Oh, Yeah!

Vaudeville was big in 1975. I mean huge. HUGE! And nobody was more into it than your average 5-11 year old Kool-Aid drinker, so when the makers of this soft drink mainstay decided to promote their little packets of powder in the pages of a freebie comic book it was only natural that they should tap into the vaude-mania currently sweeping the nation and produce a giveaway that was three cups of Borscht Belt and one pitcher full o'fun.

In 1975, Kool-Aid Man was not yet Kool-Aid Man (in his brief appearances in the pages of this comic he's never referred to by name and was only trademarked as "The Smiling Pitcher") and so a recurring character or two needed to be whipped up in order to give "Kool-Aid Komics" a thread of continuity. Enter Shecky and Soupy. That's what I'm calling them. I don't think their names are mentioned in the book, either. Shecky and Soupy did the best they could with the material given them, but they weren't miracle workers. This wasn't a third season Buffy script by any means. But it was free when you bought 5 packets of Kool-Aid so what more do you want. Nowadays 5 packets of Kool-Aid could set you back twenty cents, thirty years ago they must have paid you to take it out of the store.

I posted a small selection of "Kool-Aid Komics" gags and puzzles on my first blog (the deleted-in-a-fit-of-Blogger-pissing-me-off-ness Plastic Pumpkins 1.0) with snappy comments attached, but this time around I'm foregoing most of the snark in favor of posting the whole comic, cover to cover. It's much better that way, believe me.

Click 'em to get 'em big enough to read-

Nothing says "Drink More Kool-Aid!" like two full pages of Moth Jokes.

I would poke a nun with a pitchfork if I thought that would get me one of those Kool-Aid drink stands.

If anyone cares, shortly after appearing in the pages of "Kool-Aid Komics" #1 Shecky gave up show biz and joined an ashram in Matawan, New Jersey. Soupy eventually drank himself to death on Man-O-Mangoberry Stingers.