{{Short description|Catholic-oriented comic book series}} {{about|the comic book series||Treasure Chest (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox comic book title| <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> | title = Treasure Chest of Fun & Fact | image =TreasureChestvol12no12.jpg | caption = ''Treasure Chest'' vol. 12, #12 (Feb. 14, 1957).<br>Cover artist unknown | schedule = biweekly during school year, monthly during summer | format = |ongoing= |Superhero = | publisher = George A. Pflaum | date = 1946 - 1972 | issues = 496<ref name=gcd>[http://www.comics.org/series/488/ ''Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact''] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> plus 12 summer issues<ref name=gcd-summer>[http://www.comics.org/series/16880/ ''Treasure Chest Summer Edition''] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> | main_char_team = | writers =Various | artists = Various | editors = | pencillers = | inkers = | colorists = | creative_team_month = | creative_team_year = | creators = |subcat= |sort=Treasure Chest (comics) }} '''''Treasure Chest''''' (full name for most of its run: '''''Treasure Chest of Fun & Fact''''') was a Catholic-oriented comic book series created by Dayton, Ohio publisher George A. Pflaum<ref>[https://findingaids.lib.catholic.edu/repositories/2/resources/395 Catholic University of America Special Collections, Washington D. C. ]</ref> and distributed in parochial schools from 1946 to 1972.

Its inspirational stories of sports and folk heroes, saints, school kids, Catholic living, history, science and similar topics were drawn by artists that included such prominent figures as EC's Reed Crandall, Graham Ingels and Joe Orlando, Marvel Comics' Joe Sinnott, and DC Comics' Murphy Anderson and Jim Mooney. Other features included literary adaptations and such typical comics fare as cartoon animal humor strips.

==Publication history== Created by Dayton, Ohio, publisher George A. Pflaum, who started Pflaum Publishing in 1885,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aladin.wrlc.org/dl/collection/hdr?treasure |publisher=WRLC Libraries Digital and Special Collections|title= ''Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact''|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010170218/http://www.aladin0.wrlc.org/gsdl/collect/treasure/treasure.shtml |archivedate=October 10, 2010|url-status=live}} Note: List of contributors is not comprehensive.</ref> and debuting March 12, 1946, as ''Treasure Chest of Fun & Facts'',<ref>[http://www.aladin0.wrlc.org/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-01000-00---off-0treasure--00-1--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-home---01-3-1-00-0-0-11-0-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&cl=CL6.1&d=HASH01f8379662cc50b0be39da47 ''Treasure Chest of Fun & Facts'' Vol. 1, No. 1. March 12, 1946] at WRLC Libraries. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120128105114/http://www.aladin0.wrlc.org/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-01000-00---off-0treasure--00-1--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-home---01-3-1-00-0-0-11-0-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&cl=CL6.1&d=HASH01f8379662cc50b0be39da47 Archived] from the original on May 3, 2012.</ref> ''Treasure Chest'' was distributed in parochial schools and published biweekly throughout the school year until the 1960s, when it became monthly and doubled the number of pages. It was available solely by student subscription, and delivered in bulk to classrooms. Initially, the covers were of the same paper stock as the interiors; comic books' more typical slick covers were added in 1948. Six-issue summer editions were published in 1966 and 1967.<ref name=gcd-summer />

Beginning with Vol. 4, #1 (Sept. 7, 1948), the title changed to ''Treasure Chest of Fun & Fact'', with the final word now singular.<ref>[http://www.aladin0.wrlc.org/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-01000-00---off-0treasure--00-1--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-home---01-3-1-00-0-0-11-0-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&cl=CL6.3 1948 issues] at WRLC Libraries</ref> A source notes that with Vol. 23, #1 (Sept. 7, 1967), the title changed a final time, exchanging the ampersand for "and",<ref>[http://www.comics.org/issue/239450/cover/4/ ''Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact'' #v23#1 <nowiki>[427]</nowiki>] at the Grand Comics Database</ref> although Vol. 21 No. 1 (Sept. 9, 1965) and featuring "The Champ is Back" as the cover story uses the ampersand in place of the word "and". Many very early issues were cover-titled simply ''Treasure Chest'' without the otherwise ubiquitous subhead.<ref>For example, [http://www.aladin0.wrlc.org/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-01000-00---off-0treasure--00-1--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-home---01-3-1-00-0-0-11-0-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&cl=CL6.1&d=HASH2fb144a805da209b9038d7 ''Treasure Chest'' Vol. 2, No. 9. December 24, 1946], and [http://www.aladin0.wrlc.org/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-01000-00---off-0treasure--00-1--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-home---01-3-1-00-0-0-11-0-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&cl=CL6.2&d=HASH0183abfba985e124b88d3327 Vol. 2, No. 19. May 13, 1947].</ref>

Sometime during the 1960s, ''Treasure Chest'' began to be published by T.S. Dennison.

In 1964, a ten-part serial in Vol 19 #11-20 told the story of a presidential campaign vying for the nomination of fictional Governor of New York Timothy Pettigrew. The character's face was hidden throughout the series, and in the final chapter, it was revealed that Governor Pettigrew was black.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wells |first=John |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64 |date=2015 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490458 |pages=161–162}}</ref>

The final issue was dated July 1972.<ref name=toon>[http://www.toonopedia.com/treasure.htm ''Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact''] at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. [https://archive.today/20240525141657/https://www.webcitation.org/633M9w2oc?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/treasure.htm Archived] from the original November 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-04.</ref> [[Image:ArchWardTreasureChest.jpg|thumb|left|Jesse Owens biography by writer Arch Ward and artist Ed Hunter, ''Treasure Chest'' vol. 7, #20 (June 5, 1952)]] Pflaum also published the magazines ''Junior Catholic Messenger'', ''Our Little Messenger'', and ''Young Catholic Messenger''.<ref name=pov-more>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsfromme.com/2006/04/05/more-on-treasure-chest/ |authorlink=Mark Evanier |first=Mark|last=Evanier| publisher=P.O.V. Online (column) |date= April 5, 2006|title=More on Treasure Chest|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628235019/http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2006_04_05.html#011290 |archivedate=June 28, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Features and contributors== A long-running series, "Chuck White" (later "Chuck White & His Friends"), created by Capt. Frank Moss, featured the son of a mixed marriage, Catholic and Protestant, and even in its early days casually depicted such relatively daring concepts as racially integrated friendships. Series contributors after Moss included writer Max Pine and comic strip artists Frank Borth and, in the 1960s, Fran Matera.<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051208040851/http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/oddball/index.cgi?date=2002-09-04|archivedate=December 8, 2005|website=ComicBookResources.com|authorlink=Scott Shaw|first=Scott|last=Shaw|title=''Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact'' Vol. 15, No. 1|publisher=(column) Oddball Comics|date=September 4, 2002|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com|accessdate=2011-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A nonfiction historical feature about the Soviet Union, "This Godless Communism", drawn by Reed Crandall, debuted in vol. 17, #2 (Sept. 28, 1961) and appeared in every second issue through #20.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.authentichistory.com/1946-1960/4-cwhomefront/7-comics/tcgodless/This_Godless_Communism_1961.html |title=The Cold War in Comic Book: ''This Godless Communism''|publisher=AuthenticHistory.com|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20111109000813/http://www.authentichistory.com/1946-1960/4-cwhomefront/7-comics/tcgodless/This_Godless_Communism_1961.html |archivedate=November 9, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2003_11_24.html#007749 |first= Mark|last= Evanier | publisher=P.O.V. Online (column) |date=November 24, 2003|title=Commie Comics|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628235416/http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2003_11_24.html#007749 |archivedate=June 28, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

Others who worked on ''Treasure Chest'' included writer-editor Bob Wischmeyer, writers Ruth Barton, Frances E. Crandall, Helen L. Gillum, Arch Ward, and Berry Reece, and artists or writer-artists Wilbur G. Adam, Murphy Anderson, Bernard Baily, James O. Christiansen, Ed Hunter, Graham Ingels, E.A. Jurist (possibly comic-book writer Ed Jurist), Jim Mooney, Joe Orlando, Clara Elsene Peck, Bob Powell, Sid Quinn, Joe Sinnott, and Ozella Welch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.1faith1hope1love.org/news/a-lost-treasure/|title=Lost treasures {{!}} 1FHL News|website=www.1faith1hope1love.org|date=28 July 2016 |language=en-US|access-date=2017-02-27}}</ref> {{Clear}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{commons category|Treasure Chest (comics)}} *{{cite journal|url= http://www.nostalgiazone.com/doc/zine/06_V2N2/thataintfunny.htm|title= 'Hey! That Ain't Funny! '(Part 2): Religious Comic Books in the Forties|first= Mark|last= Carlson|journal= The Nostalgia Zine|year= 2006|volume= 2|issue= 2|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20110722021155/http://www.nostalgiazone.com/doc/zine/06_V2N2/thataintfunny.htm|archivedate= July 22, 2011|url-status= dead}} * {{cite web|url=http://archives.lib.cua.edu/findingaid/treasurechest.cfm| title= ''Treasure Chest of Fun & Fact'' Comic Book Collection |publisher=The Catholic University of America, American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216071635/http://archives.lib.cua.edu/findingaid/treasurechest.cfm | archivedate=February 16, 2011|url-status=live}}

==Further reading== * ''Alter Ego'' #26, July 2003: Interview with Joe Sinnott

Category:Comics magazines published in the United States Category:Catholic education Category:Christian comics Category:Culture of Dayton, Ohio Category:1946 comics debuts Category:1972 comics endings