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, the headless thief.
• Mike, the headless thief.

Locations

• New York

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

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

Brazil

• "O Ladrão Sem Cabeça", Mandrake Especial #3 (1987)

Denmark

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

Finland

• "Päätön juttu", Sarjakirja #114 (1986)

France

• "L'homme sans tête", Mandrake #8 (1963)
• "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", I Classici dell'Avventura #47 (1963)
• "L'uomo senza testa", ("Mandrake #128") (1969)
• "L'uomo senza testa", Mandrake - New Comics Now #290 (1992)

Norway

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

Portugal

• "Os Homens Sem Cabeça", Cangurú! #84 (1974)