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In 1942, Toosie Rolls, "America's Favorite
Candy," dug up some unusual stories to sell their treats
via comic book advertising. World War II was just becoming a
reality to most American's as these images of high-energy heroes
inpired readers of True Comics #2 to consume candy.
In retrospect, the vignettes presented here seem
shocking, even a little horrifying. This ad from the outside
back page of the comic book begins with an example of bad parenting
when Pilot Clark's little girl is be left untended near an running
airplane. Today, such irresponsibility would require an investigation
by Child Protective services and may lead to criminal charges
of child endangerment.
The second episode involves a tragic fall, a family
with no health insurance and a doctor who hands out tootsie
rolls as health food. Consumer protection was unheard of, and
when it came to health claims for food and drugs, it was truly
an era of "buyer beware."
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