Though the comics that I've designated Unfunnies usually existed solely to fill space (or possibly they were part of some attempt to circumvent mailing regulations, I've never been too clear on the nitty-gritty), every once in a while DC took a stab at sneaking a little extra advertising into one, and I'm sure that they never found a more willing shill than the odious Little Pete:

Not only does Dr. Means reinforce Pete's lying ways, but he jumps on the cash-fuelled Trik-Trak bandwagon without hesitation.

Here's the regular ad that ran in DC books about the same time:

Note that Trik-Trak was made by Transogram, makers of Ka-bala, the incredible home occultism game, and that Ka-bala is the other product that was stealth-advertised in an Unfunny. What does this all mean? I have no idea.

- Little Pete's shame was found in Challengers of the Unknown No. 44, while the Trik-Trak ad is from Aquaman No. 19.

I haven't featured many of the Unfunnies stars more than once, and there's one very simple reason for that: they are nearly numberless. There was at least one recurring strip in each comic that DC published during the 40s through the 60s, and many of them rotated in and out as tastes changed or as the theme of the book shifted. One perennial player was Little Pete, who stood in for all little little boys in the world. He was a bit like Denis the Menace, only kind of dumb. Here he is, engaged in family-friendly mischief:

Funny thing is, my friend and I used to do the same thing when we were youngsters. Only, uh, replace "fool into climbing telephone pole" with "release onto busy highway." Semantics, really.