Thumper and the Seven Dwarfs "Better Little Book", Whitman No. 1409

In 1943, the Carl Buettner-illustrated story, Thumper and the Seven Dwarfs, was issued as a Dell Four Color Comic. The following year in 1944, it was re-bound and sold in the Better Little Book series (no. 1409).

The color images from the comic book were not carried over to the Better Little Book. Instead, the pages are illustrated in black ink only. This volume is part of the All Pictures Comics series and was produced in Racine, Wisconsin by Whitman Publishing Company.

The comic is the first to mix Bambi characters with those from other Disney films. The story follows Thumper, who falls down a hole and discovers Dopey digging away in the mine.

Doc invites the rabbit to come back to the cottage where they build him his own bed.

The next day, after the Dwarfs have gone off to work again, Thumper stumbles across the wishing well.

The wild adventure begins that evening with a visit by the Giant from The Brave Little Tailor.

A fun little tale, it holds up well after all these years.

The leaves are not numbered, but the book looks to be over 175 pages in length. Measures 3.75" x 4.5".

Additional cover image via Heritage Auctions.

Special thanks to Major Pepperidge of Gorillas Don't Blog for his recent generous donation of this book to the Filmic Light Collection.

"Vacationland" Magazine - Snow White Covers

Published by Disneyland, the 1961 summer issue of Vacationland magazine featured Snow White on the cover. Joining her were the dwarfs, a costumed balloon vendor, and a young park guest.

Magazine images courtesy of Major Pepperidge via Gorillas Don't Blog.

A similar photo, one that clearly originated from the same shoot, was used on a 1965 trading card. The card set was produced by Donruss (see earlier Archive entry). It's quite similar to the magazine cover yet different, including the addition of another young guest. And we can see the card image was also printed in reverse.

The only mention of Snow White inside the 1961 magazine is in the article, "The Happiest Show on Earth--Disney Cartoon Stars to Make Daily Appearances" (p.5). It reads:

Disney artisans have been busy as the Seven Dwarfs since the first of the year, creating - among numerous other show-stoppers - - the Seven Dwarfs themselves! (Along with Snow White, they're featured on the front cover of this VACATIONLAND issue.)

Eight years after the Vacationland cover had been published, a third image from this same photo shoot was used. It appeared in the 1969 Walt Disney's Disneyland book by Marty Sklar. 

Book image scans courtesy of Molly the Disney Freak via The Disney Freak's Blog.

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In the spring 1974 issue, Snow White would again be featured on the magazine cover, this time with a young park guest in front of the Grotto statues. There doesn't appear to be any mention of the princess inside, though.

Charlie McCarthy Meets Snow White, Whitman No. 986

Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy were no strangers to working with Walt Disney. Throughout the 1940s, Bergen starred in no less than four different live radio broadcasts of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (see earlier post). Of course, they also appeared in the very humorous Mickey and the Beanstalk segment of Fun and Fancy Free (1947) and on the television special One Hour in Wonderland (1950).

Yet before all this, we find that Edgar and Charlie were actually featured in the following 1938 book, Edgar Bergen's Charlie McCarthy Meets Walt Disney's Snow White (no. 986). Published by Whitman Publishing Company.

Front Cover

Title Page

We've seen before the madcap scenarios that can arise as personalities from different stories are thrown into the mix together, like in the 1947 comic Thumper Meets the Seven Dwarfs. Then there was the 1967, The Wizard Of Bahs, where the Dwarfs and Old Witch end up as characters in the land of Oz. But uniting Charlie McCarthy with the Snow White gang has to be one of the earliest--and strangest--mashups of all.

The book is written almost as if it was taken from a transcript of a live radio performance. In fact, it's quite possible that is exactly what it is. The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show aired for nearly 20 years, getting its start in May of 1937. Episode #33 occurred on the evening of December 19, 1937, two days before the Carthay Circle premiere of the Disney film. According to old-time radio author Martin Grams, Jr., the cast of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs appeared on this episode and performed a recreation. Unfortunately, a recording hasn't been found of this program. Yet this book might very well represent what occurred during that performance.

Bergen begins the book by telling Charlie that he has a great treat in store for him. McCarthy is introduced to the Dwarfs and over the next ten pages, nearly meets his match in Grumpy.

Next Charlie meets the Queen and talks to the Magic Mirror.

Snow White enters and Charlie thinks she's "a knockout." It's funny how the illustrations sometime depict Charlie as being dummy-size and in others as tall as the princess.

Charlie saves the day by locking the Old Witch in a closet.

Edgar Bergen was an immensely popular performer. So it makes sense from a selling point that Walt would want to link the ventriloquist's most well-known persona with his own box office hit Snow White. However, when you think about it, it's just a little unusual that someone known for his exceptional ventriloquism is featured in a book with no means of showing off his talents. Just another reason why I think this may simply be a transcript-turned-book from a live radio performance.

What a terrific look back at a time when the personality of a dummy named Charlie could steal the show.

Text and illustrations copyright Whitman/Disney. Posted here for historical documentation purposes only.

Special thanks to Major Pepperidge of Gorillas Don't Blog for his insights on The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show and especially for taking the time to photograph and share the pages of this book from his collection.