The clue here was that Billy Wright played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, also known as Wolves. They started in 1877, but they were then called St. Luke's Football Club. However, two years later, they were renamed to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and in 1888 they were one of the teams which founded the Football League.
As to how the wolves got involved, some say it was a natural shortening of the team name and the discovery that the first five letters almost made the whole of Wolves, which also gave them a spirit animal/mascot. But a wolf only leapt (quite literally) on to their badge in the 1960s, and gained two other leaping wolves in the mid 1970s. They were then thought a bit too busy, and so in 1979 they were changed to the single wolf`s head we know today
But there is also another connection, because Wolverhampton is named after Lady Wulfrun - who was given this section of land, later called Wolvrenehamptonia, by Ethelred the Unready in 985.
Kiddy`s Favourites were actually not just the brand, but the name of the company, and they were based in Glasgow, Scotland.
The header for them in in our British Trade Index part II, RB.27, issued in 1969, tells us that the cards were "issued about 1948-52, as singles, joined pairs, or stapled in batches in booklet form. Premiums offered for complete sets. Small size, very variable, about 63-69 x 38-50 m/m"
The fact that they were issued in "joined pairs" explains the "very variable" exactly - why often some cards are slimmer than others, and also why the back description has a tendency to not be centred exactly. It`s all, as they say, in the trimming, and as these cards were designed for children, you can understand they did not, or could not, wield the scissors as an adult would.
Our set is described, scantly, as "POPULAR FOOTBALLERS - Sm. Nd. (52)
However that gives us space to tell you that at that time it was recorded that the company issued eight sets, all but one of which started with the word "Popular". These were "Cricketers", our set of "Footballers", and "Olympics" - all of which were issued in 1948. Plus "Boxers", "Film Stars", "New Popular Film Stars" (this being the only set which started with another word), "Players" (which were more footballers) and "Speedway Riders" - all of which were issued in 1950.
Two of these sets appear at D.353 in the back of the British Trade Index part II. These were the "Cricketers" and "Speedway Riders", and the extra information under that card code tells us that both of these were known in an anonymous printing, having green borders and black captions. It seems strange that only these two sets were printed in that way, but more information may come to light.
There is an update in British Trade Index part III, rather confusingly telling us that "Popular Speedway Riders captions are in (a) green (b) grey-black". This could just mean that the usual caption was green and the anonymous version grey-black, adding the information in from D.353, but if so then why not mention that this also applied to the "Cricketers"?
Another update occurs with our Trade Index part 4, and this regards our set. I have scanned this listing, after trying, and failing, to work out how to use the table function (again) - and here it is :
Now in our updated British Trade Index our set is described as
POPULAR FOOTBALLERS. 1948
1. 65-66 x 36-38. Nd. (52). No.52, Lowrie, is not an "International", name in different type face, with cancelled back.
2. Size as above, no title, back "Buy `Yanky` Bubble Gum - it`s best", on a) blue, b) pink board. Unnd. (14 known). See HK-30
HK-30 is in the handbook but it lists the fourteen known, as above, and does not include whether they are A or B, so I will stick with the scan above.
Now by the time that this updated British Trade Index appeared, there had been much research into Kiddy`s Favourites Ltd., and the text under their title now lists twelve sets, the additions being : "Famous Railway Engines", "Football Stars" (1947), "International Footballers" (1951) and another set of "Popular Footballers" to ours, having five red hearts across the top of the front. The set of "Football Stars" were just issued as anonymous, whilst the "Famous Railway Engines" and "International Footballers" were each issued in a booklet and only those booklets bore the issuer`s name. These may have been listed somewhere in the early British Trade Indexes under anonymous, and given a "Z" number, and one day I may hit upon them.
However, before I race on, the most intriguing thing is that this set of "International Footballers" was actually forty-eight cards extracted from our set, having been reissued, with the numbering order changed. One of the missing cards was obviously card 52, poor old Lowrie, who, as we read above, was not an international. The other missing member of the squad is as yet unknown, at least to me. So do you know who it is? And also, does anyone have the card of Lowrie with that cancelled sign so firmly stamped to his back? It would be interesting to see it, and also to place it here for all time.
And reader John Levitt tells us that you can read a whole lot more about this set at The Cartophilic Info Blogspot/KF
He also points out that the wrappers quote slightly different titles to those printed on the cards, and that our set "Popular Footballers" is actually quoted as "Club Footballers". Does anyone know more about this?