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Now, for the thrilling conclusion to Wacky Comic Wednesday’s look at Jell-O Man & Wobbly! Although the entire comic is nothing more than a thinly veiled advertisement for Jell-O products, it’s jam-packed with recipes, games, and special offers that are less covert in plugging the product. The entire comic book consists of only twenty-eight pages. Eight of which are displayed below.

We start things off with a disappointing word puzzle. Not only is the answer underwhelming (grape? really?), but it’s in plain site at the bottom of the page. At the very least, they could’ve put the solution in the back of the comic or something. Why even try?

Next, you must navigate Jell-O Man through a labyrinth, while delivering Jell-O to Jeff, Mandy, and Janie. The ultimate goal is to get a shipment of pudding to the top secret Jell-O laboratory without encountering Snackosaurus, The Shoveler, or Grabby. If you run into one of the bad guys, don’t sweat it. Jell-O Man can just take his head off and roll it like a bowling ball, making for an easy escape. You can’t lose!

This recipe for instant pudding only takes about five minutes, but for a hyperactive child jonesing for a sugar fix, it might as well be a lifetime. Follow these seven steps to pass the time, and be rewarded with some cool Jell-O pudding (and a prescription for Ritalin).

Initially, Jell-O Jigglers sounded like a great idea. It was a snack that embraced the taboo concept of playing with your food, and it seemed easy enough. Cut out some Jell-O letters, spell your name (or in my case, an obscene phrase), and let the good times roll. Regardless, Jell-O Jigglers haven’t withstood the test of time. Why didn’t they catch on? Because the kind of kid who would enjoy Jell-O Jigglers isn’t going to invest this kind of time in making them.

After I poured the milk on my head, and went into an epileptic fit, the resulting powdery goo was inedible. Regardless, I had a blast. That is, until my parents discovered the mess in the kitchen.

One of the main objectives of the Jell-O Man campaign was to convince children that they didn’t need their parents to enjoy delicious Jell-O pudding. They could make it instantly, or for some extra clams, it could be purchased in an overpriced pre-mixed snack pack. This shit caught on like wild fire, and caused many trade disputes in my elementary school cafeteria.

My mom wouldn’t order these cut-outs because she said that we already had them in the pantry. Imagine my disappointment as I attempted to spell something with a set of Halloween themed cookie cutters that consisted of ghosts and pumpkin shapes.

I still have a pair of these bitchin’ shades. I wasn’t allowed to personalize them as a child because my Mom said it would make me an easy target for kidnappers. Jell-O-Man obviously wasn’t down with the ‘Stranger Danger‘ program.

To summarize, Jell-O Man encouraged kids to act like spastic freaks, eat lots of sugary paste, and advertise their name to would-be abductors. Come to think of it, I can see why this ad campaign failed.

Josh Jones
josh@comicattack.net