1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 45

     It's February 14th! That means it's time for love, romance, and being with the one you love. Unless you're single and then you hate all that crap... I understand, I was in that boat myself for a very long time.

     Even if you don't like Valentine's Day, I thought it would be fun to look at the cards people were giving to one another in my favorite year. Enjoy...

Ziggy- It wasn't love or the 70s without this creation of cartoonist Tom Wilson. The bald little guy was everywhere and if you found yourself in a pinch having forgot to give your sweetie a card, Ziggy was in every drug store in America to help save the day.

Holly Hobby- Little girls loved Holly Hobby. She was like a poor girl's Barbie or her country cousin. Little House on the Prairie was big in the late 70s and Holly Hobby's Go West look cashed in on the Michael Landon hit show set in the 1880s.

Puppy Love- Animals were all the rage in the 70s. This little card was a pun as many Valentine's Day cards for children often are.

 Valentine's Fun- I don't recall every getting a Valentine's Day card like this from my mom or anyone else. But I do remember the activity card fondly. The best cards were one's where you could do fun and games and other stuff. But it was always best if the card had cold hard cash inside. This activity card allowed you to create paper dolls you could play with alone or share with friends.

McDonald's- The Home of Over a Billion (hamburgers) Served had the market on kids dining choices throughout the 70s and 80s. Though this card is from 1974, I remember these, as for several year's each Valentine's Day, you could get a set of cards from Mickey D's with purchase of a happy meal. (I seem to also remember these came with a coupon for a free ice cream sundae, but don't hold me to that.)

Reissues- For a very long time, companies would reissue the same Valentine's Day cards year after year. That's clearly not the case any more as it is faux pas to give your friends the same Pokemon Valentine two years in a row! The biggest offender was Disney. They had created numerous cards from around 1938 until the late 60s and reissue the same lot over and over and over. Here's an example of a 1960s created card for teacher that came in a 1977 Disney pack of cards:

DC Comics- Did you think I was going to pass over the super heroes? Come on now! This set of cards is highly sought after by collectors. The beautiful artwork of Dick Giordano and Jim Aparo is just stunning.
    With the first card- I'm not sure what's up with the weird and very random dots...

 I had to include this image as it features one of my all-time favorite superheroes- Supergirl. I'm not ashamed to admit it, I love Supergirl! I love the whole Superman family but I am huge fan of the Maid of Might. Poor Flash, however, stuck in the friends zone...

Oh Deer-  Now this card is interesting. I remember finding in when packing up things after my mom died. She had given this card to my dad sometime probably from 1976-78. It's another animal pun Valentine...

So that's my look at Valentines of 1977. I want to point out that yes, being a November baby and being told that I was several weeks late, I was more than likely conceived during some Valentine's shenanigans. So to commemorate that possibility, I have a little Valentine's Day card for you my dear readers. Yes, it's crude and a little irreverent but that's me to a T... Happy Cupid Day, Everyone!!!