anyone know???

 

[ComicBookGuy]

This Swiss watch doesn't turn up too often either...

 

[ComicBookGuy]

I believe this is the Kellog's Cowboy Mug from 1960. This is a close-up of it.

 

[ComicBookGuy]

I see this doll being sold on eBay as the "first Dennis doll" quite

often, though it's typically in less-than-stellar condition, often

missing the clothes, and almost always missing the original

box. It is apparently a soft vinyl material that becomes sticky

over time if exposed to heat, according to some eBay sellers.

The ad I posted below says the face is made of vinyl plastic and

the body out of soft latex.

 

 

Here is the original ad for this doll. It appears on the back of

Dennis the Menace #13, from November 1955. Bill C.

posted this a while back:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here is another image of the "first doll." I put first in quotes

since I don't know if it is the first or not. I don't know about

anyone else, but this doll does NOT look friendly.

Coming in at 17 inches tall, perhaps they should call it

"Dennizilla." I have no doubt that this would be "menacing"

to a young enough child. Personally, I think this doll could

kick Chucky's butt and then some...

 

[ComicBookGuy]

If you think you are a hardcore Dennis collector, good

luck trying to find an unopened box of these 1960

paper cups...

 

 

[ComicBookGuy]

If anyone remembers from a couple months back, Mark posted this, back on Page 18 of this thread. I think it's cool to post this again since I think it may be the finest Dennis collection anyone has, and it is certainly the nicest one I have ever seen. Also, now that we'll be seeing some of the Dennis-related products, it is nice to see them all together in one place. If anyone has some info to share about these items, please chime in. The comics and books are my areas of knowledge; here I am straying dangerously into a category I don't know a whole lot about. Yes, that is a disclaimer. Dennis the Menace is a whole universe unto itself, and I think if we can each master small little parts of it and share what we know, collectively we'll get the "big picture." My goal here is just to present the items, say what I know about them, and hope more experienced collectors will add commentary to them.

Here is Mark's post below, with comments edited to those related to the toys:

 

I have been working on a Dennis comic collection for years. I finished my set (courtesy of ebay for the final handful of books) about two years ago. I've also spent the last fifteen years compiling a collection of Dennis the Menace toys, games, advertising pieces, original artwork, and merchandise. If there is any interest in these collectibles (I don't want to stray off-topic), I would be happy to post pictures of some of my collection...

 

The image that I have included is one of my Dennis collection cabinets. Again, if there is any interest, I would be happy to include additional scans of early Dennis artwork and collectibles.

 

Regards,

Mark

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here is the next generation of Dennis dolls. This is from 1959 and is 12 inches tall. Mark clearly has much nicer examples in his cabinet, and I'm willing to bet the clothes on the one I'm posting are not the originals.

 

[ComicBookGuy]

And here is a risky back shot of him. This is one kid you never want to turn your back on...

 

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here is an interesting doll from the early 1960s. He holds a silver cap gun in his movable right hand. You press on his famous cowlick to move the right arm up. He is 5 inches tall and his head (the widest part of him) is 2-3/4 inches from ear to ear.

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here is a cool article from "The Cookie Jar," the inside front cover of Dennis the Menace #43, June 1960, that tells the story of Arch Garner, the designer of Dennis toys.

 

[ComicBookGuy]

While on the subject of toy articles, the ONLY article I've ever come across is Mark's excellent article in TOY SHOP. I will try to post the whole article in a readable fashion. If it doesn't come out, I will redo it. This is from the 9/12/97 issue. Notice the great spread of Dennis puppets at the top.

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Part 2:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Part 3:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Part 4:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Part 5:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Last part of article follows. Interesting to note the 1997 prices as compared to now.

 

[BillyBatson4360]

Joe -

 

As always, enjoyed the show

 

I owned that Dennis teaspoon as a kid. It WAS a quality item. Mine never wore out or tarnished. (Whatever happened to it, I'll never know). I believe it was one of those famous cereal box top promotions. I ate the cereal and sent off the box tops (with a dime or a quarter as I remember) and we got the spoon back in the mail.

 

As I've mentioned previously, I also owned the Dennis hand puppet and the Mischief Kit. I can also remember a Golden Records 45 and album. The single predated the Jay North TV series and featured a song that began:

 

"Dennis the Menace...

He's a bundle of dynamite!"

 

I can't remember the rest of the lyrics or what was on the flip side, but the picture sleeve carried reproductions of the Dennis daily panels. The album featured Jay North in character singing a vocal version of the TV theme as well as other Dennis-themed material.

 

The Dennis cocktail napkins shouldn't be so surprising. In the very early days, the appeal of the strip was mainly to parents. The baby boom was underway and there were a lot of new parents in the country. Also alcohol was not as stigmatized as it is now (hey, cigarettes were still advertising on TV in those days).

 

I think as the strip matured, Dennis became less "menacing" - kind of like what happened to Mickey Mouse and Popeye once they became "role models" for kids.