PLAYHOUR

Publishers: AMALGAMATED PRESS / FLEETWAY / IPC
Dates: 21st May 1955-15th Aug 1987
Issues: CLICK HERE to view issues, super-size cover images and values in 9 grades

As a classic British pre-school comic and for its longevity, this is a title with massive nostalgic appeal so is quite collectable.

Note: 1st Playhour & Chick's Own: 15th Mar 1957. 1st Playhour & Tiny Tots: 31st Jan 1959. 1st Playhour & Harold Hare: 11th Apr 1964. 1st Playhour & TV Toyland: 2nd Mar 1968. 1st Playhour & Robin: 1st Feb 1969. 1st Playhour & Hey Diddle Diddle: 22nd Sep 1973. 1st Playhour & Bonnie: 17th May 1975. 1st Playhour & Fun To Do: 13th Mar 1982. 1st Playhour & Chips Comic: 6th Aug 1983.

Originally published under the title Playhour Pictures, the title was shortened with issue 32 to Playhour. Playhour was intended as a companion to Jack and Jill, initially aimed at a slightly older audience. The lead strip in its early days was "Prince, the Wonder Dog of the Golden West", drawn by Sep E. Scott. With issue 32 (21 May 1955) it lowered its target age-group and introduced comic strips based on A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, both drawn by Peter Woolcock.

1956 saw the arrival of "Sonny and Sally of Happy Valley", two children (and their pet lamb) who were to be associated with the title until its demise in 1987; Sonny and Sally wrote the weekly editorial letter and children writing to the editorial address (Cosy Corner, The Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London E.C.4 — the address of the publisher, Amalgamated Press) would receive replies signed by Sonny and Sally.

The stories of Sonny and Sally (drawn by Hugh McNeill) were initially related in rhyming couplets, as were a number of other early stories, although by the end of the 1970s the stories were written in normal prose form. Others were told in captions below the illustration, or text comics, as Playhour avoided the use of word balloons.

Playhour contained a mixture of original tales for young children and adaptations of well-known fairy tales (drawn by Nadir Quinto, Ron Embleton, Jesus Blasco and others).

Total value for all issues of this title listed:

Condition

PR
1.0
FR
1.5
GD
2.0
VG
4.0
FN
6.0
VF
8.0
VF/NM
9.0
NM-
9.2
NM
9.4
MINT
10.0
Issues 1678 1678 1678 1678 1678 1678 1678 1678 1678
Total £ 430.00 859.90 1,280 2,570 4,950 8,490 12,930 31,550 21,460

Note: some PR issues may have no value. Selected issues in FN, VF or VF/NM may not exist in some titles.