ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Back in the Baby Boomer days, young people didn't have cell phones and video games to do all their creative thinking for them.

But we did have science fiction and fantasy books to read, and Saturday matinees to watch, along with wonderful toys we held in our hands while we imagined our own great stories!

We also had close friends who would join us in the imaginary adventures which were inspired by the books and the toys and the movies!

And then, of course, there were those amazing comic books which provided us with hours of enjoyment. The stories were fantastic, the writing was amazing, and the artwork . . . well, the images like the one below fired our imaginations even more than today's IMAX 3D movies.





And yet, when we got to end each comic book and the story ended . . . we discovered yet another kind of adventure which awaited us!

Those pages in back of each comic book contained a wealth of new and wondrous marvels — and we could actually purchase these marvels for just a few dollars!

After doing so, these treasures would be brought to our doorsteps by the US Postal Service!

Here are a few examples of the treasures which we youngsters could receive back in the days when young minds like ours were not hindered by the invasive technology which has now robbed our youth of their natural ability to dream big . . .

Please share with the members of All Sci-Fi your own memories of that by-gone era. And if you’d like to order any of the items shown below, just add a reply and I’ll personally expedite your order . . . free of charge!

Compliments of All Sci-Fi!
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After watching Them! at the Saturday matinee, I'm sure some of us were eager to have a swarm of tiny monsters in our bedrooms — all set to burst from their glass prison one night and eat the whole family!





Maybe you dreamed about being a great general someday and commanding a vast, unstoppable army of tiny plastic soldiers who charged across your bedroom floor and defeated the enemy!

And all for just a $1.25.





Of course, if you got tired of playing with tiny toy soldiers, you could just head out to the back yard and blast the enemy with this!

Click on the image below to view a larger version and read the product details.





Perhaps you were more of a Navy man and wanted to command a submarine. The dandy item below was 7 feet long, and only cost $6.98. That's less than one dollar per foot. What a bargain!

It's even large enough for two kids!

Click on the first image below to view a larger version and read the product details.








On the other hand, maybe you dreamed about being a secret agent on a dangerous mission, armed with your hi-tech three-in-one pistol which shot standard BB's, hard-hitting pellets, and steel darts!

A bargain which was not available in foreign enemy countries for just $3.48.





Having trouble with bullies at school?

The ad below was the answer to your problem!





Perhaps your imaginary time machine carried you back to the Revolutionary War, and you felt compelled to fight for American Independence!

You could join this army of miniature Americans and help send those Red Coats fleeing back to King George!





As long as you've time-traveling back to the early days of America, you might as well take along the materials to build a proper house!





Maybe your passion was to fight organized crime with that legendary detective, Dick Tracy — complete with your own Wrist Radio! Miraculously, it requires no batteries and no electrify, all for just $3.98.

Zoom in on the image for the amazing product details!





Perhaps you preferred this version, which isn't a "Dick Tracy" radio — but it had an earbud!





You and Dick Tracy could mow down those dirty old gangsters with this lethal weapon!





Hey, who knew that flying cars were sold in vintage comic books!


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Before you order the item shown below, ask your father to fence off the back yard so your new dinosaur won't wander off and eat all the pets in the neighborhood!


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You'll need to ask both Mom and Dad if they'll let you order THIS rather surprising item!





After Mom says "Hell no!" to the above item, she might agree more readily to this.


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If Mom objects to growing monsters in the house, perhaps you could compromise with these cute little critters.







But do not show your mother THIS ad or she'll never agree to the Sea Monkeys!





However, I can't imagine why any parents wouldn't want their child to have one of these . . .





If your parents balk at the idea of a tripod-mounted machine gun, tell them you'll settle for one of the items shown below. Remind them that as an American citizen you have the right to bear arms!





Raise your hand if you were just itchin' to have THIS item, shown below!

(Ah, I see the vote is unanimous.)





And here, of course, is the famous 7-foot-tall Frankenstein monster "with glowing red eyes and arms that reach out for you!"





Here's a keen item you would have loved to show your little sister!





This next item might seem too good to be true — but we all know that comic book ads never lied.





Be sure to order THIS item before you blast off in your Jet Rocket Space Ship!





If you and your buddies tended to "Bond" with the spy craze, this item was a must!





How many kids must have begged their parents to buy them the costumes shown below?

The original ad looked terrible, folks, so I spent an hour restoring and enhancing it.





Last but not least, here's the infamous X-Ray glasses, which we all used to probe the mysteries of the female form . . . without those pesky clothes blocking our view!





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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Gord Green]

Bud, What a FABULOUS post!!!

A friend of mine dropped in and said "Hey kid....You still reading comics at your age?'


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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Pow]

Thanks so much for posting these memories for me, Bruce. As an avid comic book collector I recall each and every single one of these ads. Don't believe I ever ordered any of 'em, but who knows, I might have?

[Bud Brewster]

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Gentlemen, let's revisit the days of your tender youth with a closer look at one of those wonderful comic book ads I posted above.

I was amazed when I read the description of the "General Sherman Tank", with all it's astounding features!

But the text is jammed together in a way that appalled my strict standards of good writing . . . so I spent two hours turning this —





— into the version shown below.

Please read the astounding claims which the ad below makes for this product. My God, if only they had all been true!

Start with the list under "Features", then read the text below. It's amazing!





Guys, I'm not presenting all these comic book ads to show how gullible we were back when we were young! I'm doing it to prove that ads like the ones above inspired our imaginations.

Few of us ever ordered the products — but ALL of us dreamed of owning these items!

Here's what I mean.

Back in 1956 — when I was eight years old — my family bought a new hot water heater, and my parents let me have the large rectangular box it came in to play with the back yard. One of the long sides of the box had been sliced open to remove the water heater.

So, it was sort of shaped like a cardboard "canoe".

In my backyard, I turned that box into an imaginary rocket ship by punching holes in one end and installing Tinker Toys as knobs on the interior, for my cockpit controls.

I remember sitting inside the box on a sunny afternoon and twiddling the wooden nobs while I journeyed to a planet I called Timbuktu (a name I'd heard on TV).

I figured it was right next to Timubuk-Three!

My point, guys, is that those comic book ads inspired millions of kids like me to use their imaginations to create their own versions of the outrageous products which the ads they saw in the comics couldn't actually provide.

However, those imaginative ads did the same thing which the stories in the comic books did — as well as the science fiction literature the kids read back in those days.

So, we really shouldn't feel like the ads above where just fraudulent claims for bogus products. They were inspirational messages to a generation who went on to help put a man on the Moon!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Gentlemen, I actually found a photo of the General Sherman Tank, shown above.

As I suspected, it was made of cardboard and had to be folded and assembled after arriving at the customer's home.





So, the product itself does indeed resemble the artwork in the magazine ad . . . but the inside would be as hollow as my cardboard box/spaceship. That means the ad was filled with bogus claims which glorified the "tank" outrageously.

And yet, if I can enjoy piloting a cardboard box/spaceship to the planet Timbuktu when I was eight years old, I'm sure there were hundreds of kids who bought the cardboard tank and had fun reenacting the "Battle of the Bulge" in their backyards!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[WadeVC]

I always wanted the Sea Monkeys!!!
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"You look like a pooped out pinwheel."
-Robot Monster

[Bud Brewster]

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Wade, say the word and I'll have Amazon ship the item below to you! It's our way of saying thanks to the member who's only nine posts away from breaking 200 . . . in just seven weeks!

Sea-Monkeys® Ocean Zoo - World's Only Instant Pets® - Assorted Colors

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And if you're wondering what Sea Monkeys look like up close, here's one of the little monsters "in the flesh"!





By the way, after two months without any high "guests counts" on All Sci-Fi, today we had this on display at the bottom of the main index!
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In total there are 189 users online :: 1 Registered, 0 Hidden and 188 Guests

Most users ever online was 907 on Sat Jun 01, 2024 1:12 pm
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I submit that the recent activity you've contributed has caught the attention of the folks out there in cypberspace who keep an eye on All Sci-Fi for new and interesting contributions!

Wade, that is yet another reason why you've earned the Sea-Monkeys® Ocean Zoo shown above!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[WadeVC]

[Bud Brewster]

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I think it looks both beautiful and strange!

I'd gladly be friends with it, if we had common interests . . but I wouldn't date his sister.

Just sayin . . .
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[WadeVC]

I am really surprised that this thread hasn't garnered more replies.

Just as many of us watched the classic Sci-Fi movies of days past, we all also read comic books and have seen these advertisements.

I can't even count how many of these offerings I dreamed of ordering but never did.

This post is a fantastic blast from the past and conjured up many memories.
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"You look like a pooped out pinwheel."
-Robot Monster

[Bud Brewster]

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Thanks for the kind words! When I started creating the post I wasn't sure I'd be able to find the sort of ads I needed to make the thread interesting.

Fortunately I found plenty of great ads, and I had fun cleaning up the images, enhancing the colors, and boosting the sharpness.

We might not have gotten many replies so far, but currently the thread has 1,362 views!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)