Here's an interesting piece I picked up last year, a Beano advertising poster for Smarties. In 1983 Rowntrees, the makers of Smarties, teamed up with D.C Thomson to produce these advertising posters featuring Dennis the Menace, Gnasher and Walter the softy. The posters are a strange size - 76.5cm x 40cm, not the usual A3 size you're more likely to see.
There are a lot of Beano related items around today but back in the 1980's there was hardly any, the above poster was probably amongst the first.
As far as I am aware two posters were produced, the design you see above and a second design the following year. Unfortunately this is the best image I have of it, when it was auctioned on ebay recently.
That would've been a lucrative arrangement for DCT, I'd imagine. I sometimes wonder if The Beano is kept going mainly to exploit merchandising and advertising potential. I hear that circulation is up after the recent Mail On Sunday giveaway - let's hope it doesn't dwindle again once kids realise the price isn't £1 every week. (And good to see that Roger is now back to 'normal'.)
ReplyDeleteThere were other Dennis the Menace and Smarties posters as I remember them....also I rememeber in The Beano of that time...there was a notice that you couldn't buy these posters from them...
ReplyDeleteThese were huge bill board posters...I saw them as a kid when seeing Granddad and Grandma in London.
Well that's definitely a nice thing to have - DC Thomson must have had something together with both Matlow's and Leaf back in the Nineties as well. There was a TV advert with Desperate Dan going on about Matlow's lollipops, and a comic advert (by Dave Sutherland!) advertising Leaf's Gobstoppers.
ReplyDeleteWell that's definitely a nice thing to have - DC Thomson must have had something together with both Matlow's and Leaf back in the Nineties as well. There was a TV advert with Desperate Dan going on about Matlow's lollipops, and a comic advert (by Dave Sutherland!) advertising Leaf's Gobstoppers.
ReplyDeleteAny memories of the other designs Peter, besides the ones I've shown here?
ReplyDeleteI have two posters from the series - produced for Rowntrees. The size is due to the posters being proofs of the artwork prior to being enlarged for the production of the roadside posters.
ReplyDeleteThe posters printed in 12 section by Hindson/Jordisons of Middlesborough.
I have two posters from the series - produced for Rowntrees. The size is due to the posters being proofs of the artwork prior to being enlarged for the production of the roadside posters.
ReplyDeleteThe posters printed in 12 section by Hindson/Jordisons of Middlesborough.
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ReplyDeleteI have a third design , it was given to me as a child around 1983
ReplyDeleteIt’s a military scene where softly Walter is tied up made to act like a street light Dennis and gnashes are patrolling around watching over a giant tube of smarties .