Nursery comics are not something I had much experience with in my youth. Probably the closest was the various Rupert Annuals my grandparents had. As such reviewing Toby is a new experience for me.
Let’s see what’s inside shall we?
Toby
The cover is given to the titular strip of Toby the Terrier, continuing a serialised tale. Toby and his human friend Robert have found treasure on an abandoned Elizabethan ship (it is unclear in this instalment if they travelled back in time or if it is just remarkably well kept). The villagers from the island come for salvage but Toby and Robert manage to get the ship out to sea.
Like all the comics inside they operate as an old-fashioned text comic, with numbered captions below the illustrations. The story also feels like something of another time. More Enid Blyton than the kind of children’s stories coming out of the 70s. Fine but very slight.
Grandma Next Door
Paul and Pam want to make a Birthday cake for their grandma. They don’t have enough candles but Grandma doesn’t want that many anyway.
An incredibly slight tale, even for children.
Fun at School With Miss Muddle
The same also applies to the next tale. Tim’s little Brother Billy wants to come to school badly even though he is too young and insists on coming into Billy’s class. So Miss Muddle gives him some paper and asks him to draw a picture as homework.
The Flumps
Next is a spin-off of the short-lived BBC TV show about little lumps of fluff. The Flump children notice snails coming towards Father’s lettuce. Father talks to grandfather Flump about it, who then takes the snails away and gives them old lettuce to keep them away.
I have not seen the series, but I imagine it had more incident in episodes than the Flumps observing something and talking about it. Even the Watch with Mother shows are more involved.
The Little Prince
Not the French satirical fantasy, rather the tale of young pseudo-Germanic nobleman. David is playing with his bog Bruce but has to go in for an art lesson. Suddenly a stranger arrives at the front door wanting to ask about the dog. To be continued.
This one is very hard to judge as it seems to be the beginning of a serial. The art is strong and the cliffhanger is solid but this is all just setup.
Pixie Fun
In the middle is a double page colour spread of joke stories involving a variety of animals. They are all silly but profoundly more enjoyable than much of the rest of the comic, with more speed and solid structure.
One Day When The Sun Was Shining
Romper Rabbit and the farmers are pleased when it turns out grandpa fox has disappeared and giant footsteps are all that remains. However, his grandson Goody Fox is upset and, so, Romper and Goody set out in a boat to find him. They are waylaid by a mysterious cloaked figure who tells them to stop searching.
With 11 panels, this has the most story of any piece in the issue but, whilst it has more incident, I don’t feel it uses it effectively. Instead it reminds me of kids comics of the 50s but put together less effectively.
Num Num and His Funny Family
In this anthropomorphic feline story Num Num’s friend Never-shut the-door is invited round for dinner. Never-shut-the-door gets the milk out of the fridge but does not close so it defrosts.
One interesting feature of this is that captions talk directly to the audience, in contrast to the standard narration of the rest of the text comics. However, with its strong moralistic tone it comes out more as a passive-aggressive PSA. I came out more feeling sorry for Never-shut-the-door (a child and with that name, why did no one quicky check) than taking a moral lesson from it.
Patty and her Magic Puppy
Patty is offered to feed a carrot to a horse, but she is nervous about it biting her. So, the puppy makes the carrot large so there she can feed it from a distance.
A silly little piece with only 4 panels. Feels a bit sharper than the rest as it forced into such a small space but also forgettable.
Teddy in Toyland
asks for his wheels to be repainted. Teddy agrees but whilst Spotty’s wheels are drying he has to do everything for him. When they are finally dry Teddy is exhausted and concludes he will go shopping alone in future.
I am not sure I like the message or structure of this story, it seems to be trying for humour but just comes across as grumpy and mean-spirited to me.
Outside of these there is also a puzzle page. There is only one advert in this comic, and not one that necessarily dates well:
Overall
I have to say I found the whole thing disappointing. I know I am coming at it from years later and I am not the right age bracket, but I enjoy many things from the 70s and I have a child I regularly read picture books with. But I find this old fashioned for the time and I have trouble believing this would hold his interest for very long at all.
Next time, we return to 90s Marvel UK, with Cyberforce #6:
Will this be any better than my last venture into this strange realm? Find out next time.
Corner Shop Time Stop 