As early as 1200 the tradition of a tooth fee has been around.

With a heritage as lengthy as that, it’s only appropriate there be a National Tooth Fairy Day.

By today’s standards, children average four dollars a tooth. Only three percent of children find a dollar or less under their pillows and eight percent or more find a five-dollar bill.

Not a bad return on something they’re purging anyway.

Here the Teen Titans battle the Tooth Fairy while looking for their lost teeth.

As the big day – and big guy – approach, let’s celebrate some of what may soon be under the tree with Stupid Toy Day.

Hopefully your childhood was an endless parade of playthings. Just the right toy to make the day special whether it dates back to tin or plastic, wind up or battery operated or just imagination driven.

As early as 1840 Americans experienced the doll craze. Dolls became the first mass-produced toys in the country. Teddy Bears followed in the early 1900s. Barbie became a franchise then the All-American Hero, G.I. Joe. Trains, cars, boats, airplanes, rockets, whatever could be miniaturized and incorporated into young hands became a toy.

We all have those faithful favorites that brought smiles to our faces and took hours from the clock.

For me it was Mego’s Greatest Super Heroes and Kenner’s Star Wars line that closed out my childhood.

Whatever the toy, may the memories stay fresh and the smiles broad.

Happy Father’s Day.

Sit back, relax and wait for the coals to warm before tossing on the red meat of choice as the male population – with one or more children – celebrates its day.

Sonora Smart Dodd is the founding father with the day commemorated the third Sunday of June.

This year Four Color salutes the harried husbands who work through the day and still find time to play in the evenings. Who bring home the bacon, sometimes even frying it up in a pan, and never, never letting anyone forget they’re a man.

Tiny Titans (2008) 27

Taking the spotlight for 2022 is Teen Titan Raven’s father, Trigon.

First introduced, in a cameo, in New Teen Titans issue two, he made his official, first full appearance in New Teen Titans four.

The Marv Wolfman/George Perez creation is a demon from an alternate dimension. He mated with Raven’s mother, Arella, as part of a ritual for the Church of Blood. Their pairing produced a child with empathic powers.

While Trigon is a less than perfect example of what a father should be, he was highlighted in issue 27 of the Tiny Titans. The June 2010 cover-dated issue serves as a Father’s Day issue for us.

The premise for the issue has Raven as a reluctant babysitter for Kid Devil. Kid Devil was originally a Blue Devil wannabe.

Anyway, Raven must wrangle the bitty demon. Trigon finds the miniature hell spawn adorable and offers to help. The weekend becomes a series of one- and two-page jokes as Trigon appears much like the domesticated fathers of the 1950s sitcoms.

Kid Devil is returned to Blue Devil and all ends well.

Tiny Titans is the creation of Art Baltazar and Franco Aurliani, running 50 issues. It was honored with the Eisner Award for Best Series for Kids twice, in 2009 and 2011 respectively. As described on Wikipedia, “Tiny Titans stars alternate versions of DC Universe Characters, primarily those from the Teen Titans series. It is set in a kid-friendly, elementary school environment. Issues typically consist of several individual stories as opposed to one cohesive storyline.”

Again, Happy Father’s Day. Don’t forget the reason for the day. They grow up too fast.

Today is National Tooth Fairy Day.

Yes, the sprite who steals into our children’s bedrooms at night, taking spent teeth and leaving money in their stead.

When you think about it, the concept is kinda creepy.

The origins may begin in northern Europe where a tooth fee was enacted. A reward was left for the loss of a child’s first tooth.

America’s version first appeared around 1927 when Esther Watkins printed an eight-page pamphlet for children called The Tooth Fairy. In the booklet, children learned the benefits of healthy teeth and how to care for them.

Over the years the concept morphed into what it has become today. On average, each child receives three to four dollars per tooth; a healthy increase over the silver coins associated with lost baby teeth of years past.

To celebrate, enjoy this short as the Teen Titans tackle the Tooth Fairy.

The Teen Titans add a little holiday fun with some Tannenbaum tropes:

Though it never reached the heights its predecessor achieved, the 2010 DCU Halloween special made a respectable showing.

It followed more of a supernatural Brave and the Bold or DC Comics Presents format. Batman and Robin co-star with I…Vampire, Flash and Frankenstein team together, Wonder Woman meets Deadman, the Teen Titans side with Klarion the Witch Boy and Superman is aided by the Demon.

DCU Halloween Special 2010

The Scarecrow is on the other side of his fear toxin in “Trick for the Scarecrow.”

Damian Wayne sides with Batman to take on a legion of vampires.

Flash and Frankenstein work together to stop a killer in “Time or Your Life.”

“A Night to Remember” gives Deadman a chance to experience some of his past life courtesy of Wonder Woman.

Teen Titans team with Klarion, the Witch Boy, in “Medusa Non Grata.”

The Demon helps Superman in “Fears of Steel.”

Again, not on par with the previous year, but still worth the time.

Teen Titans (1966) 13

This is one I’ve been waiting to add; a personal favorite of mine since I first read it way back in Christmas of 1973 in the first DC Limited Collector’s Edition (C-34) Christmas With the Super Heroes.

Following the Summer of Love counter culture was becoming mainstream and everyone was jumping on the band wagon. Though watered down, Teen Titans 13 attempts to capture the flavor as Mod became part of the English language. Writer Bob Haney beat readers over their collective heads with the vernacular as Robin, Auqalad, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash flung slang throughout the issue. Artist Nick Cardy proved to be ahead of the advertising curve with product placement as prevalent as porn on the Internet.

This is just a fun read and peek at the times.

Teen Titans Go! 25 (2004)

The Teen Titans have come a long way since their first Christmas tale, the oft reprinted Teen Titans Swinging Christmas Carol in volume one of their self-titled book way back in 1967. Almost as long as the previous sentence was.

Updated, The Secret Santa are the Teen Titans as most know them now, a brightly colored cartoon act, but still enjoyable especially at this time of year.

The junior Justice League first tricks villain of the month Billy Numerous using his own greed before going home to exchange gifts. All in 20-plus pages complete with puzzles and riddles in DC’s own version of Mad marginals.

Christmas With the Super-Heroes (1988)

Christmas With the Super Heroes (1988) was my reintroduction to Christmas with comic books.

Even though I was recently married, I had reconciled with my first love, comic books. Seeing this John Byrne cover on a spin rack just made the return all the sweeter.

I had never completely forsaken comic books. They were always there, ready to take me back as I bought an issue of Spider-Man or X-Men to see where they had gone. When I’d left the fold – or told myself I had – I was more of a Marvel zombie. Coming back, I continued my Marvel purchasing, but this book reminded me how much I enjoyed those who I’d first pledged allegiance with when I was still in single digits. It would take A Death in the Family and Sandman to really bring me back to the DC fold.

But, this brought back memories.

Featured was Batman 219, The Silent Night of The Batman, also reprinted in Christmas With the Super Heroes (C-43) in 1975. The Teen Titan’s Swingin’ Christmas Carol from Teen Titans (vol. 1) 13 appeared again, having already been reprinted in the original Christmas With the Super Heroes (C-34) in 1974 and Christmas With the Super Heroes Best of DC 22 in 1982.

The other offerings I wasn’t as familiar with, though the selection was excellent. They included Twas the Fright Before Christmas from DC Comics Presents 67, DC Special Series 21 with the Legion of Super Heroes and The Man Who Murdered Santa Claus from Justice League of America (vol. 1) 110.

To cap off this perfect storm of holiday stories was a personal note from Editor Mark Waid.  He has since lamented taking the space to tell a personal tale (see Back Issue 85), yet I found it very touching. Waid tells how he couldn’t afford to go home one year for Christmas so he strung Christmas lights on a spin rack and dug out Christmas comic books from his massive collection to help tide him over the season.

Christmas With the Super-Heroes (22)

Here was one that caught me by surprise.

Getting out of comic books when I did, I was not around for most of the DC digest format. The smaller reprints offered a lot more value, 100 pages for $.95, but also more eyestrain. Still they were fun oddities.

As with the original Christmas With the Superheroes (C-34), The Teen Titan’s Swingin’ Christmas Carol appeared, almost as ubiquities as It’s a Wonderful Life during the holiday season. It would appear yet again in the 1988 special of the same name.

Another that would be rehashed in 1988 is The Man Who Murdered Santa Clause from Justice League 110.

Those not previously exploited include Christmas Peril and Merry Christmas, both from his self-titled Batman book; Robin’s White Christmas from Batman Family 4 and The Seal Men’s War on Santa Claus, featuring Sandman, from Cancelled Comic Cavalcade 2.