Johnson Smith Co.

The Johnson Smith Novelty Company, (Johnson Smith & Co.) was an American mail-order company established in 1914 by Alfred Johnson Smith in Chicago, Illinois. They sold novelty and gag gift items such as x-ray goggles, whoopee cushions, fake vomit, and joy buzzers. The company moved from Chicago to Racine, Wisconsin in 1926, then to Detroit Michigan in the 1930's, and finally to Bradenton, Florida in 1986. They advertised their wares in an official printed catalog but are perhaps best known for their full page ads in the pages of US comic books. Most notably Action Comics #1, June 1938 (first appearance of the character Superman) and Detective Comics #27, May 1939 (first appearance of character Batman). On December 31, 2019, the company's website announced that they had ceased operations and closed. Johnson Smith was acquired by Collections Etc in 2020.