Travelin' Toughy--Part 1

 

cover artist unknown

Ding Dong, published by Magazine Enteprises in 1946 and 1947, was a humor comic that apparently ran for only five issues. Within its pages, readers could enjoy the wacky hijinks of several characters whom I consider to be unjustly forgotten.

One of these is a kid named Travelin' Toughy. The writer who shared Toughy's unusual adventures is unknown and the aritst was Ted Miller. His adventures begin in Ding Dong #1 (1946)

We aren't told anything about Toughy's background, but it's apparent that he's wandering around on his own and we quickly learn that he's "mean and tough and hates everybody!" We know this because he says this aloud while sitting on the sidewalk and sulking.

 

But Toughy might have a heart of gold after all. When he notices an old woman crying because she lost her rug, he immediately decides to find her a new one.

He scrounges up an old rug from a condemned house. Then the story takes a delightfully weird twist. The old woman magics the rug so that it can fly and lets Toughy keep it. The only condition is that he must perform one good deed a day for the rug to keep its power.

Toughy puts the rug through its bases, discovering it can reach amazing speeds and perform aerial acrobatics. But there's still that daily good deed to perform. So when he spots a kid has injured his leg, Toughy gives him a lift to the hospital.

Unfortunately, its an animal hospital. But it works out okay, because the injured kid's dog is there and arrangements are made for the kid to stay with him.

And that's it. The art and the story drips with just the right amount of cuteness and silliness and it's simply fun to read. We'll continue to follow Toughy through his brief career as a comic book character, returning for Ding Dong #2 in two weeks. In the meantime, you can read this issue HERE. 

Next week, we'll visit with the Fantastic Four.