Author Topic: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging  (Read 640485 times)

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Offline RawGoo

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1715 on: August 18, 2019, 08:28:23 AM »
Lox and Lux soaps...



I always thought this was a great Wacky, and even better, it fit right on a bar of the soap  >:D  The gag and scent taglines are perfect, and I love the lady with the clothespin on her nose.

Offline sco(o)t

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1716 on: August 18, 2019, 10:05:28 PM »
I always thought this was a great Wacky, and even better, it fit right on a bar of the soap  >:D  The gag and scent taglines are perfect, and I love the lady with the clothespin on her nose.

I didn't appreciate this one at first until I learned that lox was a salmon product several years later.   Anyone else think the lox lady looks like Kellyanne Conway?
« Last Edit: August 18, 2019, 10:07:04 PM by sco(o)t »
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Offline MoldRush

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1717 on: August 23, 2019, 05:15:33 PM »
Fishey Prize - nice middle-of-the-road Wacky, good eye appeal.  Seeing the real product match increases my appreciation of it.

Painters and Lox - always good when a product already has a character, rather than having to spruce up otherwise bland packaging by adding one.  Mr. Peanut is a ridiculous character to begin with, so the more Planter’s products are parodied the better IMO.  As for Lox, ok graphics but it would be very interesting to see how it would have turned out if the artist tried to match the real product character but only change the facial expression, rather than going with the complete goofball, sort of like how Ivery Snow and Vague Magazine (Old School) were rendered.

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1718 on: August 24, 2019, 09:54:02 AM »
I love everyone's comments on these...different perspectives and observations.

Here is Coffin-Mate and Coffee-Mate...



Offline Baked Bears

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1719 on: August 24, 2019, 04:44:01 PM »
Good parody and another great jar by Norm Saunders!

Offline MoldRush

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1720 on: August 24, 2019, 05:49:01 PM »
Perhaps the inspiration for ‘Drac’s Coffin Cakes’, one of my favorite ANS titles?

Yes, yet another great bottle rendering, and a monster-themed Wacky - don’t think this product could have been parodied any better.

Offline RawGoo

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1721 on: August 24, 2019, 10:56:54 PM »
I love everyone's comments on these...different perspectives and observations.

Here is Coffin-Mate and Coffee-Mate...



Fantastic gag, and the tag line and character are perfect.  They nailed the label, and the glass jar and metal lid are awesome.  I wouldn't change a thing. 

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1722 on: August 30, 2019, 01:14:58 PM »
Uncle Bum's Convicted Rice and Uncle Ben's Converted Rice...



Offline RawGoo

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1723 on: August 30, 2019, 01:22:43 PM »
Uncle Bum's Convicted Rice and Uncle Ben's Converted Rice...



Love the gag and the characters, but even as a kid, the "prefered" misspelling bugged me.
« Last Edit: August 30, 2019, 01:24:29 PM by RawGoo »

Offline MoldRush

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1724 on: August 30, 2019, 03:56:16 PM »
Uncle Bum's Convicted Rice and Uncle Ben's Converted Rice...


The parody is very much a product of its time.  The notion of loitering, panhandling, begging, etc being jailable offenses is probably unfathomable to most in today’s world, at least in big cities.  Not to mention the term ‘bums.’  Come to think of it, the ‘bum’ is an often-used character and concept throughout the OS Wackys.  Bum Bums Candy, Bum’s Baked Beans, Bum’s Life Magazine, Earth Bum Shampoo, Uncle Bum’s and probably a few more.

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1725 on: September 02, 2019, 06:23:10 AM »
Casket and Cascade...



Offline Baked Bears

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1726 on: September 02, 2019, 06:54:25 AM »
I like how the parody box also has a metallic sheen.  The funeral wreath is a nice touch.  I would have transferred the starburst from the original to the coffin on the parody.

Offline bigtomi

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1727 on: September 02, 2019, 08:36:28 AM »
Casket and Cascade...
We use Cascade so every time I load/run the dishwasher, I think of this sticker. In my head, I hear: "Don't wash-bury your dishes". OK, sometimes I even say it out loud.   :o

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1728 on: September 04, 2019, 06:26:23 PM »
Mold Power and Cold Power...



Offline RawGoo

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1729 on: September 05, 2019, 11:20:11 AM »
Another great entry in this series!  Wonderful gag, a character made out of the wave, and tag lines that really go with the gag.

Offline RawGoo

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1730 on: September 05, 2019, 11:22:21 AM »
We use Cascade so every time I load/run the dishwasher, I think of this sticker. In my head, I hear: "Don't wash-bury your dishes". OK, sometimes I even say it out loud.   :o

Me too!

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1731 on: September 07, 2019, 08:20:12 PM »
Finishing up the vintage 10th series, Badzooka and Bazooka...



Offline RawGoo

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1732 on: September 08, 2019, 03:34:13 PM »
Finishing up the vintage 10th series, Badzooka and Bazooka...



Not a lot to do with this one so a mediocre gag, but they nailed the wrapper and writing, and got a character in. 

Offline MoldRush

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1733 on: September 10, 2019, 07:49:18 PM »
Agree it’s hard to do much with the longer thinner packages, but I still like this one for the strong nostalgia I have for this format of Bazooka.  These packs had the so-called “dollar size” comics, which are not anywhere near as abundant today compared with the small comics.  Also a nice touch to show the unwrapped gum with the little crimp marks that make it easy to break into bite-size pieces.  And I agree the painting / rendering of the packaging is top notch.

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1734 on: September 11, 2019, 08:38:38 PM »
I was dreading comparing parodies to real products in the vintage 11th series, mainly because it is comprised of many magazine parodies which don't have an exact issue or cover that it's spoofing. The artists who worked on the magazine parodies used 100% creative freedom on them. So....starting off the 11th series, we have The Saturday Evening Ghost and The Saturday Evening Post. Note: there was never a May 1975 issue in reality, but I posted images of the April and June 1975 covers for comparison.



Offline mikecho

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1735 on: September 12, 2019, 11:37:00 AM »
I was dreading comparing parodies to real products in the vintage 11th series, mainly because it is comprised of many magazine parodies which don't have an exact issue or cover that it's spoofing. The artists who worked on the magazine parodies used 100% creative freedom on them. So....starting off the 11th series, we have The Saturday Evening Ghost and The Saturday Evening Post. Note: there was never a May 1975 issue in reality, but I posted images of the April and June 1975 covers for comparison.


I think that it'll be very interesting to see what the magazines looked like back then.

I remember that, when I was a kid, my mom would buy Woman's Day and Family Circle every time that we went grocery shopping (until both of them got too expensive for her to do so). Every. Single. Time. Without fail.

It's a pity that both of them were going to be Wackys in the 1970s, but that only Family Circuit made it and Roman's Day didn't. Oh, well, maybe when someone finally decides to release the rest of the 1970s magazine parodies that didn't make it at all (possibly in any future 1970s OLDS series (hint hint, nudge nudge))...

Oh, and I haven't forgotten Famine Circle from the lost 1992 Series, either.

Just in case anyone's interested, here are the 1970s magazine parodies known to exist that didn't get released at all (the information is taken from lostwackys.com in its '74 Wacky Magazines section (except for Cyclone Toons, which is taken from its Lost Wackys section in the category Jay Lynch 1970's Unproduced Rough Art: Black & White)):

*Rotting Zone (Rolling Stone (still waiting for this one to be released in a future 1970s OLDS series, guys!))*
*Creep (Creem)*
*Cyclone Toons (Cycle Toons)*
*Eater's Digest (Reader's Digest)
*Foodoplay (Photoplay)*
*Grumpy Dumpty's Magazine (Humpty Dumpty's Magazine)
*Henhouse (Penthouse)*
*Madamgazelle (Mademoiselle)*
*Roman's Day (Woman's Day)*
*Salami Street Magazine (Sesame Street Magazine)
*Song Hates Magazine (Song Hits Magazine)*
*True Confetti (True Confessions)
*Zit Parader (Hit Parader)*.

These were all done by both Art Spiegelman and Jay Lynch (Jay's Wackys are marked with an asterisk; the ones that aren't are Art's). Only Rotting Zone exists as a finished Wacky, the rest of them are all roughs done in either black and white or color.

The 1985 Series also released these three magazine parodies:

*T.V. Ghoul (T.V. Guide)
*National Retirer (National Enquirer)
*Pimple Weekly (People Weekly).

However, the 1991 Series only released one:

*Popps Magazine (Topps Magazine).

The one 1991 Series parody was drawn by Drew Friedman and painted by Patrick Piggott. I don't know who did the artwork for the three 1985 Series parodies.

Now, as a bonus, here's some more magazine parodies from the lost 1992 Series that also haven't been released - yet:

*BOB Magazine (BOP Magazine)
*Boy's Lice (Boy's Life)
*CHIN (SPIN)
*Famine Circle (Family Circle)
*Heaventeen (Seventeen)
*LG (Louse & Garbage) (HG (House & Garden))
*Sad (Mad)
*Scar (Star)
*Soldier of Misfortune (Soldier of Fortune)
*Spleen Beat (Teen Beat)
*TV Died (TV Guide).

The roughs for these parodies were also drawn by Drew Friedman and, except for two of them (CHIN and Heaventeen) that exist only as rough art, the finished art for the rest of them was also painted by Patrick Piggott (two of these parodies, however (Famine Circle and LG (Louse & Garbage)), are unfinished, having only their titles and illustrations on both of them and the text for both of them on their roughs, but not on their final paintings).

Three finished magazine parodies from this series, however, have been released:

*Cranked Out! (Cracked)
*Harassame Street Magazine (Sesame Street Magazine)
*Richie Retch Big Chunks (Richie Rich Big Bucks).

The first two parodies were done by Tom Bunk and the third parody was done by John Pound. Strange that their magazine parodies for the lost 1992 Series were officially released, while Drew and Patrick's for the same series still remain officially unreleased.

Next, there were two fiction book parodies that were both made for the 15th Series (and which had also both been made into now-classic films by that time):

*Gums (Jaws)
*The Clodfather (The Godfather).

As everyone here knows, obviously, the first one was released and the second one wasn't (still waiting for this one to be released in a future 1970s OLDS series too, guys!). Also, I don't know who did the artwork for these two, either.

Later, the 1991 Series released three children's book parodies (one Little Golden Book parody and two Beginner Books by Dr. Seuss parodies) and one series book for pre-teen girls parody:

*Little Dead Kitten (The Shy Little Kitten)
*One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Dead Fish (One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish)
*The Rat in the Cat (The Cat in the Hat)
*The Baby-Splitters Club #1313: Separated at Birth-Day (The Baby-Sitters Club #21: The Trouble with Twins).

Another Beginner Book by Dr. Seuss parody was intended for this series, but it wouldn't be released until 2005 in ANS2:

*Plop on Pop (Hop on Pop: The Simplest Seuss For Youngest Use)

However, the lost 1992 Series has only one finished book parody (which was a series book for teen girls parody this time and, like this series' magazine parodies, again hasn't been released - yet):

*Sweat Valley High #666: Playing for Creeps (Sweet Valley High #49: Playing for Keeps).

Both the series book for pre-teen girls parody from the 1991 Series and the series book for teen girls parody from the lost 1992 Series mentioned here were, again, drawn by Drew Friedman and painted by Patrick Piggott. In the 1991 Series, Tom Bunk did the first and third children's book parodies in the above list and John Pound did the second children's book parody in the same list as well as Plop on Pop.

Well, not counting the ones that are being mentioned here now and the ones that will be mentioned later on, that's all of the known periodicals (i.e., books and magazines) that were parodied (or not) by Wacky Packages in (and outside of) the OS run and before 2004.

« Last Edit: July 15, 2021, 12:58:23 AM by mikecho »

Offline Baked Bears

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1736 on: September 12, 2019, 02:44:30 PM »
I never really got into the magazine parodies (and still don't now) and believed they signaled the beginning of the end for Wackys.  First of all, there were too many of them at one time.  It was an onslaught.  One or two here and there might have been okay, but too many was exactly that: too many.  Secondly, they were supposed to be their own set - and should have been.  Instead Topps used a marketing ploy to get us to buy the magazine parodies by mixing them in with Wackys.  (This is similar to what they are doing to us now with WP and GPK.)  Finally, the product parodies are superior to the magazine parodies.  The product parodies looked like the products they were parodying - in terms of container shape, logos, lettering, etc..  This was a large part of what made Wackys appealing.  The only thing the magazine parodies did was mimic the cover title lettering.  Everything else was made up (as Swiski pointed out.)  They didn't even bother to parody any iconic covers.  Although it has been over forty years, I still remember how my friends and I were disillusioned - even disappointed - by the magazines.  We just couldn't elevate the magazines in stature in regard to the Wackys that came before, and they came in second place.

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1737 on: September 13, 2019, 05:10:58 AM »
I never really got into the magazine parodies (and still don't now) and believed they signaled the beginning of the end for Wackys.  First of all, there were too many of them at one time.  It was an onslaught.  One or two here and there might have been okay, but too many was exactly that: too many.  Secondly, they were supposed to be their own set - and should have been.  Instead Topps used a marketing ploy to get us to buy the magazine parodies by mixing them in with Wackys.  (This is similar to what they are doing to us now with WP and GPK.)  Finally, the product parodies are superior to the magazine parodies.  The product parodies looked like the products they were parodying - in terms of container shape, logos, lettering, etc..  This was a large part of what made Wackys appealing.  The only thing the magazine parodies did was mimic the cover title lettering.  Everything else was made up (as Swiski pointed out.)  They didn't even bother to parody any iconic covers.  Although it has been over forty years, I still remember how my friends and I were disillusioned - even disappointed - by the magazines.  We just couldn't elevate the magazines in stature in regard to the Wackys that came before, and they came in second place.

I agree. The magazine parodies were always my least favorite too. I also wish they would have spoofed iconic covers of these magazines. However, there is a Lost Wacky rough sketch of an unused Time magazine parody that spoofed a Man of the Year cover.


« Last Edit: September 13, 2019, 05:17:52 AM by Swiski »

Offline mikecho

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1738 on: September 13, 2019, 06:06:12 AM »
I agree. The magazine parodies were always my least favorite too. I also wish they would have spoofed iconic covers of these magazines. However, there is a Lost Wacky rough sketch of an unused Time magazine parody that spoofed a Man of the Year cover.


Actually, Tomb was finally, officially released after all these years in OLDS 5.

According to lostwackys.com (and you guys and gals can take this information with at least a shakerful of salt, as I know most of you will anyway) at least three magazines were said to have dropped from the final release: this one, Rotting Zone and Schnozmopolitan. Schnozmopolitan was, of course, officially released in three separate series (four if you count the Jay Lynch tribute series, which had an altered, modernized version). That leaves only Rotting Zone to be officially released so far and then it'll be finished (unless Topps releases all of the unmade ones somewhere along the way).
« Last Edit: September 16, 2019, 12:38:25 PM by mikecho »

Offline mikecho

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1739 on: September 13, 2019, 06:33:15 AM »
I never really got into the magazine parodies (and still don't now) and believed they signaled the beginning of the end for Wackys.  First of all, there were too many of them at one time.  It was an onslaught.  One or two here and there might have been okay, but too many was exactly that: too many.  Secondly, they were supposed to be their own set - and should have been.  Instead Topps used a marketing ploy to get us to buy the magazine parodies by mixing them in with Wackys.  (This is similar to what they are doing to us now with WP and GPK.)  Finally, the product parodies are superior to the magazine parodies.  The product parodies looked like the products they were parodying - in terms of container shape, logos, lettering, etc..  This was a large part of what made Wackys appealing.  The only thing the magazine parodies did was mimic the cover title lettering.  Everything else was made up (as Swiski pointed out.)  They didn't even bother to parody any iconic covers.  Although it has been over forty years, I still remember how my friends and I were disillusioned - even disappointed - by the magazines.  We just couldn't elevate the magazines in stature in regard to the Wackys that came before, and they came in second place.
Hey Rob, look on the bright side.

At least they weren't like Fleer's Crazy Magazine Covers, which came out at about the same time (and which were parodied years later (very accurately, I'd say) in OLDS 1 as Crappy Magazine Covers).

Compared to those three series (actually two series, with the second one re-released with the exact same stickers as before, but this time with new stickers parodying school textbooks of that time), the Wacky Magazines were absolute masterpieces!

Believe me, there's about as much difference between the Wacky Magazines stickers and the Crazy Magazine Covers stickers as there is between a cabbage and a potato.

The only thing that I don't know about both of them is - who was imitating whom?
« Last Edit: September 15, 2019, 05:12:54 PM by mikecho »

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1740 on: September 15, 2019, 08:31:04 PM »
Seventon and Seventeen magazines. To me, the parody cover looks like an illustration made from a photo the artist found of a similar girl in a similar outfit, but thin of course and without the food. It wasn't from a specific Seventeen cover. I checked covers from several years and didn't find a match. Perhaps an advertisement or article inside the magazine? We'll never know.



Offline sco(o)t

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1741 on: September 15, 2019, 08:58:52 PM »
Seventon and Seventeen magazines. To me, the parody cover looks like an illustration made from a photo the artist found of a similar girl in a similar outfit, but thin of course and without the food. It wasn't from a specific Seventeen cover. I checked covers from several years and didn't find a match. Perhaps an advertisement or article inside the magazine? We'll never know.



Agreed, This is the closest I could find but can't really make out the year so it may even be after the Wacky release. 



« Last Edit: September 15, 2019, 09:01:36 PM by sco(o)t »
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Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1742 on: September 18, 2019, 12:47:52 PM »
I noticed that they updated the calories (upper right corner) on the 1982 album reprint from 50 Calories to 150 Calories...



Offline mikecho

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1743 on: September 18, 2019, 01:26:43 PM »
I noticed that they updated the calories (upper right corner) on the 1982 album reprint from 50 Calories to 150 Calories...


Yes, they did. I take it that it's supposed to be the price of the magazine (which, I guess, was $0.50 in 1974 and $1.50 in 1982 (ah, those were the days! Where did they all go, I wonder?)).

By the way, is the 1982 Album sticker on the right supposed to be faded like that or not? Just wondering...
« Last Edit: September 18, 2019, 01:40:04 PM by mikecho »

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1744 on: September 18, 2019, 07:24:44 PM »
Yes, they did. I take it that it's supposed to be the price of the magazine (which, I guess, was $0.50 in 1974 and $1.50 in 1982 (ah, those were the days! Where did they all go, I wonder?)).

By the way, is the 1982 Album sticker on the right supposed to be faded like that or not? Just wondering...

Not sure. Either inferior reprinting on Topps part, or someone had their scanner on the bright setting.

Offline mikecho

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1745 on: September 19, 2019, 10:50:52 AM »
Not sure. Either inferior reprinting on Topps part, or someone had their scanner on the bright setting.
Okay, I thought maybe that you had purchased it from someone who accidentally (I hope) left it exposed to sunlight or some other kind of bright light too long.

Offline MoldRush

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1746 on: September 19, 2019, 05:09:56 PM »
It seems sometimes the ‘mastering’, for lack of a better word, of a particular title in a given series leaves something to be desired, and the end result is that all production copies look weak and faded.  Not sure if that happened with Seventon, but an example comes to mind where the revisiting of an OS title in a later series shows a marked improvement - ShotTissue.  The 1982 Album print is nice and sharp with saturated color, whereas the 8th OS version is a much more faded yellow.  I guess if it was never reprinted it wouldn’t be noticed, but this distinction has been present in every copy that’s come through my hands, either version.  I guess the 8th version might be closer to what the real product looks like though - those outer wrappers of the individual rolls have always been very light pastel colors.

Offline MoldRush

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1747 on: September 19, 2019, 05:11:56 PM »
If I already raised this point during the 8th Series discussion, please excuse the senior moment!
 :-X :-X :-X

Offline Swiski

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1748 on: September 19, 2019, 08:16:22 PM »
No worries...most of us are seniors now!

Here is the next one - National Geografink and National Geographic. Again, no matching cover. But both are dated May 1975.
Note the fancy border design on the parody doesn't match the mid 1970s cover style. The artist referenced an issue from the 1960s or older. That border design was retired in the summer of 1966.


« Last Edit: September 19, 2019, 08:30:59 PM by Swiski »

Offline drono

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Re: Gag Criticism, Variation, and Packaging
« Reply #1749 on: September 20, 2019, 01:10:10 PM »
I went to a doctor's office about 10 years ago and picked up a National Geographic because it had an article on National Parks.  As I was reading it, I kept thinking, "wow those pictures look like they're from the '60s."  I looked at the date on the magazine, and it was.  It might have been the one that you chose on the right.