Scooby-Doo: Exciting Christmas Stories

Tracks:
Trouble at Santa's Workshop
Mystery of the Missing Santa

Power Pal Mike Bridges found yet another "rarity", this Scooby-Doo (and Friends) Christmas record, complete with cover art by comics legend Dan Spiegle! Like the other Scooby audio stories Peter Pan produced, these are pretty loyal to the show, using what sounds like the original cast. Fun stuff all around.

This album came with another, Scrappy-Doo-centric cover. I'm not posting it, because I have my limits. Thanks Mike!

Six Million Dollar Man: 4 Exciting Christmas Adventures

 

Tracks:
Christmas Lights
Elves' Revolt
The Kris Kringle Caper
The Toymaker

How big was the Six Million Dollar Man as a property? Power Records gave him his own Christmas-themed LP, something not even Superman or Batman got!

I didn't have this as a kid, so I was hearing these stories for the first time when preparing this post. "Elves' Revolt" excepted, they're fairly straightforward action adventure stories, and I imagine they were fairly satisfying if you were a fan of the show. I do find it curious why the classic "na na na na na na" sound effect, the show's most lasting contribution to pop culture, is never used. Maybe it was considered copyrighted to the show only?

I can't quite place the art on the front sleeve, but I'll eat a Holo-Man 45" if the back cover isn't by longtime Batman artist Irv Novick. That portrait of Oscar Madison is a dead ringer for his work.

Six-Million Dollar Man: Elves' Revolt

Track:
Elves' Revolt

I was never that into the Six-Million Dollar Man as a kid, so I never fully grokked just how popular he was in his heyday. Case in point: not only did Power Records license the character for his own LPs, but he was picked to headline a Christmas-themed adventure, an honor not even granted to Spider-Man or the cast of Star Trek!

This adventure is pretty painfully silly, though I appreciate the voice actor playing Steve Austin trying to approximate Lee Majors' particular way of speaking. It helps if you think of this record as a prequel to The Night The Reindeer Died.

Superman Wonder Woman Batman - Exciting Christmas Stories

 

Tracks:
Light Up The Tree, Mr. President
Christmas Carol Caper
The Prisoner of Christmas Island

The only instance I can think of what we nowadays call a "variant", Power Records issued the same Christmas-themed LP featuring original stories starring Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman with two different covers, swapping the background color and changing the title treatment. I can only assume they were released different years...why they felt the need to change the cover art is a mystery probably lost to the ages.

I never even knew they did this at all until my POWER RECORDS PODCAST co-host Chris Franklin mentioned to me that his copy had the red background, while mine has the green. The things you learn!

Superman - Light Up The Tree, Mr. President

Track:
Light Up The Tree, Mr. President

Another one of the Christmas-themed re-purposed adventures from the Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman LP, this 45" sleeve features a beautiful Neal Adams piece which I am amazed wasn't re-used for other Xmas-related merchandise down the line. Who wouldn't want a shot of a smiling Superman flying in front of a Christmas tree on an ornament?

Wonder Woman - The Prisoner of Christmas Island

Track:
Prisoner of Christmas Island

Power Records re-purposed (of course they did) two of the three Christmas-themed stories they produced featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman as solo 45" releases, with new sleeve art (in this case, it looks like the work of Dick Giordano to me) on both the front and back. With the Santa-driven piece on the back cover, I'm guessing these were all released in October and November, trying to cash in on the lucrative Christmas shopping season.

Strangely, I have yet to find the Batman story--"Christmas Carol Caper"--as a separate 45", which makes no sense to me at all. Batman was a big Power Records star, and they had the material on hand, so...? I guess that will be another question I have to find the answer to when I work on my as-yet-started Power Records coffee table book.

Christmas Superheroes

Tracks:
Light Up The Tree, Mr. President
Christmas Carol Caper
The Prisoner of Christmas Island

Written and produced by Arthur Korb, sleeve art by--of course--Neal Adams. Batman sure is getting into the holiday spirit!

Merry Christmas, everybody!