I'm not really sure when and where I picked up this frosty read. According to my records, I paid 50 cents for it. So I must have gotten it at a con or comic shop sale. Based on the cover, I had filed this 1960 comic in with my holiday books. But I may need to rethink that now.
There are about a dozen stories in this book. You'll have to forgive me for not being all that accurate. The cover was hanging on by a single staple and some prayer. I've already re-bagged this book and don't want to risk further damage by taking this 62 year old comic book back out for a looksie.
The majority of the stories are set during winter time. Some examples include Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam taking a wrong turn at Albuquerque and winding up at an ice festival in the Alps. Porky Pig plays intermediary between Jack Frost and Old Man Winter trying to outdo each other. Daffy and Elmer Fudd conduct some Looney Tunes level shenanigans when Elmer refuses to let the duck into his warm and cozy cottage. The story between Tweety Bird and Sylvester as well as Foghorn Leghorn and plucky Henery Hawk's adventure seem awfully familiar to me. I swear that I've seen animated versions of both those stories as a kid!
There's also some characters that I am just not all that familiar with and most of those episodes are the ones that do not occur during winter. A little girl named Suzanne, who appeared only once in a 1955 Fritz Freleng short starring Sylvester the Cat, visits a sick friend. A tiny mouse named Sniffles and his human friend, Mary Jane, help a tired gopher find a safe place to hibernate. Finally, readers are taken South of the Border to meet the family of Little Pancho Vanilla.
That story is full of stereotypes. However, it's nothing compared to how the character appeared in the sole 1938 Merrie Melodies short that bears his name. And if you thought the portrayal of Speedy Gonzales and his lazy mouse friends were bad, try reading a similar story drawn with human characters.
This Dell Giant also contains a character that I've grown-up with all my life but never encountered a story starting them until now. Porky's forgotten girlfriend Petunia Pig was on not one but two Pepsi glasses. Both were said to be my Grandmama's favorite glasses in the series as she was a fan of the character. I now own those very glasses and cherish them. Yet it's only in the Porky Pig/Jack Frost/Old Man Winter story that I've finally come across a story starring Petunia! (It's taken 45 years, folks!)
The unofficial title to this comic doesn't lie. 3/4 of this issue is full of winter fun. Since Pancho Vanilla lives closer to the equator and his story involves rain, that tale very well could occur in Mexico's winter season. I just don't know. The reason I put this book in holiday was that I hoped it might have a couple of Christmas themed stories inside. Only, I knew how fragile this book was and didn't want to damage it until I was ready to read to find out for sure.
I was originally gonna to read this for my 2022 Christmas reads. But after that first story, I realized that this wasn't as such. So I kept this out until after the holidays. It was a fun read; though a story or two is a bit racist in its caricature. As for where to file this book, I'm assuming it's now going to get categorized as a 'Kids Cartoon, Non-DC/Marvel'. I'll probably file it under letter D for Dell Giant in my long boxes.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
