The Phantom Comic Collectors Showbag was produced by the Showbag Factory in Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia in 1997. The showbag was sold at the Melbourne Royal Show and is licensed by King Features Syndicate.
The Melbourne Royal Show was established by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria in 1948. The agricultural show is held at the Melbourne Showgrounds in Victoria, Australia on a yearly basis in September. The aim of the show is to bring livestock and fresh produce from country areas of Victoria to the city of Melbourne, with contests of best produce held and educational initiatives conducted to the visiting public.
The show also provides a large number of family activities, including livestock presentations, children’s rides, carnival activities/games, food stalls, show/sample bags, live entertainment and educational pavilions.
The Melbourne Royal Show is still held to this day in Victoria, Australia.
The Phantom Comic Collectors Showbag is one of many showbags to be sold by vendors in the showbag pavilion at the Melbourne Royal Show, aimed at children for entertainment purposes. Made of plastic, the show bag measures 27cm x 36cm, with the same graphics and text appearing on both sides of the bag. A carry handle is found at the top of the bag plus a variety of small air holes for safety.
Found within The Phantom Comic Collectors Showbag are 10 Phantom comics published by Frew Publications. The comic books are generally unsold editions which have been returned to the publisher, with comics often found with newsagency price stickers on the front covers. The showbags were a great way to repurpose unsold comic books and bring awareness of the Phantom to a young and potentially new audience. The comics were placed at random within the showbag, with no set edition numbers found.
At the base of the showbag, we find copyright information and the year the bag was originally produced, 1997.
The Phantom Comic Collectors Showbag was sold at the Melbourne Royal Show over a variety of years, and not only in 1997.
The Phantom 