The Silly Stuff Department

The Silly Stuff Department
Start date:	March 3, 1952
End date:	April 12, 1952
# of strips:	36 (6 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"The Mysterious Phone Booth"
Followed by:	"Cleopatra's Treasure"

"The Silly Stuff Department" is the 67th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Phil Davis.

Plot Summary

At the police station at the 12th district they have a "Silly Stuff" Department, for cranks and crackpots. Behind a screen Mandrake heard a strange history, about a headless thief. Soon the newspapers pick up the story of the headless hold-up robber. When the headless thief grabbed Narda's purse and lock her into her garage, Mandrake and Lothar gets involved. They found that the "headless thief" was only a simple trick. Two thiefs dress up so that the shoulders of their coat was over their heads. As an extra effect they sometime put on a dummy head, or took it off.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda
• The Police Chief

One-time characters

• Joe, a headless thief.
• Mike, a headless thief.

Locations

• New York

Behind the scenes

• The title for the story is taken from the strip of March 1, 1952 (Next Week - Silly Stuff Department).

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• "The Headless Thief", Mandrake Comic #13 (1955)

Argentina

• "Los hombre sin cabeza", Suplemento de Furia Blanca # (196?)

Brazil

• "no title", Novo Gibi #1800 (1952)
• "O Ladrão Sem Cabeça", Mandrake #152 (1969)
• "O Ladrão Sem Cabeça", Mandrake Especial #3 (1987)

Denmark

• "Hovedløse røvere", Fantomet #147 (1980)

Finland

• "Päätön juttu", Mustanaamio #10 (1977)
• "Päätön juttu", Sarjakirja #114 (1986)

France

• "L'homme sans tête", Mandrake #8 (1963)
• "L'homme sans tête", Mandrake #251 (1970)
• "Le département des choses idiotes", Mandrake le Magicien (Collection Clair de lune) Volume 1 - 1950 à 1953 (2012)

Italy

• "L'uomo senza testa", Albo Traguardo #36 (1953)
• "L'uomo senza testa", Collana grandi personaggi - Mandrake #1 (1953)
• "L'uomo senza testa", Mandrake #8 (1962)
• "L'uomo senza testa", I Classici dell'Avventura #47 (1963)
• "L'uomo senza testa", Mandrake #128 (1969)
• "L'uomo senza testa", Mandrake - New Comics Now #290 (1992)
• "L'uomo senza testa", Mandrake 52 (Comic Art) (1997)

Mexico

• "??", Paquito #11008 (1952)

New Zealand

• "The Silly Stuff Department", Mandrake the Magician #39 and Mandrake the Magician #40 (1953)

Norway

• "Hodeløs ransmann", Fantomet #25 (1979)
• "Hodeløs ransmann", Serie-pocket #119 (1986)

Portugal

• "Mistério do Homem sem Cabeça", Mundo de Aventuras #176 Supplement (1952)
• "Os Homens sem Cabeça", Cangurú! #84 (1974)

Sweden

• "De huvudlösa rånen", Fantomen #1 (1977)