Dr. Droll

Real Name: Dr Droll

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Scientist

Affiliations: His toys

Enemies: Sandy Douglas, Joe Douglas, Pam Keen, Peter Keen

Known Relatives: None.

Aliases: The Toymaker

Base of Operations: U.K.

First Appearance: Smash ("Threat of the Toymaker" 7 February 1970 - 12 September 1970, "March of the Toys" Smash Annual 1972)

Powers/Abilities: Droll has at his command a series of mechanical killer toys. He is able to covert normal toys into killer ones almost instantaneously using special adaptor spheres he carries with him. Along with the standard array of army toys (tanks, soldiers, helicopters, etc) he also uses explosive clockwork mice and teddy bears with machine guns in their eyes.

History: Dr Droll, a notorious criminal scientist, created an army of fiendish mechanical toys. However his evil plans were continually thwarted by a number of ingenious children.

(March of the Toys, Smash Annual 1972 (reprinted Toymaker story from Buster 27 Feb 65 - ?)) On holiday in Scotland Joe and Sandy Douglas stumble across Dr Droll's hidden base in a Scottish castle, and thwart his plans for world domination.

Comments: Dr Droll is usually opposed by Pam and Peter Keen.

What is it about British characters and killer toys? You've got Droll (who appeared in a strip called Threat of the Toymaker), you've got the Terror Toymaker in Jackpot, you've got Nick Jardine and his Toys of Doom (his toys were invented by his great-grandfather - the original Toymaker), and of course the original General Jumbo. In modern times you can add Toybox in Top Ten.

Okay, so newer information now lets me know that the Toys of Doom strip in Buster (with the Toymaker) was reprinted as Threat of the Toymaker (with Dr Droll) in Smash and then again (with at least some new artwork) as The Terror Toys (with the Terror Toymaker) in Jackpot, with one last reprint of the original strip, back at home in Buster but under the title of The Terror Toys in 1986. Then a new story was created as a continuation as the Toys of Doom (with Nick Jardine, great-grandson of the the Toymaker) in EAGLE in 1989. Confused? You will be. My question remains valid - what is the British fascination with killer toys, with one strip being reprinted and redone so many times?.

In the Smash Annual 1972, we get an early adventure of Dr Droll (which is actually a straight reprint of an early "Toys of Doom" strip from Buster) - in that story he is opposed by Joe and Sandy Douglas, the original opponents from Buster, as the letterer didn't bother changing their names. Droll is only named as such on the last panel (he is never called that throughout the rest of the story, just the Toymaker), by Joe in his closing dialogue - which is weird on two fronts: (1) how did Joe suddenly know the Toymaker's name?; and (2) because it is the only bit of dialogue which had clearly been re-lettered.

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

• The Toymaker, whose toys brought doom

• Toymaker, whose toys were terrifying

• Toybox, whose toys help her solve crimes

• anyone else called Toy something

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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