Mooseface McElk

Few names in the Dell funny-animal universe roll off the tongue quite like Mooseface McElk, a Golden Age original who first lumbered onto the scene in Our Gang with Tom & Jerry #46 in 1948, courtesy of creator Dan Gormley. Over a run stretching into the mid-1950s, this colorful character kept lively company with the likes of Tom, Jerry, Tuffy, Barney Bear, and Benny Burro across the pages of Dell's beloved MGM-licensed titles — a who's who of mid-century cartoon comics royalty. With 18 catalogued appearances spread across Tom & Jerry Comics, Our Gang with Tom & Jerry, and the seasonal delight M.G.M.'s Tom and Jerry's Winter Fun, Mooseface may not be the most prolific figure of the era, but two of those appearances carry recognized key-issue status — a sure sign that savvy collectors have taken notice. For anyone digging into the warm, wonderfully offbeat corners of Golden Age Dell, Mooseface McElk is exactly the kind of discovery that makes the hunt worthwhile.