Captain Midnight "Magni-Magic Code-O-Graph"
(Ovaltine, 1945)
"So called because the center of the rotor was a magnifying glass. This
was the first of the dated Code-O-Graphs. The manual had "key messages"
scattered throughout that were printed in a typeface so small that the
owner needed to use the lens to read them. Brass was still a critical
material, and the badge was actually stamped sheet steel, with a "gold"
paint atop it.
The lens in the rotor was plastic, of course (indeed, all postwar
Code-O-Graphs were at least partially plastic; one was completely
plastic), and scratched easily. The manual had short messages printed in
very tiny type that required the Code-O-Graph's magnifier to read.
These were called "Key Messages," and were numbered. The Squadron member
might pass a note to a friend who was also a Squadron member. The note
might say, "KM-3," meaning "Expect important news soon."
