Jack-in-the Box Comics, one of two one-shots published by the Charles Publishing Company in 1946, features (among other stories) the tale of a sentient rag doll named Stitches, who lives with Santa at the North Pole.
As Christmas Eve rolls around and Santa is loading his sleigh with toys, Stitches asks to come along. Santa tells him no, but Stitches isn't a doll who takes no for an answer. Soon, he's loaded up a bag of reserve toys and is following Santa in a hastily-constructed sleigh of his own design.
While Santa properly delivers toys to individual homes, Stitches simply drops them over towns as he flies over. On his way home, he gets lost in a fog, crashes into an iceberg, nearly gets eaten by a bear, gets lost at sea on a small slab of ice and is frozen solid by the time he's found and brought home. Santa thaws him out and he's presumably learned his lesson about being obedient.
I don't know why I like this story. The art, tentatively credited to Al Fago, does give it an aura of cuteness. And Stitches' sled is undeniably cool. The story itself and the character of Stitches, though, are largely forgettable. So I suppose it is the art work. In comic books, there are times when the art can lift up an otherwise mundane tale. This is one of those times.
You can read the story online HERE.
I did not consciously plan to do so, but I just realized I'm doing a Comics in the Public Domain theme this month. Last week was a Billy the Kid story; this week is Stitches the Doll; and next week will be an early Spy Smasher tale that is also now copyright free.
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