BIG BAD WOLF IN MICKEY'S PARTY (1939)

The above scan is from the first Donald Duck Annual published in the UK by Collins Clear-Type Press in 1939. It's the illustration of a two-page story titled 'Games to brighten a Party: The Thought Reader'. The Big Bad Wolf isn't mentioned in the text itself.

PS: In the coming days, I intend to cover Donald Duck Annual and other obscure annuals by Collins in my other blog at http://kayaozkaracalar3.blogspot.com/

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

The above page had been offered on ebay sometime ago as a "comic sheet." The seller didn't know the source of the publication it came from, but I think it is from the American magazine Good Housekeeping which had published illustrated story adaptions of Disney cartoons from 1934 onwards till early 1940s.

The story in this particular page is an adaptation of the cartoon Big Bad Wolf (1934) which had also spawned two books, one hardcover, the other softcover, in the same year. A close analysis of the illustrations in the magazine page and the books show that they feature revised forms of the same art material (by Tom Wood). For example, the figures on the illustrations on the middle row are identical to the two illustrations in the books, albeit being decouped from their backgrounds:

More interestingly, the first picture on the first row is composited together from three illustrations from the book (or vice versa?):

On the other hand, while the first picture on the third row of the sheet is similar to but not identical to one of the illustrations from the book, the remaining two pictures of the sheet do not have their matches in the book.

NEW BLOG RE DISNEY COMICS AND BOOKS IN GENERAL

Please note that I've started a new blog on Disney comics and books at http://kayaozkaracalar3.blogspot.com/

Needlessly to say, I will also continue this blog on Big Bad Wolf, I've got still a lot to share re him.

CAN YOU FIND THE THREE PIGS BEFORE BIG BAD WOLF DOES?

The above scan is from the vol. 4 no. 7 of Mickey Mouse Magazine dated March 1939. Honestly, I myself can not spot any of the pigs in the picture... If you do, please tell us where!

The same issue also featured the poster of the cartoon short The Practical Pig, which was released in the previous month, on its back cover:

BRITISH BIG BAD WOLF GAG COMICS FROM 1950

The popularity of the 'Li'l Bad Wolf' comics initiated in Walt Disney's Comics & Stories would soon tempt the editors and artists of Disney comics magazines around the world to produce their own Li'l / Big Bad Wolf comics themselves in addition to the imported American material. One of the first (if not the first) to do so appear to be the staff of Britain's Mickey Mouse Weekly, as exemplifed in the above scan of the cover of issue dated Oct. 14, 1950. As far as I can ascertain, it does not appear to be a redrawn version of an American gag and hence possibly an original British production (If anyone knows otherwise, please correct me). The artist is unknown to me, but likely candidates are Ernest Richardson, Ronald Neilson and Basil Reynolds who are known to have worked at MMW in that era. Incidentally, the idea for this gag would later be used in a Donald Duck daily strip in the US in 1962.

Other non-American Big Bad Wolf comics will eventually be also covered in this blog, so please stay tuned on..

PS: I am sorry to have neglected this blog for some time; this time around, the unfortunate reason is the world-wide economic recession which has began to hit the shores here as well, prompting me to spend some of my extra time in trying to find ways to make ends meet in the face of devaluation of our currency.

BIG BAD WOLF AS DONALD'S OBJECT OF ART

This cross-word puzzle was published in vol.5 no. 1 of Mickey Mouse Magazine dated Oct. 1939. The illustration of accompanying the puzzle was actually a modified version of one of the illustrations in the School Days in Disneyville book published by Heath in the same year:

The same issue of Mickey Mouse Magazine also utilized one other illustration featuring the Thee Little Pigs from the same book in its contents page. Aside from appearing in Donald's drawing, Big Bad Wolf himself also makes several appearances in person in School Days in Disneyville, as covered in an earlier post in this blog on May 28th.

VINTAGE BIG BAD WOLF GLASS

A vintage glass set featuring illustrations of the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs was recently sold at an ebay auction for 104 US dlrs.

The precise production year of the set is unknown, but it is believed to date from circa mid-1930's. From a flyer published in a Tomart's Disneyana Update magazine, we learn that this set (together with an Elmer Elephant glass) was manifactured as give-away to promote dairy products.