Planters’ Mr. Peanut

In the early 1900’s an Italian immigrant named Antonio Obici opened a fruit stand in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. To make his fruit stand different from the others, he spent $4.50 on a peanut roaster and sold the roasted nuts along with his fruit. Back then, the roaster had to be continuously turned by hand to avoid burning the peanuts. Obici devised a way to keep his roaster turning all by itself so that he could attend to his customers.

A few years of great sales on the peanuts and a growing popularity for the roasted nuts convinced Obici to stop selling fruit and concentrate on selling only the peanuts. Obici and his brother-in-law, Mario Peruzzi, formed a partnership and called their new company Planters Nut and Chocolate Company.

In 1916, Planters held a contest to see who could come up with a character that would be used as the company mascot and trademark. A 14-year old Virginia schoolboy named Antonio Gentile won the contest with his sketch of Mr. Peanut. Planters hired a commercial artist to make Mr. Peanut ready for commercial advertising. He added a monocle, top hat and a cane to suggest good taste.

In 1918, Planters debuted their mascot, Mr. Peanut, in a full page spread in the “Saturday Evening Post.” Planters’ peanuts were the first salted nuts nationally advertised. Mr. Peanut’s advertising jobs have not slowed down since he was introduced to the public in 1916.

In 1937 Mr. Peanut graced the face of a billboard in Times Square, and he went on from there to more print advertisements and television commercials. In 1961 he was even featured as an attraction at the New York’s World Fair! He was in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997, and when Planters became the “official snack nut of Nascar,” Mr. Peanut appeared in the “Nut” Mobile, a car that resembles a peanut. In 2004, he was given a star on Madison Avenue’s Advertising Walk of Fame!

Mr. Peanut is so popular that “The Peanut Pals,” a group that collects Mr. Peanut memorabilia, was formed in 1978, and is still growing today with more than 900 members. There is a huge assortment of Mr. Peanut collectibles and merchandise, ranging from vintage bobble heads and figurines to tennis balls and umbrellas.

Mr. Peanut is over 90 years old, and still going strong. A legend in the advertising field, he has become a favorite character of people all around the world. It’s hard to separate an icon like Mr. Peanut from the product it sells, and it looks like Mr. Peanut’s face will be the one associated with peanuts for a very long time.

If you want to own a part of American advertising history, be sure to check out our website for the beautiful reproduction Mr. Peanut Porcelain Sign.

Kellogg’s Froot Loops Cereal Toucan Sam

“Follow my nose! It always knows!”

This is the famous statement that Toucan Sam shouts out as he searches for the fruit-filled cereal he loves, Kellogg’s Froot Loops.

Since 1963, Toucan Sam has been the advertising mascot for Kellogg’s Froot Loops Cereal.  Interestingly, in the original commercials, Toucan Sam spoke the strange language of Pig Latin, and the phrase “OOT-fray OOPS-lay” can be seen on vintage Froot Loops articles.  Early on in Toucan Sam’s career, he began to speak English with the British accent we are familiar with today.

Some people believe that Toucan Sam is a cartoon version of the Keel-billed Toucan. (Wikipedia.com) This funny bird has a very colorful beak, and fruit is a mainstay of its diet.  This seems to fit the traits of Toucan Sam, for he has stripes of color on his beak and the ability to smell fruit from far away.

Originally, Toucan Sam had a long beak with two large pink stripes, a yellow stripe, and a small black tip.  He also had grey, blue and white feathers, and wore a towering hat of fruit on his head.  Nowadays, Toucan Sam has blue plumage with a white belly. His fruit hat has completely disappeared, and he also has a shorter beak with a longer black tip and smaller colored stripes.  The red, yellow and orange beak stripes represent the original colors of the breakfast cereal.

Over the years more colored loops have been added to the cereal such as green, purple, blue, and most recently gold.  There is a debate about whether each loop tastes the same, or if they have different flavors.

In the television commercials, Toucan Sam is always searching for his favorite fruit-flavored cereal.  His fruit-sensing nose seeks out the flavors of Froot Loops Cereal and he can find a concealed box full of Froot Loops easily. In recent years, the story lines have become more complicated, and other characters have been added.  In 1994 Toucan Sam was given three baby toucan nephews, Puey, Susey, and Louis to watch over.  The nephews help Sam to defeat enemies such as Dr. Peacock and the Nasty Alien Froot Monster.

Presently, Toucan Sam and his nephews are involved in a quest to find the fruity treasure of Blackbeak, a pirate.  Children can help with the adventure by going to Toucan Sam’s website.  There is even a game kids can play for free on www.toucansam.com.

For collectors of Kellogg’s characters, our website has a nice selection of Toucan Sam vinyl figures, bobble head dolls, and metal signs.  Check it out for more Kellogg’s collectibles and merchandise and create your own adventures with Toucan Sam and the other Kellogg’s characters!

The Pink Panther

Remember the catchy tune that ran in the Pink Panther cartoons? It is a song that will always bring to mind the clever and funny Pink Panther cartoon character.

Although he had his own series of animated TV shows and short films, the Pink Panther first arrived on film in 1963 in the Blake Edwards movie, “The Pink Panther,” starring Peter Sellers as the clumsy French detective Inspector Clouseau. In the film, the “Pink Panther” referred to a large diamond with a flaw at its center resembling a pink pouncing panther. This was the inspiration for the character, the Pink Panther. He starred in the animated opening and closing for the movie, and was set against jazzy music by Henry Mancini. The Pink Panther is almost completely silent in the movie, preferring to rely on slinky pantomime-like moves. Audiences liked the Pink Panther so much that his animators, DePatie-Freleng, were asked to create a series of animated short films starring the character.

Amazingly, the first animated film, “The Pink Phink,” won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film in 1964! More than 100 Pink Panther animated shorts were created, entertaining moviegoers until 1981.

Besides these theatrical shorts, the Pink Panther still made appearances in all of the “Pink Panther” movies featuring the French detective Inspector Clouseau. These films are still being made today, with a 2009 release date set for “The Pink Panther 2,” starring Steve Martin.

In 1969 the Pink Panther made his first appearance on television in “The Pink Panther.” Two animated short films made up each episode, which were thirty minutes long and shown on Saturday mornings until the show went off the air in 1979. In 1980, United Artists Television put together a new half-hour show using the theatrical shorts and new cartoons and syndicated it to TV stations.

Not only was the Pink Panther in movies and on television, he had his own comic book called “Pink Panther.” Published by Gold Key Comics, the series was first released in April of 1971, and 87 issues were released until the series ended in 1984.

The Pink Panther is one of those unforgettable characters that have been able to stay in the public eye for many years. What is amazing is the amount of merchandise featuring the Pink Panther, and the advertising history of the clever character.

The first product the Pink Panther advertised was a Post breakfast cereal named “Pink Panther Flakes” In 1973. Since 1980, Owens Corning has used the Pink Panther to sell fiberglass insulation, and now he is the mascot for their “Basement Finishing System.” In 2001, the Pink Panther became the mascot for Sweet’N Low artificial sweetener. He now shares the advertising duties with Regis Philbin.

For 45 years the Pink Panther has entertained Americans and the international audience. He shows no signs of slowing down, and it looks like he will be around for many more years.

Check out our website for the Pink Panther Bendable Figure, and create your own Pink Panther stories!

Popeye the Sailor Man

For almost 80 years the loveable Popeye has been entertaining us with his funny accent and his love of spinach. His adventures with Brutus and romantic times with Olive Oyl and Sweet Pea make us laugh and warm our hearts. Popeye is a one-of-a-kind character that will forever be a part of American culture and history.

Popeye was created by E.C. (Elzie) Segar, and first appeared as a guest character on January 17, 1929 in “Thimble Theatre,” a daily King Features comic strip. This strip featured the character Olive Oyl, her brother, father, and boyfriend Ham Gravy. By popular demand, Popeye continued to make appearances in this strip and in 1931 the name was changed to “Thimble Theatre … Starring Popeye.” Popeye was an ordinary man, but when he ate spinach, he turned into a man with extraordinary strength. People began eating more spinach in the 1930’s, with a 33% increase in spinach consumption in the U.S. (Popeye.com)

The daily strip was very popular in the 1930’s and continues to be a favorite today. The name was eventually changed to “Popeye” and daily segments were run in newspapers across the country. The strip continues to be printed in today’s newspapers and the Sunday comic strip is still new every week.

In 1933, Paramount Pictures had “Thimble Theatre” adapted into a series of animated cartoon shorts and named them “Popeye the Sailor.” The very first appearance Popeye made in film was actually in a Betty Boop short. He was shown dancing the hula with Betty, and singing his now famous song “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man.”

It is in the film shorts that we first see the correlation between Popeye’s strength and spinach, and the characters take on the attributes we recognize today. These short animated films catapulted Popeye into superstardom. Americans loved the funny little man. It has even been said that Popeye’s fan base exceeded that of Mickey Mouse. (Wikipedia.com) Like the “Mickey Mouse Club,” children could become part of the “Popeye Club” and be issued a membership card and a kazoo as they watched the Saturday matinee at the movie theater.

Popeye was so popular that merchandise such as toys, books, and games flew off the shelves. Popeye is also the first cartoon character to have a statue erected in his likeness in Crystal City, Texas, the self-proclaimed “Spinach Capital of the World.” (Popeye.com)

In the mid 1930’s Popeye was a household name. He not only appeared in comic strips and movies, his stories could be heard in every household in America that owned a radio. On September 10, 1935 “Popeye the Sailor” debuted on NBC radio. The show ran until August of 1936 when it moved to CBS radio and continued to play 3 times a week until July 29, 1938.

In the 1950’s, the theatrical short films were sold to television. The Popeye cartoons could be seen in any living room in the country, and a new generation of viewers fell in love with the strong little sailor man. The cartoons were originally in black and white, but were quickly changed to color. Some of the black and white cartoons were even sent overseas to be colored in by animation studios.

In the 1970s a whole new batch of Popeye cartoons were drawn up. These appeared on the Saturday morning cartoon line-up, and once again a whole new generation of children could be seen singing the Popeye song and eating their spinach. The 1980s brought Popeye into the home video market, and later on in the 1990s Popeye could be seen on DVD.

It seems that Popeye will be with us for a very long time. No matter how much time passes or what type of media is invented, Popeye will be a part of it. He has come from comic strips in newspapers to comic books, to animated filmstrips, to television, home video, and the internet. Popeye has made a place for himself in every generation since the 1930s, and shows no signs of leaving. The Sailor Man has a permanent place in history and is firmly a part of American culture.

Check out our website for Popeye posters, bendable dolls and other Popeye merchandise. We even have a set of collectible figures featuring Popeye, Olive Oyl, Brutus and the rest of the Popeye characters!

Felix The Cat

Felix the Cat is a loveable character that has been with us since the silent film era. The first incarnation of Felix is seen in 1919 in a Paramount Pictures short animated film called “Feline Follies.” In this film, Felix goes by the name Tom Kat. There is confusion in Felix’s history regarding when he got his name, Felix the Cat, and who is credited with his creation. The conflict is between Pat Sullivan, the owner of an animation studio, and Otto Messmer, a cartoonist who worked for Sullivan. The debate still continues in the present day.

By the end of 1919, Felix the Cat had starred in “The Adventures of Felix” and other short films, and his popularity soared. A Felix comic strip was syndicated in over 250 newspapers internationally, and ran daily and on Sundays. A new short film was created and shown every two weeks, and this helped push Felix to superstardom. Felix merchandise started to pop up everywhere. Charles Lindbergh even brought a Felix doll with him on his flight across the Atlantic Ocean, and Felix has the credit of being the first balloon ever made for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927!

By the late 1920’s “Talkies,” films with sound, were being released with animated characters such as Mickey Mouse. Sullivan’s studio made several Felix short films with sound, but they were never as popular as the original silent films.

In 1928, Felix was chosen by RCA Television Studios to be the model used to precisely calibrate television transmissions for New York Channel #1. The paper-maché Felix doll was placed on a turntable and stayed under the burning studio lights for a few hours each day as the technicians worked on the transmitted image of Felix to get the correct definition. In 1931, the channel became part of NBC, and Felix continued to be the model used to test transmissions for nearly a decade.

In 1943 the Felix Sunday comic strips were cancelled, but the Felix daily strips continued on. At this time Felix was given his own comic book, which came out monthly for Dell Comics. Also around this time production started on Felix cartoons to be aired on television. Felix’s appearance changed slightly and his Magic Bag of Tricks was introduced, along with new characters such as the Professor and Poindexter. Starting in 1958, over 250 Felix cartoons aired, and were syndicated to run for over 20 years!

In the eighties, the feature length film “Felix the Cat: The Movie,” was released. It was shown throughout the world and it ran on the Disney Channel for 10 years. In the nineties, a television series called “The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat” was released. Also created was “Baby Felix and Friends,” which has run on television in the Japanese market since 2000, soon to be coming to the US. In 2004 another feature film “Felix the Cat Saves Christmas” was released, adding to his notoriety.

Recently DVDs of all the old Felix TV shows and animated short films became available. This has created another surge in Felix’s popularity, and all kinds of Felix merchandise are being sold. There are Felix fashion clothes, DVDs, key chains, clocks, dolls, a Nintendo video game, and even a special slot machine at Bally’s Casinos. Even a Felix Mira automobile by Daihatsu has been built! (According to felixthecat.com) In 1996, Felix was seen in advertisements for Wendy’s Restaurants and was offered as the prize toy in kid’s meals. He was also the official logo of the American International Carnival in 2004.

Felix’s popularity has continuously grown throughout the years. He was featured in TV Guide as the 25th most recognizable and famous cartoon character in the world. (felixthecat.com.) Felix the Cat is a symbol of where we started in animated film, and he will always be remembered for being a part of the first television transmission signals. He is a loveable character that will continue to entertain generation after generation of Americans and people all over the world with his antics and his Magic Bag of Tricks.

Check out our website for Felix merchandise and collectibles. We have bendable dolls, key chains, mugs, movie posters and much more!

Looney Tunes’ Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird

Some of the most famous quotes of all time come from animated cartoon characters. What American does not know the words ”Thufferin’ Thuccotash!” or “I tawt I taw a puddy tat!” These words are spoken by one of the best-known character duos of all time, Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird.

What you might not know is that Tweety, or Sweetie Pie, was created by Bob Clampett and was first seen in Warner Brothers’ “A Tale of Two Kitties” in 1942. In the early days Tweety Bird, whose original name was Orson, was drawn as a pink bird, but censors complained that he looked nude, so Tweety’s color was changed to yellow. In the beginning of Tweety’s career, he was a feisty bird that lived outside in a nest. In his first showing in 1942, Granny saved Tweety from being eaten by two bad cats named Babbit and Catstello (after Abbott and Costello), and from then on he lived in a gilded cage in Granny’s house.

Sylvester the Cat, created by Friz Freleng in 1945, was not seen until 1945 in “Life With Feathers.” According to Wikipedia, his name was originally Thomas and was later changed to Sylvester, a reference to the scientific name for the house cat, Felis Sylvestris Catus. Sylvester looked very much the same as he does now, with his big red nose and lisp as his trademark features.

It was not until 1946 in the cartoon “Tweety Pie” that Sylvester and Tweety were paired together as main characters. This cartoon was directed by Friz Freleng and was the first Warner Brothers short animated cartoon film to win an Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).

As we all know, Sylvester the Cat tries to capture Tweety in every cartoon episode, but usually fails due to the quick thinking of Tweety and the interruptions of Granny, Tweety’s owner, or Hector the bulldog. The hilarious voices and quotes that are said throughout the cartoons would have anyone laughing!

Both characters have achieved successful careers lasting through the decades. They have starred in more than 40 cartoons over the years and even won a second Academy Award for “Birds Anonymous.” They have also been used for advertising products. Tweety Bird was in an early 80’s public service announcement and Sylvester has been used to sell Orange Crush, Miracle Whip and MCI Telephone service to name a few.

In the 1990’s a show called “The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries” premiered on the WB network. The show did not last very long, but it kept Tweety and Sylvester in the public eye, and was followed by the movie Space Jam with Michael Jordon in 1996.

The cartoon short films are timeless, entertaining and have delighted generations of Americans and people around the world. Sylvester and Tweety Bird cartoons can still be seen on cable channels in the present day along with their fellow Looney Tunes characters.

Check out our website for Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird collectibles and have your own fun adventures with this loveable duo!

Little Lulu

Little Lulu first appeared in 1935 in the Saturday Evening Post as the main character in a series of single panel cartoons. She was created by Marjorie Henderson Buell, one of the few female cartoonists in the comic book and cartoon business.

For ten years Little Lulu Moppet graced the pages of the Saturday Evening Post, and quickly became a public favorite. She also starred in twenty-six theatrical animated short films from 1943 to 1948. A large selection of Little Lulu merchandise was available in the 1940s such as coloring books, greeting cards, games, toys and figurines.

Little Lulu was so popular that she was used in Pepsi magazine ads and was the spokesperson, or “spokestoon” for Kleenex brand tissues in the 1940s and 1950s. One could see Little Lulu on tissue boxes, magazine ads, and on New York City billboards and buses.

After her long run in the Saturday Evening Post, Little Lulu crossed over to a syndicated daily comic strip that ran in newspapers throughout the country from 1950 to 1969. Adding to her popularity was the television syndication of her short animated films in 1963.

In the 1970s ABC aired two Little Lulu specials on its Saturday Morning ABC Weekend Special. There was even a Japanese anime television series called Little Lulu and Her Little Friends, which is now a very rare collector’s item.

Lulu was also the star of her own comic book. The Dell Comics’ book was named Marge’s Little Lulu before the name was shortened to Little Lulu in 1972. The comic book was sold internationally, and people all over the world enjoyed seeing Little Lulu, her best friend Tubby and her other friends get into mischief. The comic book changed companies a few times, and continued to be published until 1984.

Recently in 2004, Dark Horse Comics secured the rights to the Little Lulu comic books, and is still in the process of reprinting and publishing the eighteen volumes today.

Little Lulu is going on her 73rd year of making people laugh. For a little girl, Lulu has certainly made a big impression in the world of comics and cartoons. Her cute curls and smarmy attitude are sure to keep entertaining people for years to come.

To create your own Little Lulu adventures, check out our website. We have collectible Little Lulu and Tubby Vinyl Figures, and even a reproduction Little Lulu Cartoon Movie Poster.

Gumby, 53 Years of Entertaining America

In 1955 Art Clokey made a short animated film called Gumbasia, with shapes of clay moving to music playing in the background. The film was created using stop-motion animation, a technique that when used with clay figures is called claymation. The clay object is placed on a set, and a film frame is taken. The camera is then stopped, the character is moved into another position and filmed, and the process continues until enough film frames are taken to complete the animated story.

Movie producers saw the film, and Clokey was asked to create a claymation character for children’s television. After many trials to see which form worked best with the animation technique, Gumby was born in 1956. According to Gumby.com, Gumby’s optimal height was 7 inches tall, and his body was created from simple geometric shapes. This form allowed Gumby to be cut from a large slab of clay, and duplicate forms were easily made. This is very important because during the filming the lights heat up the Gumby doll and he becomes misshapen from the continuous bending of his body and needs to be replaced often.

Gumby’s final shape includes an asymmetrical bump on his head. According to npr.org, this shape was inspired by Art Clokey’s father who had a very unruly head of hair and a large cowlick that stuck up on one side of his head. Gumby’s green color reflects Clokey’s love of nature and the environment, and his desire for Gumby to symbolize that. (Gumby.com)

After the finalization of Gumby’s form, pilot shows featuring Gumby were made. In 1956, the short films were shown on Howdy Doody. In 1957, Gumby was given his own show, The Gumby Show, on NBC. Each episode contained three animated short films; in between which the host of the show would entertain the audience from “The Fun Shop.” Gumby enjoyed many adventures with his faithful sidekick Pokey. In the 1960s, new friends came along. His dog Nopey, and his friends Prickle, a yellow dinosaur, and Goo, a blue mermaid joined the show. Sometimes Gumby and friends would run into his enemies, The Blockheads. Gumby’s parents Gumbo and Gumba were even added to the show.

At this time, Gumby merchandise was very popular. There were bendable Gumby and Pokey dolls, costumes, puppets, candy, toys, pencil toppers, key chains and much more. By the late 60s, Gumby’s popularity had waned, and the show went into syndication.

Gumby made a comeback in the 1980’s largely due to the Saturday Night Live skit with Eddie Murphy playing a disgruntled Gumby. A new series called Gumby Adventures came out, showing the old Gumby episodes along with brand new ones by Clokey. New merchandise as well as episodes on videotape could be purchased.

Since then, Gumby has appeared on television commercials and even enjoyed a year as the spokescharacter for the Library of Congress in 1994. In 1995, Gumby starred in his own feature film, Gumby: The Movie. Gumby episodes can now be bought on DVD, and he even has his own video game!

In 2005, Gumby’s 50th birthday celebration took place. A year later the Center for Puppetry Arts showed an exhibition called “GUMBY: Art Clokey the first fifty years.” It ran until March of 2007, and can still be viewed at www.TDAExhibitions.com.

For over 50 years, Gumby has educated and entertained children and adults alike. Generations have grown up watching Gumby and his friends, and now grandparents can share Gumby with their grandchildren. A lovable character, he remains in the hearts of people all around the world.

Check out our website for a great selection of Gumby collectibles and memorabilia. Have fun creating your own adventures with Gumby, Pokey, and the other claymation characters!

Batman

The Bat-Man, as he is originally known, was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger in 1939. Batman was first seen in the pages of the DC comic book Detective Comics in May of 1939. The story was called “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.” Batman became such a popular character; he was given a starring role in his own comic book Batman in the spring of 1940.

The first drawings of Batman showed a man with wings wearing a red and black costume and sporting a simple domino mask. Before publication, Batman’s costume went through a transformation. His mask was changed to a cowl to cover more of his face, showing only his mouth, slits for his eyes and pointy ears. His wings morphed into a cape that looks like bat wings when Batman is in motion. The costume became dark gray with black accents to convey an ominous feeling. Sometimes it was shown as dark gray with a blue cape, gloves and boots. His ever-present utility belt was drawn in yellow, and carried all the gadgets Batman needs to outwit his enemies and escape into the night.

The story of how Batman became Bruce Wayne’s alter ego is very well known. As a child, Bruce Wayne saw his parents murdered, and he swore that he would spend his life trying to avenge his parents’ death by declaring war on criminals in Gotham City.

As an adult, Bruce is depicted as an irresponsible billionaire bachelor who inherited Wayne Enterprises and family real estate investments, and lives alone except for his butler Alfred Pennyworth. Because Bruce has no superhuman powers, he has to rely on his mind and body to defeat evil. He trains his very intelligent mind to function at the highest level and his detective skills and knowledge of science and technology are always in peak form. Bruce also works out his body to achieve physical prowess and uses the power of his threatening Bat image to win battles.

In the 1940’s Batman comics were dark and menacing, with such characters as The Joker and Catwoman as his main adversaries. Robin, Batman’s trusty sidekick, was created in 1940 to give Batman someone to talk to and solve crimes with. The introduction of Robin in the Batman comic book doubled sales and started a trend to give superheroes kid sidekicks.

By the 1950’s Batman’s image had softened. This was due largely in part to criticism of the comics industry for the violence in the stories, which allegedly were leading children to commit crimes and act out their fantasies.

In 1964 the campy television series Batman (starring Adam West) was introduced to the world. A 1966 film Batman starring Adam West was released and the success of the show and the movie vastly increased sales of the comic book, but by 1968 the show was cancelled and the campy direction the comic book had taken wore thin. Once again, the Batman comic book returned to its dark and menacing roots. Although fans loved this change, comic book sales kept falling throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1989 the phenomenal success of the film Batman led to a resurgence of interest in the Batman comic strips. The film directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton, was the top-grossing movie of the year.
Since this film, there have been four sequels. Batman Returns (Keaton, 1992), Batman Forever (Val Kilmer, 1995), Batman & Robin (George Clooney, 1997) and Batman Begins. (Christian Bale, 2006)

Due to the popularity of the Batman movies, an animated television series Batman: The Animated Series ran from 1992 through 1997 and an animated feature length film, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) was shown.

The newest Batman film, The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as The Joker is scheduled to be released on July 18, 2008.

For almost forty years Batman has been entertaining people all over the world. Be it in the form of comic strip books, television series, animated television series and movies, or blockbuster films, Batman lives on. He is an American pop culture phenomenon that symbolizes the need we have to believe in superheroes and the prevalence of good over evil.

Celebrate your inner superhero and pay tribute to one of the all-time greatest characters with collectible signs depicting Batman comic strip panels, posters and memorabilia available at our website.

Speed Racer Comic Strip Character 1966 to Present

In 1966 Speed Racer originated as a Japanese comic strip (Manga) called “Mach Go Go Go.” The creator, Tatsuo Yoshida, modeled Speed after Elvis Presley’s racecar driver character from “Viva Las Vegas”, and the Mach 5 was inspired by James Bond’s Aston Martin from “Goldfinger.”

In 1967, the comic strip was adapted into an anime program for Japanese television. Speed Racer was known as Go Mifune, which is why he wears a yellow G on his shirt. The M on his helmet stands for Mifune Motors, the family business.

The English rights were acquired in 1967 by Trans-Lux, an American syndicator, and a major editing and dubbing of the show was done. Go Mifune became known as Speed Racer. Each of the other characters’ names changed too, and they sport a letter on their shirts corresponding to their Japanese first names.

The dialogue was spoken at a very fast pace in order to explain the complicated plot lines and match them with existing lip movements. They never quite matched, and that was part of the charm of the show.

The main story line revolved around Speed, a young ambitious man on his way to becoming a professional racecar driver. Speed drove the Mach 5, a technological marvel. The Mach 5 had many gadgets that assisted Speed win the races he entered, such as mini wings that slid out from under the car and helped the Mach 5 jump long distances.

Speed always managed to get himself into dangerous situations, and his girlfriend Trixie, along with his family helped get him out of trouble. His older brother, Rex, disguised himself as Racer X and acted as the mysterious hero that often aided Speed with his misadventures.

Since 1967, Speed Racer has been syndicated nationally, and ran in the afternoons for nearly 20 years. Speed has made guest appearances on such shows as “Scooby Doo” and has been referenced in many movies such as “Slap Shot.” Speed Racer and his crew even starred in a Volkswagen commercial in 1996 and a commercial for Geico in 2004.

As anime and manga become increasingly popular in the United States, it is hard to believe that Speed Racer was introduced to Americans back in 1967. As one of the first Japanimation series ever to be syndicated in the United States, Speed Racer holds a place in history and in the hearts of everyone that grew up watching and shouting “Go Speed Go!”

Speed Racer collectibles and memorabilia have always been popular items. Since the movie came out in May of 2008, the demand for these items has grown. Check out our website for Speed Racer and Racer X poseable figures, bobble heads, signs and much more!