Monthly Archives: February 2024

Jinty and Lindy 26 February 1977

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Haunted Ballerina – Gypsy Rose tale (artist Christine Ellingham)

Sue’s Fantastic Fun-Bag! (artist Hugh Thornton-Jones)

Tell Us – problem page

Sceptre of the Toltecs (artist Cándido Ruiz Pueyo/Emilia Prieto)

Love this Ladybird! – feature

Made-Up Mandy (artist Audrey Fawley)

Freda, False Friend (artist Phil Gascoine)

The Big Cat (artist Ana Rodriguez)

Just Joking – feature 

Star Scene Spotlights Superguy: Gareth Hunt

The Mystery of Martine (artist Trini Tinturé) – final episode

Mark of the Witch! (artist Phil Townsend)

Alley Cat (Rob Lee)

The issue contains the first appearance of Christine Ellingham artwork for Jinty, the Gypsy Rose story “Haunted Ballerina” (below). A panel from the story is the most striking of the three on the cover, a terrifying teaser as to what awaits inside, and it’s the first to hit us in the leading spot. The story itself is a cautionary tale to be careful about second-hand goods, as you never know what might be attached to them. Deanna Blunt discovers this the hard way when she picks up a mirror and ballet shoes at a jumble sale for her ballet practice – only to find herself terrorised by the embittered spirit of a ballerina who lost her career.

“The Mystery of Martine” concludes. The reason why Martine started behaving just like the obsessed woman she played in a theatrical drama remains as obscure as ever. But at least they found the solution – change the ending of the play to one where the crazed woman reforms, after which Martine somehow returned to normal. Starting next week is another Jim Baikie story, “Spell of the Spinning Wheel”. 

In “Mark of the Witch!”, being driven out of her own home is the last straw for Emma Fielding, who is constantly treated like an outcast, called a witch, and branded a bad sort by the backward villagers of Kettleby who just won’t give her a chance. It’s time for payback, and she’s going to do it by being the terror of the village. She starts with breaking and entering to steal food, but she soon has her eyes on an even bigger vengeance, one that will shape the climax and resolution of the story.

Spotty pulls a trick with clockwork cat full of dynamite on Alley Cat, but it backfires on him before Alley Cat even plots his revenge. Things backfire on Sue this week as well. She is so paranoid about her fun-bag Henrietta pulling tricks that she gets herself into so many scrapes trying to stop them – and then finds Henrietta wasn’t even doing anything. 

As if things weren’t bad enough for Malincha because of her evil sorcerer uncle, this week she has another enemy – jealous Clare, who is spreading rumours that Malincha is some kind of witch.

“Made-Up Mandy” gets into all sorts of scrapes with her disguises, but this one has to be the wackiest by far – she finds herself in charge of taking a sea lion to the zoo, and she has to carry it all across London!

“Freda, False Friend” isn’t actually a false friend. It’s just that she has the unenviable task of pretending to befriend Gail in order to spy on her family for her policeman father. This week, Freda saves Gail from drowning, but when they are picked up by a police launch, it could blow Freda’s secret.

In “The Big Cat”, things look up for runaway Ruth and her cheetah when she finds a job with Mrs White. Unfortunately, the blurb for next week says that just when things are finally going right for Ruth, something is about to go very wrong.   

Princess #22, 18 February 1984

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  • Sheena and the Treetoppers (artist Rodrigo Comos)
  • The Saddest Dog in Town (artist Eduardo Feito)
  • Rowena of the Doves (artist Peter Wilkes)
  • Flight from the Romanys (artist Maria Dembilio) – first episode
  • How Trendy are You? Quiz
  • Horse from the Sea (artist Rodrigo Comos)
  • The Runaway Clown (artist José Canovas? or Miguel Faster?)
  • Stefa’s Heart of Stone (artist Phil Townsend, writer Alison Christie)
  • Sadie in Waiting (artist Joe Collins)
  • Laura in the Lyon’s Den! (artist Bob Harvey)

Princess is now running on the same print as Tammy, and her stories are a mix of her own and reprints from Tammy and Jinty. Former Jinty readers would have been crying if they knew “Stefa’s Heart of Stone” was being reprinted here, as she was one of Jinty’s most popular stories and there was huge demand for a reprint in the 1980 Pam’s Poll. As Stefa, a long serial, is still in her early episodes in a title that will merge with Tammy in six issues, it is no wonder she carried over into the merger. Other reprints are Jinty’s Horse from the Sea (which enabled some of the original artwork to survive) and Tammy’s Rowena of the Doves. 

Sheena has a lead to save her treehouse from being demolished. It’s the old lost will scenario that could save the property if found, but where the %#$*!@ is it? Sheena decides to go and check the old mansion on the property, but what a spooky place it is. It’s a test of nerves.

Sammy, the saddest dog in town, can’t find his original owners. He has good friends to help, but their hopes of finding Sammy’s owners are dashed again this week. 

Spoiled, rebellious Laura is put to work in the kitchen of Mrs Lyon’s store. She is beginning to surprise herself in enjoying the work and even defending old battle-axe Lyon. 

The Runaway Clown is now training as a wire walker. But her trainer won’t let her use a safety net and she’s only a beginner. Yikes! 

An upcoming merger isn’t stopping Princess from starting new stories. This week it’s Flight from the Romanys, where a high-class girl, Lydia Parks, gets kidnapped by gypsies to be their slave. What a shock to the system for such a sheltered, pampered girl. At least Lydia is not a spoiled brat, so she’s an instant sympathetic character. 

In Sadie in Waiting, Grovel the grovelling butler tries his hand at cooking because Princess Bee is entertaining an Eastern princess. Desert rat stew, scorpion soup, sheep’s eyes and camel steak are on his menu and the gags for the story (including the gagging we readers are doing already).

Tammy 18 February 1984

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Cassie’s Coach (artist Tony Coleman, writer Alison Christie)

Foul Play (artist John Armstrong, writer Ian Mennell)

Julie’s Jinx (artist Julian Vivas, writer Nick Allen) – final episode

Pam of Pond Hill (artist Bob Harvey, writer Jay Over) – new story

Where’s Your Valentine? – Quiz (writer Maureen Spurgeon)

The Button Box (artist Mario Capaldi, writer Alison Christie)

Dear Diary – I Hate You! (artist Maria Barrera) – first episode

Plans for a Wedding – (artist Carlos Freixas) – complete Valentine story 

Valentine Chuckles

My Terrible Twin (artist Juliana Buch)

Make His Heart Melt! – Valentine Cookery Feature

It’s Valentine’s Day, and we honour the occasion with Tammy’s final Valentine issue, from 1984. And now it is 2024 – forty years since the issue was published. Happy 40th!

Inside, Tammy honours Valentine’s Day with Valentine’s Day features, a quiz, and a story about an upcoming wedding with a problem – two feuding aunts who will both be attending. Will the aunts’ feud spoil the wedding, or will the family find a way to sort them out and have a happy wedding, aunts and all?

The Button Box could have also gone for something romantic for Valentine’s Day, but instead it’s a historical period tale about “Rebecca”, a 19th century protest movement against exorbitant road tolls, with the protesters smashing toll-gates while dressed as women. The protest in the story ends in arrest (except for the protagonist’s father, who manages to escape), but “Rebecca” makes its point and helps to standardise the tolls. 

The issue also marks where Tammy stopped printing credits, so it is not known who wrote her new serial, “Dear Diary – I Hate You!”. Susie Judd passes a scholarship exam to a top boarding school, but on arrival she discovers she unwittingly packed her sister’s diary, which says she cheated in the exam. This makes things awkward for Susie, as the school really means business about its motto, “Honesty Always”, which seems to be plastered everywhere the eye can see. She gets paranoid about what if someone finds out what’s in the diary. There’s one “what if” we can sense already, as Susie has been warned about a dodgy girl at the school. The girl hasn’t appeared yet, but it’s obvious she’s going to be the villain of the story.

Tammy’s historical period serial, “Cassie’s Coach”, is on its second episode. Cassie and her siblings find an old coach from a junkyard to live in after their mother is wrongly jailed and they lose their home. However, this week it stirs up jealousy from both the upper class (the previous owner of the coach) and the lower class (Cassie’s old neighbours), and Cassie cops the spite at both ends. Fortunately, at both ends there are also helpers to the rescue.

“Julie’s Jinx” reaches its final episode. Julie Lee does not know whether a Romany corn doll she gave her friend Gloria is a jinx or not, but Gloria’s pony has been acting strangely ever since she had it, and now spiteful Cindy has spread rumours about it being a jinx. What a relief when they find a rational explanation – the doll was giving the pony an allergic reaction. 

That’s one mystery solved, but in “Foul Play”, the mystery of who is conducting a vendetta against a hockey team after an accusation of foul play (with nothing proven about it) continues. This week, the vendetta strikes several members of the team in one blow. 

Pam of Pond Hill also starts a new story, which enters the world of ballroom dancing. Pam’s classmate Francesca, after splitting up with her ballroom dancing partner when she’s close to a ballroom competition, chooses Goofy to be her partner instead. Pam is seriously wondering what the hell Francesca is thinking of – and, considering Goof’s disco dancing disaster at the beginning of the episode, we do too.

“My Terrible Twin” Lindy gets away with gatecrashing a fashion parade, but it was still gatecrashing. What does that say about how far she is on the road to reform after being paroled? A test for her looms when the landlady wants the flat redecorated. 

Jinty 10 February 1979

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The cover tells us it is the final episode of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, one of Jinty’s longest and most popular stories. The final episode is a four-page spread, just as the first one was. Talk about bookends. Nobody, including our two heroes, knew just what to expect when they reached the home called Rainbow’s End. As it turns out, it is definitely not what anyone expected and it’s quite a surprise ending. 

“The Girl Who Never Was” reaches its penultimate episode, and it looks like there’s going to be a surprise ending with this one as well. Tina Williams, after passing a test to overcome the nasty thoughts that sent her into a parallel world, is now returned to her own world, but she is startled and confused to find herself in darkness. What sort of homecoming is this?

Inspired by a quiz show, Sue asks Henrietta for a spell so she will know everything. Sue should have known by this time that asking for things like that from Henrietta only gets her into a spot. And it does so again, of course. 

Sue Cathcart, “Prisoner of the Bell” and class slacker, is dodging French homework, but she reckons without grandma and her power of the bell. When the bell rings, it forces Susie to her schoolwork without realising. But although Susie doesn’t realise what is going on, someone else has now been alerted to it – fellow slacker Lorraine.

Sea-Sister recruits a school of fish to help Jane’s father, who’s in trouble at sea, and finally gets the stone that must be returned to the sea. But Jane is now asking questions about what’s going on.

Lisa Carstairs continues to go to selfish lengths to ensure “She Shall Have Music”. This week she persuades her mother to get a cleaning job at a music shop, just so she can have access to a piano. But Dad’s so put out at Mum taking such a low job that they’re not speaking to each other. It’s a shock for Lisa, who’s never seen her parents argue before, and it’s her fault. Will the shock finally knock some of that selfishness out of her?

In “I’ll Make Up for Mary”, Ann works on her bike riding to be more like Mary, but it results in bike theft and angry parents. Everything Ann does to be like Mary turns to custard, and it can only do so again as long as she pursues that course. 

Fran never stops stumbling from one scrape to another with her antics. The monkey business over the circus gorilla she unwittingly let loose is finally dealt with by tranquilliser dart and returned to the circus. But no sooner has she gotten out of that mess when she gets herself into another, where she accidentally sets off the school fire bell after provoking Slobberchops the bulldog into chasing her. 

Jinty 5 February 1977

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Cover artist: Phil Gascoine

  • The Silver Fox (artist Phil Gascoine) – Gypsy Rose story
  • Sue’s Fantastic Fun-Bag! (artist Hugh Thornton-Jones)
  • Sceptre of the Toltecs (artist Cándido Ruiz Pueyo)
  • 25 David Soul Albums to be Won – Free! (competition)
  • Made-Up Mandy (artist Audrey Fawley)
  • Freda, False Friend (artist Phil Gascoine)
  • How the Stars Say “Thanks” – feature 
  • The Big Cat (artist Ana Rodriguez)
  • The Mystery of Martine (artist Trini Tinturé)
  • Alley Cat (artist Rob Lee)
  • Nature’s Wonderful Ways – feature 
  • Mark of the Witch! (artist Phil Townsend)
  • Beautify Your Boots! – feature 

It’s February, so it’s time for some February issues.

Phil Gascoine artwork takes the cover spot in this February issue, in a panel from the Gypsy Rose story, “The Silver Fox”. It was rare for Gascoine to draw a Gypsy Rose story, probably because he was frequently busy with Jinty serials. However, this week’s Gypsy Rose tale is an exception. In the story, Cassie Roper finds herself terrorised by a mysterious silver fox when her family want to convert an empty cottage. Is someone or something trying to drive them away from it?

In addition to the Gypsy Rose story, Gascoine continues to draw “Freda, False Friend”. Talk about double duty. In the story, poor Freda Barlow is forced to befriend Gail Grand as part of an undercover police operation her father is running, but she feels guilty as hell about it because she likes Gail. Her guilt grows this week as Gail becomes more convinced than ever that Freda is her friend. 

Meanwhile, in “Mark of the Witch!”, Alice Durrant is a true friend to Black Emma, who is branded an outcast and a witch by the backward villagers of Kettleby. This week Alice makes some progress in convincing Emma of her good faith – until Emma’s embittered father sticks his oar in. Now Emma thinks she has been taken for a ride. 

Ruth Lee is also taken for a witch by backward country folk in “The Big Cat”. She and her cheetah Ayesha have to risk a bog to get away from the mob, who are so stupid they don’t even know a cheetah when they see one.

Witchcraft whispers are also brewing in “Sceptre of the Toltecs”. Jenny and Malincha again stop the evil Prince Telqotl from getting his hands on the sceptre, but their classmates are whispering about weird things happening and getting scared of Malincha. And now Telqotl’s trying to make an ally out of one of them, the jealous Clare. 

The nightmare of “The Mystery of Martine” intensifies for Tessa as her sister Martine’s strange behaviour grows even more dangerous. Despite it all, Tessa can still manage to keep up her ballet, but now a jealous rival is out for blackmail.

Mandy gets into all sorts of scrapes because of her disguises, but this is one of the most dangerous – face to face with an escaped lion at a safari park! Still, that’s nothing on the next peril – Mandy’s hated employer Miss Agate offering to give her a touch-up makeup job for the cameras, which threatens her secret. 

A lion is nothing on three horrors Sue’s mum is lumbered with in “Sue’s Fantastic Fun-Bag!”. In seconds they’re trashing the place. Sue hopes some sweets will help matters – and with a little magic from Henrietta, they do. Henrietta’s “sweet” punishment soon gets rid of the little demons, never to return.

Spotty’s mansion is chosen for a film shoot, and he doesn’t want Alley Cat around for it. He should have left well alone, because his trick to get rid of Alley Cat backfires so badly that the shoot is called off and he gets a spanking.