Captain Tootsie #1 (1950) is a Golden Age superhero/science-fiction comic book starring one of the most unusual heroes of the era — a costumed strongman who began life as the advertising mascot for Tootsie Roll candy. Created by C. C. Beck, the artist behind the original Captain Marvel (Shazam), Captain Tootsie had appeared for years in one-page comic-strip advertisements before Toby Press gave him his own full-length book. In this debut, Captain Tootsie and his kid sidekicks — the Secret Legion — rocket to the planet Venus, tangle with alien "Goonans" and the Venusian ruler Great Magara, and get caught up in classic space-opera adventure. Notably, the comic stories themselves drop the candy tie-in, presenting straight sci-fi heroics.

The book came from Toby Press, the company founded by Elliott Caplin (brother of Al Capp), and was distributed by the American News Corporation. The character's origin as a brand mascot makes him a fascinating artifact of the mid-century blur between advertising and entertainment — Captain Tootsie was essentially a marketing creation who briefly graduated to his own newsstand title. Interior art on the series came from cartoonists Art Helfant and Vic Herman.

Today Captain Tootsie #1 appeals to Golden Age collectors, C. C. Beck enthusiasts, and historians of advertising-driven comics. The series was short-lived — just two issues — which adds to its scarcity. As a curio that sits at the intersection of candy marketing, superhero adventure, and pulp science fiction, it remains a uniquely charming footnote in comics history.