Doctor Dan saves the day!
"I know what to do. We'll wash your finger clean and bandage it up, and it will be better than new."
A children's book from Little Golden Books first published in 1950, written by Helen Gaspard with illustrations by Corinne Malvern.
When Dan scrapes his finger one day while playing cowboy, his mother bandages it with a nice clean Band-Aid so it's good as new! Now Dan knows just what to do when his sister Carly's doll takes a nasty spill. And when his father gets a cut while mowing the lawn, Dan is ready to help patch things up.
Alongside Nurse Nancy, Doctor Dan the Bandage Man was published in partnership between Little Golden Books' parent company Simon & Schuster and the Johnson & Johnson company
to promote the sale of Band-Aid brand bandages to children.
Tropes Found in Doctor Dan Include:
- Alliterative Title: Doctor Dan (and the little girl's equivalent, Nurse Nancy).
- The Cameo: A Donald Duck toy appears among the stuffed animals on the "Note from the Publisher" page.
- Insistent Terminology: Real "Band-Aid" brand Adhesive Bandages are included in the book.
- Merchandise-Driven: The book was created as part of a partnership between Little Golden Books and Johnson & Johnson to promote their line of Band-Aid bandages to children. Although Band-Aids are a genericized trademark today, that wasn't always the case. Band-Aids were first sold by Johnson & Johnson in 1921, but they didn't gain popularity (and certainly not market dominance) until several years later. Getting children excited about the product (they can play doctor!), teaching them how to use it (by describing basic first aid), and showing the advantages of using Band-Aid brand bandages over its competitors (so simple to use a child could do it) was all part of the marketing. There was even a Note from the Publisher included at the beginning of the book that explained the partnership:For a long, long time, the publishers have been ardent admirers of BAND-AID Adhesive Bandages — not only for themselves (publishers seem to cut themselves more than other people) but because of their effect on children. We've noted that BAND-AID Adhesive Bandages not only cheer and comfort small boys and girls who bang themselves up, but that they make wonderful playthings as well. No one quite knows how many millions of dolls and stuffed toys and live pets have been patched up in this manner.
Consequently, when the idea for this book came to us, we promptly went to Johnson & Johnson and asked them if they would be willing to help us. They were very nice about it and asked that we point out that BAND-AID is Johnson & Johnson's trademark for its brand of adhesive bandages and for several other products in its line. - Product Placement: Downplayed. It's less blatant in Doctor Dan than it is in Nurse Nancy, with the "BAND-AID" brand name only being mentioned in the "Note from the Publisher" and the postscript (and the cover art of most editions) — but the fact remains that the book was written to promote Band-Aid brand bandages. Features of Band-Aid packaging are even described when Dan patches up his sister Carly's doll:He pulled out the little string on the bandage wrap. He picked the bandage out and held the two stiff pieces. And zip! That bandage was on the doll's head.
- Stock Animal Name: Dan's puppy is named "Spotty."
