7-11 Slurpee Cups (DC Question)

[The Toyroom]

I'm working on an enlargement of the DC Checklist of the 7-11 Cups and I noticed that Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. are listed respectively as "Shazam", "Ms. Shazam" and "Shazam Jr."

Now I know that DC (National at the time) referred to Cpatain Marvel as "Shazam!" in almost everything but it's the first time I've come across alternate names for Mary and Jr. Are they actually printed on the cups that way?

I also found it curious that they included certain characters on the cups that most definitely couldn't have been popular back then...like Ma and Pa Kent...Jane (from Tarzan, I assume)...Lana Lang...Perry White. What kid was happy about getting those?

[huedell]

also found it curious that they included certain characters on the cups that
most definitely couldn't have been popular back then...like Ma and Pa Kent...Jane (from
Tarzan, I assume)...Lana Lang...Perry White. What kid was happy about getting those?

I'll comment on that. (I'm a fan of the cups and 70s superhero merch in general---
and think about these things)

My thoughts are that they HAD to included LANA, JANE, PERRY and the KENTS because
"boring" as they were---they were heavily recognizable names....more recognizable
than, say, "RED TORNADO".

Alotta kids RELIED on the more popular names being on those cups---being that they
weren't buying too many comicbooks (like me!)---and needed something more
than a "cool look" to connect with.

[The Toyroom]

But would you say that "Vigilante" was more recognizable at that time than Red Tornado?
I'd think Reddy, being in JLA on a regular basis, would've ranked above a few of the Golden Age characters at the time.

I think those names bother me because they're all "non-super"...just average guys and gals that are associates of the super-heroes. Me personally, I'd rather connect with a "Superman" than a "Superman's adoptive father". I'd have left Pa Kent on the shelf. Is there such a thing as a "peg warmer" when it applies to a Slurpee cup?

[GreenLantern9999]

how much do these cups normally run? I am a collector of all things Green Lantern and I would love a GL cup but I have never seen them any where is he super hard to get? And I would have left ma and pa Kent sit as well!

[SuzanneHIH]

I loved Shazam, my kindergarten class couldn't pronounce Suzanne so they called me Shazam instead. Good times. I also love 7-11 Slurpee limited edition cups. I loved my Banana Splits cup but like most of my favorite toys, and other trinkets I sold them at garage sales during my teenage years.

[boss]

I'm looking at my Capt. Marvel Jr. cup right now and it says... "Shazam-The World's Mightiest Boy" on the front and back.

the copyright printing on the back is a little smudged, but it looks like 1973.

[huedell]

But would you say that "Vigilante" was more recognizable at that time than Red Tornado?
I'd think Reddy, being in JLA on a regular basis, would've ranked above a few of the Golden Age characters at the time.

I think those names bother me because they're all "non-super"...just average guys and gals that are associates of the super-heroes. Me personally, I'd rather connect with a "Superman" than a "Superman's adoptive father". I'd have left Pa Kent on the shelf. Is there such a thing as a "peg warmer" when it applies to a Slurpee cup?

I'm not sure about the RED TORNADO vs. VIGILANTE popularity issue---as
my perspective on "what was what" in that regard is far from educated

HOWEVER----I know I would've preferred PA KENT over VIGILANTE
and maybe even some LSH or JSA members simply because at 7 years
old I knew who he was----"super" people are cool (some more than others
depending on their costume) but---so is being able to be like:
"Hey I know THAT guy!" (regardless of him/her being a normal human)

Anyway---keep us posted with this project---I love 70s merch threads
(the recent AVENGERS thread is interesting in the same way)

[Overkill]

how much do these cups normally run? I am a collector of all things Green Lantern and I would love a GL cup but I have never seen them any where is he super hard to get? And I would have left ma and pa Kent sit as well!

The cups prices range from around $3 to even $20, though the value is mostly determined by the seller as there's no set price for these. I have seen some GL cups go for around $8 on ebay.

[GreenLantern9999]

The cups prices range from around $3 to even $20, though the value is mostly determined by the seller as there's no set price for these. I have seen some GL cups go for around $8 on ebay.

Cool do you jut search for Slurpee cups?

[samurainoir]

That is an interesting point. I'd never thought of that before, but it is odd that Pa Kent and Perry White got cups. At least Jimmy and Lois were headlining their own titles back then still.

It would be like Betty Brant or Willie Lumpkin getting their own cups from the Marvel line, although there are some questionable choices like Triton and Killraven.

I guess in all fairness, how much thought was put into these as collectibles? Given the cheap plastic used for the cups, for the most part they were considered ephemera weren't they? Pretty much disposable to the general public, but collectible to kids and obsessives back then? These were still the old days before bags and boards when kids rolled up comic books and stuck them in their back pocket. I'm sure Slurpee cups were treated the same way at best.

I'm thinking of that issue of Joe Matt's Peepshow where he was fishing those Slurpee cups out of the trashcan.

[Sweep Secondhand]

I'm working on an enlargement of the DC Checklist of the 7-11 Cups and I noticed that Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. are listed respectively as "Shazam", "Ms. Shazam" and "Shazam Jr."

OK - to answer this question, DC Comics obtained the rights to Captain Marvel, the Marvel Family, and a host of other characters from Fawcett Comics in the early 70's. CM had been pretty much defunct for many years by this time and Marvel Comics had introduced a character called Captain Marvel. DC was not sure if they owned a trademark on the name or if Marvel did so while they were sorting it out legally, they attempted to refer to CM by his name as little as possible. As a result, in the comics CA is referred to as Shazam (which is actually the name of the wizard who grants him his powers and would cause him to change between CA and Billy Batson every time someone asked him his name if this were legit), Mary Marvel was simply Mary and Captain Marvel, Jr. was Junior. As far as I am aware, the Slurpee cups are the only time the names Ms. Shazam and Shazam Jr were ever used.

I also found it curious that they included certain characters on the cups that most definitely couldn't have been popular back then...like Ma and Pa Kent...Jane (from Tarzan, I assume)...Lana Lang...Perry White. What kid was happy about getting those?

It has always been my theory that DC used the Slurpee cups as a means of trademarking many of their characters that were not represented in other medias outside of the comics and not as widely recognizable as the more popular characters. The Vigilante was a Golden Age character DC was trying to reintroduce via appearances in JLA and solo stories in Adventure comics at the time. The Justice Society of America were represented in the cups by Dr. Fate, Hourman, Wildcat and Starman. Each of these characters were unique and had no Earth 1 counterparts (except for debatably Wildcat). Each of these characters had also received try outs in Brave and the Bold and Showcase comics in the 60's. Surprisingly there is no cup for The Spectre who was both unique and had scored his own series a few years earlier and was currently the cover story in Adventure comics. I guess a plastic cup with an image of the Wrath of God on it seemed like a bad idea.

[Action Martin]

OK - to answer this question, DC Comics obtained the rights to Captain Marvel, the Marvel Family, and a host of other characters from Fawcett Comics in the early 70's.

Just to clarify this as it comes up all the time on different comic book forums. DC only licensed the Marvel Family of characters from what was left of the Fawcett company in the 70s. Despite the use of the other Fawcett heroes in JLA #135-137, DC did not own or license those characters. They thought that those heroes were included in the "Shazam" license but that was not the case. DC continued licensing Captain Marvel and Family until just before the Jerry Ordway Power of Shazam graphic novel came out when they finally purchased full ownership of the Captain Marvel Family for what Roy Thomas called "a song". There is still some debate as to whether or not the other Fawcett heroes were included in this purchase.

This also goes to DC's unauthorized use of the characters that would become known as the Freedom Fighters. When DC purchased certain properties from Quality Comics, it only included Plastic Man, Blackhawk, G.I. Combat, and Robin Hood. When DC used the "Freedom Fighters" characters they did so illegally. But since Quality was no longer around, there was no legal battle and eventually DC had them via public domain.

DC was not sure if they owned a trademark on the name or if Marvel did so while they were sorting it out legally, they attempted to refer to CM by his name as little as possible. As a result, in the comics CA is referred to as Shazam (which is actually the name of the wizard who grants him his powers and would cause him to change between CA and Billy Batson every time someone asked him his name if this were legit), Mary Marvel was simply Mary and Captain Marvel, Jr. was Junior.

That's not actually true. Marvel owns the trademark to "Captain Marvel". DC did not, that's why they couldn't have a comic book called "Captain Marvel". But DC did have the copyright (via license) to Captain Marvel so they could use the name "Captain Marvel" inside the comic books. The trademark on "Captain Marvel" lapsed but not the copyright. Cap was never referred to as "Shazam", always "Captain Marvel". And Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. also were named with the "Marvel" surname. "Mary" and "Junior" were just abbreviated names like calling Captain Marvel "Cap". Just like using the name "Captain Marvel" in the Filmation live action and animated series.