Harvey Hits #9
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeHarvey Hits #9 (May 1958) is a tangible artifact of one of the most consequential licensing deals in Harvey Comics history: the studio's acquisition of Paramount/Famous Studios' animation library, which formally brought Little Audrey — along with her supporting cast of Tiny and Melvin Wisenheimer — fully under Harvey's editorial control. The issue appeared at the very moment Harvey was cementing its identity as the dominant publisher of animated-character comics for children, using the Harvey Hits anthology format — explicitly modeled on DC's Showcase — as its creative proving ground for characters who would eventually anchor their own long-running titles. Little Audrey's appearance here, alongside a Casper the Friendly Ghost backup, illustrates the interlocking, cross-promotional ecosystem Harvey was building across its humor line in the late 1950s. That ecosystem would define the look and feel of American children's comics well into the following decade.
In "Problem Child," Richie’s quiet afternoon with friends Freckles and Peewee quickly spirals when his uninvited cousin Reggie arrives—spoiled, loud, and determined to turn the house into a playground. As Reggie’s wild antics leave chaos in their wake, the trio tries to keep the peace, only to find that even the backyard might not be safe from his mischief.
In "The Dancing Lessons," Richie’s desire to join his friends for a game of baseball clashes with his mother’s insistence on dance practice. While pretending to rehearse with the help of a music box and clever shadows, he slips out the window—only to find his game interrupted by a bully who tries to steal the ball. Using his nimble footwork, Richie turns his dance moves into a surprising defense.
In "Ride 'Em Cowboy," Richie Rich finds himself in Hollywood, where his innocent bike ride through a movie lot turns into a series of chaotic mishaps, accidentally derailing multiple film productions with his unplanned presence.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Harvey Hits launched in September 1957 as a rotating anthology series designed to road-test characters and genres before committing them to dedicated titles — a direct parallel to what DC was doing simultaneously with Showcase. By the time issue #9 reached newsstands in May 1958, Harvey was actively consolidating the rights to Paramount/Famous Studios' catalog of animated characters, a transaction that gave the publisher full ownership of Little Audrey and shaped the 'definitive' Harvey-era version of the character. Little Audrey herself had roots stretching back to Famous Studios theatrical shorts beginning in 1947, where she was designed by veteran animator Bill Tytla as a spiritual successor to Little Lulu after Paramount declined to renew that character's license. Harvey had been publishing Audrey comics under license since the early 1950s, but 1958 marked the transition to outright ownership.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated May 1958, published by Harvey Comics as part of the Harvey Hits anthology series (Vol. 1, #9).
- Little Audrey is the featured lead character, with stories spotlighting her supporting cast including prankish rival Melvin Wisenheimer and her friend Tiny.
- A Casper the Friendly Ghost backup story ('Lucky Ducky') also appears, exemplifying Harvey's practice of cross-promoting its stable of characters within anthology issues.
- Confirmed story titles include 'Summer Fun,' 'A Fish Tale,' 'Bathing Beauty,' 'Problem Child,' 'Midsummer Day's Dream,' 'The Forgetful Elephant,' and 'Tiny: Baseball Bantam' — 32 pages, full color.
- Harvey Hits functioned as Harvey's tryout/anthology series, directly analogous to DC's Showcase, running for 122 issues from September 1957 to November 1967.
- Little Audrey originated as a Paramount/Famous Studios theatrical cartoon character beginning in 1947, designed by Bill Tytla as a studio-owned replacement for Little Lulu after the Little Lulu license lapsed.
- Harvey purchased full rights to all Famous Studios original properties — including Little Audrey — in 1958, making this issue one of the earliest to appear under that new ownership arrangement.
- Later Little Audrey stories from the Harvey era were reprinted in the 1986–87 Funtastic Harvey Hits Comics revival series, reflecting the enduring appeal of the character's Harvey-era incarnation.
Reprints
↩ Reprints Little Dot #1 (1953), Little Dot #2 (1953), Little Dot #4 (1954), Little Dot #9 (1955)
Reprinted in Blondie #145 (1961), Richie Rich Dollars and Cents #3 (1964), Casper's Ghostland #22 (1964), Casper's Ghostland #23 (1964), Richie Rich Dollars and Cents #15 (1966), Richie Rich's Funtime Comics #28006 (1978)
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