Bugs Bunny's Trick 'n' Treat Halloween Fun #3
This 100-page Dell Giant collects nearly the entire mid-1950s Looney Tunes roster under one Halloween-themed roof, making it one of the most character-dense single issues in the Dell/Western Publishing Looney Tunes run. Its most historically significant contribution is serving as the comics debut of Suzanne, a character who had just originated in Friz Freleng's 1955 theatrical short 'A Kiddies Kitty,' marking one of the quickest turnarounds from screen to comics page in the Dell Warner Bros. licensing era. The issue also continues Dell's well-established annual tradition of oversized Halloween anthologies — carrying issue numbering directly forward from 'Bugs Bunny's Halloween Parade' — demonstrating that seasonal giant-format comics were a deliberate, recurring editorial strategy rather than a one-off experiment. Its contents were considered durable enough to be mined for reprints as late as 1977, affirming the lasting appeal of its original material.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Like all Dell Looney Tunes comics of the period, this issue was produced under the long-running partnership between Dell Publishing and Western Publishing, which handled editorial production while Dell financed and distributed. The series picks up its numbering directly from 'Bugs Bunny's Halloween Parade' (issues #1–2, 1953–1954), with the renamed 'Trick 'n' Treat' title launching at #3 in October 1955 and running only two issues through October 1956. The painted cover was executed by Ralph Heimdahl and Don MacLaughlin, while interior stories drew on a deep bench of Dell/Western house artists and writers including Tony Strobl, Carl Fallberg, Don R. Christensen, Al Hubbard, Fred Abranz, and Phil De Lara, among others — typical of the studio-style production that Dell's giant books relied upon. Individual story and art credits for several features remain unconfirmed in current databases.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published October 1955 by Dell Publishing Co., Inc. as part of the Dell Giant oversized format; 100 pages, full color.
- Numbering continues directly from 'Bugs Bunny's Halloween Parade' (#1, 1953; #2, 1954), making this the third annual Halloween giant in the lineage.
- Painted cover by Ralph Heimdahl and Don MacLaughlin; interior contributors include Tony Strobl, Carl Fallberg, Don R. Christensen, Al Hubbard, Fred Abranz, Gil Turner, Pete Alvarado, Vic Lockman, Veve Risto, John Liggera, and Phil De Lara.
- Contains the comics debut of Suzanne, a character originating in Friz Freleng's 1955 Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon 'A Kiddies Kitty'; her debut story adapts plot elements from the 1953 Chuck Jones cartoon 'Kiss Me Cat' and also features Pussyfoot and Marc Antony.
- Features at least sixteen Looney Tunes characters across multiple self-contained stories: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Petunia Pig, Cicero Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety, Sylvester, Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Granny, Mary Jane & Sniffles, Little Pancho Vanilla, and Ollie Owl.
- Includes interactive and activity content — 'Halloween Magic Party' teaches readers magic tricks, and a story-activity featuring five tricks is attributed to writer Carl Fallberg (titled 'Trick and Treat' in Fallberg's own notes per GCD records).
- The Dell Pledge to Parents appears within the issue, consistent with Dell's mid-1950s self-regulatory editorial practice.
- Material from this issue was reprinted in 'Bugs Bunny Annual' (World Distributors, 1977) and the Tweety-and-Sylvester story was separately reprinted in 'Bugs Bunny' (Western, 1962 series) #102 (November 1965).