Free Gift Transfers in Comics

Page 11 of 20


A Red Herring

Before we get to the main event of Popeye transfers, I thought I might quickly mention these four issues of TV Comic: 1480, 1481, 1482 & 1483 (25th April to 9th May 1980), each of which came with more free stickers. However, we do know that these stickers were definitely not by Letraset; they were, in fact, printed by Fun Products, of Leeds.

pic

pic

Above: from No.1480; below: from 1481.

pic

Many thanks to wrongshoe for many of the images on this page.


TV Comic: 1530 (17th April) to 1533 (15th May 1981) — Popeye Transfers [LP147]

The whole business of "stickers/tattooze/skin transfers/iron-ons/rub-down transfers" is potentially quite confusing, but that's mainly because Letraset didn't always stick to their core technology — rub-down transfers. They were perfectly willing to print any of the other types if the client expressed a preference, & in this case we have a set of four skin transfers, which normally Letraset would refer to as "tattooze".

A quick look at this trade ad for Letraset's other products should clarify matters.

(N.B.: although I've tried to be consistent with the use of the traditional term "Free Gifts", Letraset were going for a long time & didn't have the luxury of consistency. So they refer to them in this ad as both "premiums" — the US term — & "give-aways". I'm sure you got that right away…)

pic

It's hard to tell exactly what the transfers are going to look like applied, when you have to view them through their backing paper:

pic

These scans courtesy of wrongshoe

(But see also below!) No.1530: LP147/2 — No.1531: LP147/1 — No.1532: LP147/4 — No.1533: LP147/3

pic

From No.1530; let the Editor know what you thought of the Popeye film.

pic

Since I own a copy of three of these four issues myself, I dared to remove the backing papers for a better look at the transfers! Here they are flipped, for your reading convenience.

pic

"Printed in Italy" refers, of course, to Sodecor.


• Next Page: Eagle 17th & 23rd December 1983 — Ultraman Poster & Transfer (LP221) →

Other pages in this article about Free Gift Transfers in Comics:


Picture Credit: The SPLAT Scan Archives — wrongshoe