] type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>

Monday, March 01, 2010

Comic Book Foldees by Topps - 1966

sg
sg
This is the box and wrapper for Topps' Comic Book Foldees trading card series, where you could bend and flip the individual panels (featuring various DC heroes, historical figures, and generic characters) to make different combinations.

I have the one Foldees card that features Aquaman, and it was one of the earliest things I ever posted on the Shrine. But a few weeks ago F.O.A.M.er Glenn Walker sent me scans of every card in the series, and the interior art (by Wally Wood, no less) is so odd and cool that I thought why not post them here for all to see?

Remember, this card series came out in 1966, so it features some DC characters undoubtedly making their debut on any sort of merchandise:
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
sg
...*whew*!

There are some crazy combos in there (Fidel Castro? Tipsy Drunk? Cross-Eyed Clod?)--methinks that, for at least a couple of them, Topps just told Wally Wood to put in anyone he wanted.

Considering this series was probably financially inspired by the Batman TV series, its kind of amazing Bats and his cast of characters don't appear in it more, instead of oddball choices like Metamorpho, Hawkgirl, Saturn Girl(!), and The Spectre. However that came about, I'm glad it did--it gives this weird little series a real uniqueness.

This is truly great stuff, thanks to Glenn for sending it along!

10 comments:

David J. Cutler said...

"THE AQUA MAN SAVES CITY FROM THE FLOOD."

I don't know why it's so funny to me that that headline has "The" in front of the two nouns that probably wouldn't be proceeded by "the" in a headline, and the one that might, does not.

But it is!

Tegan said...

How do these work? Maybe I should print one out and try to figure it out.

IADW said...

Nice collection - I like that other characters are getting a look in here. Saturn Girl, Gold etc.

The only one I feel bad for is Ralph. The advertising department may have felt the audience would find 'Elongated Man' too much of a tongue twister! :D

Michael said...

Tegan - Here's a look at the Saturn Girl card (#16). The way it works is that you can fold over the body or the head onto another head or body, for allegedly humorous results.

So in addition to "Saturn Girl the Legionnaire", "Pork Chops the Pig", and "Ulysses S. Grant the General", you can have "Pork Chops the Legionnaire" and "Ulysses S. Grant the Pig".

This is nice; I've got three of the Saturn Girl card (with slight variations) but I've never seen the whole set.

Diabolu Frank said...

Good Lord! I've seen and posted about these over the years, but never so many or in one place! Good show, sir!

Wings1295 said...

Wow... Those are bizarre combos, for sure! Talk about artistic freedom! Zany, but must have been such fun trying to collect these as a kid!

Tegan said...

Michael,

It wouldn't be that hard to take these images and create a little flash program that does the "folding" for you. Now that I get it, it's very funny.

I'll have to try to get the Aquaman on someday.

Rick Duncan said...

I think No. 9 is the first appearance of G'norrt.

Anonymous said...

http://aphterbuck.deviantart.com/art/Aquaman-s-Brightest-Day-155327690

my rendition of Aquaman

Mel said...

It's great to see these again. On my blog I've made gifs of the first three to show how they work.
http://omnyymsworld.blogspot.co.uk/