Children's Activities and Fairy Tales

Daffy and Dandy were part of my childhood and Struwwelpeter was an obsession of a girl I dated who told me she still had nightmares about having her fingers cut off. As I recall, the girl's father spent most of his retirement visiting military cemetaries from World War II in Europe. He too was raised on Struwwelpeter, perhaps?

There was also this ucky feature in Children's Activities, a magazine for little heathens, actually for the over-civilized mothers of little heathens, that was called Daffy and Dandy. Dandy always did thinkgs right (and had blonde hair --part of the reason I love "yo-lin's" "brown Haired princess," even though my hair once was black -- but now is crone-red --cackle, cackle) and Daffy of course being "bad" had black hair. They were drawn as stick figures with big baloon heads and all I remember is how badly I felt for Daffy for he was advenurous and imaginative. Dandy, forgive me for being uncharitable, was truly dorky. (grin) We all knew kids like him in school who somehow always looked like they had just stuck in their thumb and pulled out a plum. We were more likely to be looking like we just had a subversive thought. (grin)

I always had a secret affection for Daffy's intrepid nature, and found Dandy ninnified.