Many might think licensing comic characters is a modern phenomena, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Just like Batman, Superman and Judge Dredd today, comic heroes of yesterday leapt from the printed page and featured on plenty of merchandise.
In the 1950s, Eagle publisher Hulton Press licensed Dan Dare for use on jigsaws, toys and more, including a special set of cards produced by Manchester-based FC Calvert’s, to boost sales of their tins of Dan Dare Tooth Powder, a special edition of their antiseptic dental wash, first produced in the nineteenth century.
Previously featured on downthetubes, the cards were first released in 1953. 25 cards were produced in all, still considered very collectable, three given away with each tin of tooth powder.
The box the tin came in included a voucher you could post to the company, together with a small fee to cover postage, to obtain a free album to stick the cards in.
The colourful cards picture some of the main characters, different space craft and, of course, The Mekon, who was a super-intelligent alien and enemy of Dan Dare. Each card included a profile of the character or vehicle featured, in some cases expanding on what was known about them from the comic strip alone.
The company clearly felt Dan Dare Tooth Powder would be popular with children, actively promoting the brand to retailers in 1954.
Sets of the cards come up fairly regularly on eBay and other sites such as Cardhawk and the London Cigarette Card Company – but even individually, they can be quite pricey.
You can still buy brands of tooth powder today, used to clean and polish teeth and freshen breath. It is believed to have originated many millennia ago, and proponents claim that it may be more effective at removing plaque and surface stains from teeth than toothpaste, although these claims have not been widely studied.
WEB LINKS
• The DanDare.org site has pictures of the full set and tin here
• The London Cigarette Card Company has some Calvert cards for sale
• Check Out the Calvert Cards on Card Hawk | Complete Set for Sale
• Check out all Dan Dare cards, including Clevedon releases, and and Dare ephemera on Card Hawk
The Cardhawk team say their aim is “to deliver a great range of top quality cigarette cards, trade cards and related ephemera with the best quality customer service”. It’s designed to be a reference tool as much as an e-commerce site, with information regarding producers and card subjects just as important as the cards themselves.
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, Comics, Features, Merchandise, Other Worlds
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