Lidsville Comic Books
Between October 1972-October 1973 five Lidsville comic books were published by Gold Key comics.
Some of the stories in the comics were inspired by episodes of the series but many drastically deviate. For example, "The Giant Hat'erpillar" begins as a takeoff of "Mark and the Beanstalk," but instead of Hoo Doo stealing the boy's identity, the pair arrive at the top of the beanstalk with Weenie, where they meet a hooded giant. Oh yeah, and Hoo Doo turns into a caterpillar. I'm certain Charles Nelson Reilly was glad he didn't have to endure that makeup.
Surely to uphold the Comic Book Code, Boris the Executioner's Hat was omitted from the comics, though photos of the character appear on several covers. Weirdly, however, there seems to be more depravity going on under the surface here too, including the original story titles "Bunsmoke" and "The Red-Hooded Hatpeckers." (Red-Hooded Hatpeckers?!!!!) Shaggy-haired Mark was cartoonized (and bears a certain similarity to the Chuck Jones caricature of Butch Patrick in "The Phantom Tollbooth") and given a more coiffed hairdo. Weenie the Genie was depicted slightly more masculine, and his character was less bumbling than the character in the series. Plump Mommy Hoo Doo also got a comic makeover, complete with svelte waisteline and more hag-like appearance. Hoo Doo himself was clearly based on Charles Nelson Reilly, though his trademarked red beard was inexplicably colored black.
STORIES
ISSUES
1. October 1972
STORIES:
World in a Hat - When Mark stumbles into Lidsville, Hoo Doo and his cohorts mistake the boy for a spy.
NOTE: This is a loose adaptation of the first episode of the series.
The Plaid Hatter's Tea Party - Hoo Doo proclaims himself The Plaid Hatter and invites Mark and Weenie to a tea party which includes magic cookies.
2. January 1973
STORIES:
Help! It's Mommy Hoo-Doo! - Hoo-Doo is uncharacteristically nice when he becomes ill, so Mommy Hoo-Doo arrives to get him back to being his usual rotten self.
NOTE: Inspired by the episode "Mommy Hoo-Doo."
Pen Pal Plot - When Hoo-Doo signs up for a Lonely Hearts Club, he's greeted by the resident hag of Living Island, Witchiepoo.
NOTE: A loose adaptation of "Have I Got a Girl for Hoo-Doo."
3. April 1973
STORIES:
The Crabby Crabgrass - When Hoo Doo forcefully insists that the townsfolk buy his new cottages, Mark decides to sabotage the evil magician by having Weenie whip up a magical batch of crabgrass... complete with crabs.
The Calico Conspiracy - Mark and Weenie plan to escape Lidsville via a patchwork hot air balloon, but Hoo Doo decides to impose steep taxes the balloon's calico fabric.
4. July 1973
STORIES:
The Giant Hat-erpillar - After a magic beanstalk sprouts in Lidsville, Mark, Weenie and Hoo Doo find themselves face-to-face with a giant.
NOTE: This story is an adaptation of the episode "Mark and the Beanstalk," though the ending drastically deviates from the TV episode.
Bunsmoke - Hoo Doo and his evil cohorts become obsessed with TV westerns.
5. October 1973
STORIES:
Sir Rip Van Helmet - After Mark discovers a knight who's been sleeping in Lidsville for hundreds of years, Hoo Doo decides to exploit the knight as his one-hat army.
The Red-Hooded Hatpeckers - When the red-hooded hatpeckers begin destroying all of the homes in Lidsville, the good hat people look to Hoo Doo for a solution.
