2002 Little Lulu and Tubby Classic Comic Character Series Figures
2005 Little Lulu and Tubby Vinyl Figures
In the 2000s Dark Horse Comics produced two different Little Lulu and Tubby figures along with their reprint of Little Lulu comics.
In 2002 Dark Horse Comics made Little Lulu and Tubby figures as part of their Classic Comic Character Series. Lulu is #32 and Tubby is #33. They were part of a limited edition of 550 with 2002 © GBPC, a subsidiary of Golden Books Family Entertainment. The characters, sculpted by Yoe! Studios, are about 4" tall, and come in a tin that is 7 1/2" x 3". Inside the lid of the tin is a little pin of Lulu or Tubby and a little brochure about the character, it's creator Marge, and the series of characters.
About the series, it states: "The Classic Comic Characters line of statues from Dark Horse Comics has its roots in the past. In 1944, Pillsbury Mills offered a premium series of twelve wood-resin statures based on popular King Features Syndicate comic strip characters (there are twenty-fur original King Features statues in all). For twenty-five cents and an Enriched Farina cereal box top, you would be sent the latest character. These statues are commonly referred to as "Syrocos," based on the company that invented this unique material and style. The King Features/Farina Cereal series and a host of other products known as "Syroco" statues have become of great interest to collectors, as production of these types of figures stopped by 1950. Dark Horse picks up where they left off, continuing the series and remaining faithful to the charming look and feeling of the original statues."
About Little Lulu, it states: "During Little Lulu's first years in the Saturday Afternoon Post, she established her popularity as a mischievous scamp in a series of single-panel gags. It was only after Marge ended that relationship that Lulu burst forth as a more multidimensional character, not only something of an imp, but an intelligent and caring problem-solver as well. Although she appeared in over two dozen animated cartoons from Famous Studios in the 1940s, it was really in the comic books written and laid out by John Stanley that Lulu realized her true potential. Fans of Stanley's work are particularly fond of the fairy tales Lulu spins for the pesky Alvin, all involving Witch Hazel and "a little girl" portrayed by Lulu. Stanley initially handled all the comic book art himself, but by the late 1940s, Irving Tripp and Charles Heddinger took over the artwork, Tripp inking Heddinger before he eventurally assumed both duties."
About Tubby, it states: Lulu's boyfriend, and just as ofter her nemesis, Tubby Tompkins really came into his own in the Little Lulu comic-book series, which was largely the work of writer/artist John Stanley. Beginning in 1945, the comics fleshed out the cast of characters created by Buell, and placed them in some wondrously created adventures that staned as some of the finest the medium has produced to date. Tubby always had an eye out for a free meal and was a prime mover in the "boy's club" that included the other "Junior Paratroopers," Iggi, Eddie, Willie, and sometimes the wealthy Wilbur Van Snobbe. Tubby also had a secret identity as "The Spider," a Sherlock Holmes-style sleuth who was a master of oddball disguises. The ongoing joke in these stories was that the mysteries solved by the Spider always had the same perpetrator: Lulu's Pop. In his own spin-off comic, Tubby frequently had memorable encounters with a group of miniature green men from Mars."
In 2005 Dark Horse Deluxe, ™ of Dark Horse Comics, made Little Lulu and Tubby vinyl figures. They are about 8" tall. These figures have © 2005 Classic Media, Inc., are sculpted by Yoe! Studios, and are made in China.
Page last updated 12 Jan 2006.
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