DC Thomson - `Fun` title free gifts - the 70s.

[Hen Broon]

Plug Comic Free Gifts 1978

[Hen Broon]

Dandy Comic Free Gift #1976 & #1977 comic - 1979

[alanultron5]

Many thanks Hen! These pictures of the gifts have really brought the thread to life - cheers!

[Kashgar]

Rightyho! and from now (1977 - 79_, only Dandy and Beano gave gifts (Unless I got it wrong!) Seems 1976 was `Fun titles` gift free but I would have thought Beezer might have given some when it `swallowed up` Cracker in Aug 76 - but the newly conjoined titles did not give gifts! Is that a first Ray?!

Not a first Alan. Thomsons had done the same thing the year before with the amalgamation of Topper and Buzz and in comics history there had been a number of occasions when this has happened. For example the AP's pogrom of its' old comic titles in 1953 saw a number of mergers that did not coincide with any free gift giving.

[Lew Stringer]

Rightyho! and from now (1977 - 79_, only Dandy and Beano gave gifts (Unless I got it wrong!) Seems 1976 was `Fun titles` gift free but I would have thought Beezer might have given some when it `swallowed up` Cracker in Aug 76 - but the newly conjoined titles did not give gifts! Is that a first Ray?!

Not a first Alan. Thomsons had done the same thing the year before with the amalgamation of Topper and Buzz and in comics history there had been a number of occasions when this has happened. For example the AP's pogrom of its' old comic titles in 1953 saw a number of mergers that did not coincide with any free gift giving.

Likewise, there were no free gifts in 1969 when IPC merged Lion and Eagle, and Tiger and Jag, and when City merged TV21 and Joe 90. I suppose the mergers themselves would boost sales without the need for gifts.

[colcool007]

The joining of Hotspur and Crunch in 1980 did not provide any, nor did the swallowing of Wizard by the Victor in 1978 produce a plethora of freebies. And the last merger on the D C Thomson's boys papers of Victor and Warlord produced nothing either.

In my mind, the mergers would provide you with new stories, but rarely free gifts, but you would get some interesting competition prizes sometimes.

[alanultron5]

Thanks for that Data - Ray; Lew, Col. So Beezer & Cracker certainly not unique at all in that sense!