Tag Archives: magic object

The Portrait of Pauline

Mandy,

Plot

When selfish Pauline Grey gets her portrait done by a street artist, she is told that it will show the true nature of the sitter. Pauline does not believe it, but changes her mind when the portrait begins to change for the worse. Realising she must change her ways if the portrait is to improve, Pauline makes genuine efforts to do so, but things tend to go wrong and the portrait ends up looking bad again.

Pauline 1

Notes

  • Artist: Terry Aspin

Appeared

  • The Portrait of Pauline –  Mandy: #1226 (14 July 1990) – #1239 (13 October 1990)

 

Beatty’s Bingo Card

Mandy,

Plot

Beatty Ward is a selfish girl who always wants her own way, and she never helps out or shows consideration for others. One day Beatty grumbles about there being no bingo for kids, but then she is surprised to receive a bingo card in the post – on a Sunday. It comes with the message: “A prize more precious than them all, if by full moon, full house you call.”

It makes no sense until Beatty brings home a football jersey with the number 3 on it and then the number 3 just vanishes from the card. Greed overtakes Beatty and she becomes determined to get all the other numbers on the card by the full moon to collect the riches that must surely be waiting for her.

But as Beatty goes about collecting numbers she finds herself helping others to get the numbers; in one instance she buys a doll for a girl in exchange for an old book with the number 10. She gets up early one morning to look for the last number left on the card, 65, but her mother thinks she is up early to make them breakfast and tells her how nice that is of her. Beatty makes the breakfast as she knows her mum is grateful of the help and then goes looking for the number.

She has no luck, and when she returns home she find the house on fire! She manages to rescue her parents though they end up in hospital. While waiting on news, Beatty realises she doesn’t want money, she just wants her parents to be okay. When she is allowed see her mom she doesn’t care that the room number is 65. A lot of people that she helped end up offering help to the Wards, like a place to stay while their house is repaired.

The number 65 does disappear from the bingo card and the message changes to: “The precious prize that you shall hold is not money, jewels or gold. Kindness and love in thought and deed will make you rich in the life you lead.” Beatty agrees with this new message and will keep the bingo card as a reminder.

Beatty

Notes

  • Artist: Tom Hurst

Appeared

  • Beatty’s Bingo Card –  Mandy: #1217 (12 May 1990) – #1228 (28 July 1990)

 

Topsy Turvey

Mandy

Plot

Topsy Turvey is given a kangaroo pendant from her Great-Uncle Fred in Australia. It comes with a note to say it comes from an Aborigine witch-doctor and Topsy is to use it sparingly and wisely. Topsy soon realises what this means – the pendant has the power to upside-down the personality of anyone who looks at it, such as nice people turning nasty or shy people confident. If used correctly, the pendant’s power is very helpful, but it backfires on  Topsy if it is not. Eventually the pendant loses its power from overuse.

Turvey 2

Notes

Appeared

  • Topsy Turvey –  Mandy:  #966 (20 July 1985) – #977 (5 October 1985)

 

Teddy

Mandy, , ,

Plot

Sarah Hutton is spoiled and selfish. At a Halloween party she mocks a witch, and the witch retaliates by putting a spell on her old teddy bear. Teddy comes to life, and starts making Sarah’s life a misery because of the bad way she used to treat him.

Teddy

Teddy says he will keep on until Sarah has learned her lesson. But instead he goes to the lengths of threatening to burn down the house. As Sarah tries to stop him, she trips and bangs her head on a wheelbarrow and is knocked unconscious.

When Sarah regains consciousness she finds herself back at the Halloween party. She had hit her head on the wheelbarrow at the party. The Teddy terror had all been just a dream Sarah had while she was knocked out.

Sarah is back on the brink of throwing Teddy into the bonfire before her encounter with the witch. There is no witch this time, but Sarah decides to keep Teddy and send all her other toys to a children’s home. This suggests she will be a better person in future.

Notes

  • Artist: Stanley Houghton

Appeared

  • Teddy –  Mandy: #922 (15 September 1984) – #934 (8 December 1984)

 

Lucy’s Loving Cake (1986)

Mandy,

Plot:

Lucy Davis and her family move into an old house near her father’s new job. Lucy finds some flour left in the pantry by the previous owners and bakes a cake with it. After her brother steals and eats a piece of the cake, he becomes nice to her. An old book in the attic informs Lucy that an old lady had the secret of “loving flour”, which died with her. She gave some of the flour to a young girl to mend her parents’ quarrel. Now, anyone who eats a piece of the loving cake becomes extra loving for a period of time. Lucy hides the cake and periodically takes a piece of it as needed for anyone or any situation requiring extra loving.

Notes:

  • Artist: Richard Neillands

Appeared:

  • Lucy’s Loving Cake –  Mandy: #1002 (29 March 1986) –  #1015 (28 June 1986)

Other Appearances:

  • Lucy’s Loving Cake –  Mandy Annual 1987
  • Lucy’s Loving Cake –  Mandy Annual 1988

The Magic Mirror [1981]

Debbie, , , , , ,

Plot:

Something strange happens with the old mirror in Angie Durrant’s room. Angie finds herself in a different age, as a little slavey called Abigail. Another servant, Milton, cheats Lady Mirabel, the daughter of the house, and Angie gets blamed. Angie realises she is reliving the life of the real Abigail, who was blamed for Milton’s crime.

Mirror

Notes:

  • Photo story

Appeared:

  • The Magic Mirror–  Debbie: #432 (23 May 1981) – #435 (13 June 1981)

The Chair that Rocked St. Claire’s!

Judy

Plot:

Dr Winifred Rose, who was the Head of St. Claire’s College for Girls, had been sent a weird rocking chair from her brother, Professor Rose, who was in Africa. When the chair was rocked on wood, a strange vapour came from the arms, which made people feel young and happy.

chair that rocked

Notes:

  • An adaption of “Dr. Crusty’s Rollicking Rocker” that appeared in The Wizard in 1940

Appeared:

  • The Chair that Rocked St. Claire’s!  – Judy: #598 (26 June 1971) – #615 (23 Oct.  1971)