TeenSet

TeenSet, published by Campus Publications out of Los Angeles, hit newsstands in December 1967 as its "Poster Spectacular #1" issue, cover-dated December 1, 1967. This is the original US newsstand edition, priced at 50 cents, and it predates the run of 1968 issues that Doors collectors frequently encounter when hunting through the January 1968 and later numbers. The Doors connection here is contextual rather than cover-featured, placing this issue squarely in the late-1967 moment when the band was at peak commercial momentum following the release of Strange Days.

The cover is immediately recognizable to anyone who has spent time with late-1960s teen press. George Harrison dominates the front, photographed in a casual, candid style with his signature mop of dark hair and a slight smile directed just past the camera. The color palette is warm and slightly oversaturated in the way offset printing of the period tends to age, giving the image a golden-amber cast around the edges. The TeenSet masthead runs across the top in bold red and white lettering against a dark background, with "Poster Spectacular #1" bannered prominently beneath it, signaling that this is a special themed issue rather than a standard monthly. The cover price of 50 cents appears in the upper left corner, and a red starburst graphic calls out "Extra...Extra Giant Wall Size Double Pullout Posters" featuring George Harrison and Davy Jones. Additional teasers along the left and bottom edges reference content including a "Raiders in a Toy Store" feature, a Monkees pinup, a Beatles phonograph item, and a caption reading "George in Los Angeles" anchoring the main cover image. The overall layout is busy in the way teen magazines of this era were designed to be, every square inch carrying a hook to pull a browser off the rack. The cover stock feels lighter than a standard LP inner sleeve, typical for newsstand periodicals of the period, and copies found today frequently show spine stress, corner blunting, and tanning consistent with over fifty years of storage. A flat, unrestored copy in VG or better is harder to find than the price suggests.

The "Poster Spectacular" designation is what separates this December 1967 number from the standard monthly TeenSet issues that collectors more routinely catalog. The double pullout poster format, featuring Harrison and Jones as announced on the cover, was a deliberate sales driver aimed at the bedroom-wall market that teen publications had been cultivating since the mid-1960s. For Doors-focused collectors, the interest here lies in the editorial environment: late 1967 was the period when Jim Morrison and the band were appearing across virtually every teen and rock press outlet, and TeenSet was no exception in its broader coverage of the LA music scene. Issues from the surrounding months, including the January 1968 TeenSet and the March 1968 issue, are documented in this catalog with more direct Doors content, making this December number a contextual piece for collectors building a complete TeenSet run rather than a targeted Doors acquisition. That said, interior editorial content in issues like this routinely carried brief mentions, photos, or chart coverage touching on the Doors even when another artist held the cover, and without a full interior scan, specific Doors content cannot be confirmed or excluded. Collectors pursuing a complete TeenSet chronology will want this issue to bracket the June 1968 and May 1968 numbers that round out the year's arc. The poster pullouts, if still present and unfolded, add meaningful value, as most surviving copies had them removed by original owners.

This December 1967 TeenSet "Poster Spectacular #1" is a period piece with legitimate scarcity driven by format attrition rather than limited print run. Collectors assembling a complete TeenSet run alongside the April 1968 issues will want it. Those hunting specifically for confirmed Doors editorial content should prioritize the documented 1968 numbers first, but this issue belongs in any serious collection covering the late-1967 LA rock press environment.