The Ultimate Dennis the Menace Thread 4 4

[ComicBookGuy]

Here are some napkins:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here is a close-up of one of the 36:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

There are a ton of Dennis records out there, and they began

on 78 records in the early 1950s. I should post them next,

but my records are with my 1950s Sundays, and I will not

be able to get them for at least 10 or so days. So I will now

post something very rare, as far as I can tell, to make up for

not posting the records with the other 1950s stuff. Here is a

tough-to-find phone from 1967. Anyone have one of these???

 

[ComicBookGuy]

This 1967 phonograph / record player plays both 45's and 78's,

most likely since Dennis records came in both sizes. But, then

again, I have two different 33's also that are Dennis records, so

who knows... As a kid, you can imagine sitting back

playing your Dennis records on your Dennis record player while

reading your Dennis comics.

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Dennis the Menace Colorforms. What are colorforms? Answer provided by BigRedToyBox: "Colorforms were first introduced in the late '50s by the Colorforms Company. For those of you unfamiliar with Colorforms, allow me to describe them for you. Let's say you just bought a Pee Wee Herman set. You open the box and you find a slick cardboard image of the Playhouse along with a sheet of paper-thin, flimsy, vinyl images. First, you are going to need to detach the images and shapes from the sheet, sort of like punching out paper dolls. Now, you are left with images of Pee Wee and the gang that will adhere, like magic, to the board. You can attach and detach them repeatedly until the board or the figures get dusty. Then, just clean 'em up and you're back in business!"

 

Here are the Dennis the Menace Colorforms from 1961:

 

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here's the inside of the Colorforms box:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

2.5x3.5x6" box shows repeated illustration and text on front and back "Silver Plated Pistol/Actually Raises Gun And Squirts Water/© Hank Ketcham." Box lid includes text "In Person/America's Most Mischievous Youngster Dennis The Menace/© 1954 Hank Ketchem T.M./Actually Raises Gun And Squirts Water." Side panels have six illustrations of Dennis accompanied by similar text. Inside box top is fold-over color illustrated insert w/instructions on use of toy. Bottom reads "A Product Of Active Toys Inc., Chicago, Ill 5.75" tall molded plastic toy has internal plunger that is activated when Dennis' cowlick is pressed down causing right arm to raise w/gun in hand and squirts water. Instructions indicate "Good For Three Or Four Squirts Before Refilling." Back bottom of toy reads "Dennis The Menace © 1954 Hank Ketchem T.M. Made In U.S.A."

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Post deleted by ComicBookGuy

[ComicBookGuy]

Standard Toykraft manufactured this game during the height of Dennis's popularity, when the CBS show was in full swing.

 

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here is a picture of the front of the Tiddly Winks. Game is by Whitman Pub. Co.from 1961:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here is a shot of the Tiddly Winks board inside the box:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

Here is an ad to retailers for the Standard Toykraft game. It serves as a testament to Dennis's amazing popularity at the time (early 1960s). I copied this ad from a website, so I don't have it in front of me, and it is somewhat hard to read. Here is the full text of what the ad says: "This little comic character just goes on selling full steam ahead...in-season, out-of-season, all year 'round. His million dollar 'fun and play' personality has been brilliantly captured in these exciting Standard Toykraft playthings. Here is everything you need to stimulate steady daily sales...newness, originality, and eye appeal...plus assured consumer acceptance. Place your order now for Dennis the Menace playthings. It will be like getting a super salesman to work your floor." What follows is a list of the toys and their product numbers, but the print is too small in the scan to read even under magnification. Needless to say, this ad shows what a goldmine Dennis was for retailers at the height of comic book sales and the tv show's popularity. In the picture, we see some glimpses of extremely rare items in their boxes, such as the clay set, the game, the paint-by-numbers set (which I pictured earlier), and the Dennis and Ruff dolls.

[ComicBookGuy]

Let's continue with some rarities. I have no idea when or where this was released, but this xylophone does not turn up very often. My guess is it's an early 1960s toy judging from the doll.

 

[ComicBookGuy]

This flashlight keychain looks like it's from the late 1950s or early 1960s:

 

[ComicBookGuy]

This doll says it's copyrighted 1959 on the foot. It's like the famous 2nd doll, but it's all vinyl, even the clothes...

 

[ComicBookGuy]

And here is the locomotive whistle from the late 1960s:

 

[Wiseguy-migration]

Wow, sure is something to see all those DTM toys.

I don't remember half of them.

My favorite is still the plastic rocket kit.

Had a yellow plastic rocket and a package of small tablets that were more than likely

some form of baking soda or something.

You filled the rocket up with a measured amount of water, then added a bunch of tablets.

After adding the tabs, you stuck the plastic base into the rocket, shook it up a few times, and placed it on the ground. A few seconds to build up pressure and

WHHHOOOSH!...into the sky.

And of course, I always enjoyed adding more than the recommended dosage.

 

Thanks for posting the toys.

 

JRW

[BillyBatson4360]

Loved the toys. Brought back quite a few memories as well. I forgot that I owned the Colorforms set until I saw your photos.

 

The locomotive whistle looks like a bootleg. It's manufactured in Hong Kong and caries no mention of Dennis, nor does it appear to have a copyright notice for the character, which any quthorized material would have carried.

 

Just curious if there's any copyright notice on the xylophone either. While the actual toy looks "on model" the box art doesn't look like anything the Ketchum Studio would have created or approved as it's so "off model."

[ComicBookGuy]

Bill C. and JRW, I'm glad you guys are enjoying the toys and collectibles!

JRW, it's good to hear from you again, and by reading your post, I now know why you don't have your old rocket anymore... I'm still looking for one for you but haven't had any luck.

 

With these last posts, what I'm trying to do is just collect as much of this as I can and pull it all together. Some items are very tough and I've seen them once only. Some items I have yet to see: the clay set, the dentist kit, the rocket, and some of the puppets. If anyone has that stuff, please post!

 

Also, is there a good website that has indexed toys that anyone knows about, or are only we comic collectors that anal?

 

I'm almost done with the 1950s and will move on to the 1960s. There are tons of cool ads and puzzles still left from this era. I was a bit hesitant to do this collectible project before finishing an index of all the comics, but I'm enjoying it a lot and I think it's adding some variety and uniqueness to this thread. This will be my last post for a while since I'm going out of town, so I hope everyone keeps this thread alive and well for us!

 

Joe

[Wiseguy-migration]

Thanks for all the work Joe.

Have a safe trip.

All the best.

 

 

JRW