Wonderland Burlesque's Down The Rabbit Hole: Who Doesn't Love A Big Boy?

Wonderland Burlesque's

Down The Rabbit Hole

Who Doesn't Love A Big Boy?

Adventures of the Big Boy (initially The Adventures of Big Boy) was a promotional comic book given free to children visiting Big Boy restaurants. Intended to give the kids something to do while they waited for their food, the book involved the escapades of Big Boy, his girlfriend Dolly and dog Nugget. Kids could also join the Big Boy Club which offered them free Big Boy hamburgers, decoder cards, pin-back buttons and other premiums. At one time the comic touted a distribution count of three million copies. 

Timely Comics was commissioned to produce the book, with the first issue appearing on July 1, 1956. In the first year, Adventures of the Big Boy was written by none other than Stan Lee, and he continued doing so until 1961. It was initially drawn by Bill Everett, Sol Brodsky, and Dan DeCarlo. Then, starting in the mid-70s, Manny Stallman drew the series, followed by Bob Bindig who drew the series until it ended in 1995.

Because of the distinct East and West Coast Big Boy mascots, dual versions of the comic book, featuring the same storyline were produced. And, in 1976, Shoney's - a branch of the franchise - began publishing their own  version which featured an older, leaner Big Boy, with his siblings Katie and Tripp replacing Dolly and Nugget. After 75 issues, it's name was changed to Shoney's Fun and Adventure Magazine, featuring Shoney's own mascot, "Uncle Ed" bear. 

In 1996, after 39 years and 466 issues, Big Boy canceled the comic book replacing it with a magazine called Big Boy Magazine, which featured stories about television and pop stars, games and puzzles, and revamped, modernized cartoon characters.  However, after 63 issues, this version was canceled in 2008.

 

Can you tell the difference between... 

The East Coast Big Boy and the West Coast Big Boy?

(Mmmm. Maybe it's a matter of taste.)

I guess you know what you're gonna find between the covers.

- uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

Big Boys - Keke Palmer, SZA, Cecily Strong, 

Ego Nwodim, and Punkie Johnson

Big Boys - Chuck Berry