Buster 25th birthday issue and first with School Fun

[stevezodiac]

As it says in the title here are a couple of Busters I came across last night.





The free gift is glued to the cover.

[Niblet]

What were the Deadly Death Rattler Eggs? Sweets? Toys?

[stevezodiac]

I've never opened the envelope so no idea. A couple of weeks later the Buster produced a weekly cut out and fold mini comic with one strip reprinted from each of the past 25 years.

[Digifiend]

http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/freebies.html
Drat, the above link lists all the free gifts ever given away with Buster, except for possibly a few in 1995. Unfortunately this one is only referred to as Deadly Rattler.

[stevezodiac]

I seem to remember some trick tablets that if you put a match to them they would expand in a snake like shape.

[Niblet]

I seem to remember some trick tablets that if you put a match to them they would expand in a snake like shape.

I remember those, but I can't imagine they would have been given away as free gifts.

The issue (with unopened gift, so still no clue as to what it is) is on ebay for £30.00

http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0516220322

[Raven]

Well, the implication is that they're rattlesnake eggs, but rattlesnakes don't actually lay eggs - they carry them in their body. So I expect it's that practical joke, where, when you open the envelope, a paperclip on a rubber band starts rattling to make you think one's hatched in there.

[Digifiend]

I seem to remember some trick tablets that if you put a match to them they would expand in a snake like shape.

I remember those, but I can't imagine they would have been given away as free gifts.

The issue (with unopened gift, so still no clue as to what it is) is on ebay for £30.00

http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0516220322

Eh? Change the nl to co.uk in that link and you get the same item, but it says it sold for £15 instead of £29.99

[Raven]

Does the envelope feel like there might be a tightly wound paperclip in there, Mr. Zodiac?

[Muffy]

I remember the merger, and first issue of School Fun well - however, quite a lot of my favourite Buster story's finished including 'Gums', which was a loss.

[Digifiend]

Wrong. Gums ended three weeks prior.
http://www.bustercomic.co.uk/gums.html

Ended: 12th May 1984

[klakadak-ploobadoof]

I haven't opened the envelope on my copy either, but there is HOW TO USE YOUR FREE GIFT instruction on an inside page, so Raven has got it spot on:

Well, the implication is that they're rattlesnake eggs, but rattlesnakes don't actually lay eggs - they carry them in their body. So I expect it's that practical joke, where, when you open the envelope, a paperclip on a rubber band starts rattling to make you think one's hatched in there.

[Niblet]

Thanks for that - all is now clear

[bustercomic]

Ta for the info folks.....I'll update that page on the site when I get a chance!

Matt

[philcom55]

It seems quite similar in principle to the 'Whampire Bat' given away with an early issue of Wham! I remember that my father nearly had a heart attack when I concealed one of them in his evening newspaper!

- Phil R.