X Ray Specs

[Raider4]

The figures nearest the camera look like Mr. Punch.

[Heedless Horseman]

Why's the cannon only got one wheel ?
Cheers - Phil.

They had a Flat in the other one! 

[jimduncanuk]

Why's the cannon only got one wheel ?

It's on a diet.

[d_Guy]

Alone in my room at night in the late fifties I thought a lot about owning the X-ray specs, quite a lot actually.

[Westmarcher]

   On reading the above, methinks your coat chewing skills are required in great abundance here, Nobby.   

It wasn't the Sea Monkeys but Mrs Westie does remember them although unsure what they were exactly - turns out they were brine shrimp which, of course, looked nothing like the images in the advert. According to Wikipedia, I discovered brine shrimp eggs have been take into space (including to the Moon and back) on numerous occasions which may be why the depictions of the creatures in the advert have an alien look to them(?) (also, intriguing why the artist would even think about using the tail of the one that looks like the father to cover his nether regions like a fig leaf ... )

Anyhoo, there was an actual miniature monkey (possibly a marmoset?) and it is here in this link (scroll down past the Sea Monkeys):-

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-strange-history-of-comic-book-advertisements

[Note the Secret Spy Scope to supplement d-guy's X-Ray specs.]

p.s. I'll try to remember to tune in next Wednesday, Phil.

[steve_holmes_11]

I remember seeing the Sea Monkeys ads, and thinking how cool they would be.
I also fancied the pasteboard footlocker filled with army men, and the "life sized" nuclear sub.
Unfortunately, postage from the USA was beyond the organisational skills of a 9 year old.

Much later at work, a colleague procured some sea monkeys and set their little tank up on his desk.
We waited for the great hatch.
The same week, an exchange worker arrived form San Jose, who was remarkably unimpressed.
The southern end of the San Francisco bay is teeming with brine shrimp which are dredged out by the tonne for fish food.

We were soon unimpressed by they reluctance to follow training instructions, and their lack of crowns.

Even later, my aquarium interest brought me into regular contact with brine shrimp.
Very popular "first foods" for freshwater fish fry, and extremely easy to raise.