Tom of Finland - Mr Universe, part 2 (interim version3)

You can read Part 1 of this article first if you wish

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 08 (Oiling Up)

 

On the day of the contest, the buddies change into their costumes and oil up. The dark haired one is being assisted here by some very butch-looking young men. The scenario provides an excuse for some fairly intimate contact between them. The bodybuilder has got himself a sexy, dark pouch with a chain for the waistband, and one of the assistants actually seems to be putting him into it. It's a daring ingredient, albeit well-disguised by a confusing arrangement of hands. 

 

The blond changes his clothes, unassisted. There's a sense of his friend getting all the attention, being pampered and hero worshipped. He's playing up to it, too, striking a god-like beefcake pose with modest downcast eyes. His blond buddy does not seem too dismayed or jealous. He is, perhaps, proud of his friend changing from a clumsy, ugly duckling into a swan. Interestingly, his beefcake pose also resembles the ballet dancer's 'petit pose' and this conjures up another swan connection - 'Swan Lake', which is also about transformations. However, the Black Swan in that ballet plays a very dark role.  

 

 There's no doubt about this image being part of the 'Universe' set, it was explicitly labelled as such (with title) in Scan issue 8, circa August 1961. The distinctive chain pouch helps to assign other, later images to this set. Apart from these, I know of only one another image by Tom which features this pouch design, it is included in the mitchmen 'Tailor Group' article (previously referenced in Part 1 of Mr Universe). That other image is not part of this set, the pouch is white and it's being worn in a studio setting, suggesting a porn star being dressed or fluffed up for participation in something very different. Interestingly, it's another connected image dated as 1963 in the Tom of Finland Retrospective Vol 1, but the Universe image above is definitely 1961. 

 

Notice the number 1 written in the bottom left corner. This may offer an explanation of the 1961 v 1963 date confusion. That the later images in Part 1 were post-scripts, prequels if you like, inspired by and elaborating on the run-up to the contest.  That doesn't explain image 3, however, which is indistinguishable in style and provenance from the group presented here.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 09

 The boys strut their stuff on the competition stage.

 

Obviously this is only a fragment of the full image and although it didn't appear until later (in 101 Boys Art Quarterly for Summer 1965), it did so alongside other fragments from the Universe series so it's almost certainly part of it. There wasn't much mileage for Tom in drawing beefcake posing when the magazines were awash with photographs of the real thing, so it's not entirely surprising that no copies of the full image have been found. The cropping here might lead you to suppose that Tom spiced it up with some provocative, costume detail deemed too daring. However, this publication seems to have used cropping arbitrarily, perhaps to evade copyright challenges.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 10

 

Needless to say, one of the two boys is fated to win the contest. It turns out to be the blond who has appeared to be the more confident and polished one throughout the (my) story. In a flip of image 8, it's now him who is being feted (with exceptional generosity) by his beaten rivals. Tom uses an unconventional viewpoint at the rear of the stage which shows the enormous, equally excited audience almost clamouring to get on the stage with them. This is the era of pop star adulation, remember, with screaming 'Beatlemania' just around the corner.

 

Tom's backstage viewpoint also shows us the backsides of the bodybuilders, who are all, as expected, wearing very skimpy costumes, halfway to being backless thongs. The two-man lift has parted the blond's legs (and butt cheeks) creating an extremely suggestive view (the serial croppers at '101 Boys' printed an unsubtle fragment of this specific area framed only by a glimpse of supporting shoulders). Despite this sexy detail, the image was used to advertise the series in Scan 9 (Nov 1961).

 

However, the version above is not the complete image.....

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 10 (version 2)

 This version of the victor's celebration was used to promote the series later, in Man Alive #19 (Mar 1962). It reveals that the blond's dark-haired buddy is watching the proceedings from one side and looking defeated, disappointed and envious. 

 

Notice the lines top and bottom that seem to suggest this version was meant to be cropped as well. However, the extra detail is an important link to what follows. The accompanying blurb talks portentously of 'back-stage struggles'.

 

Notice the Number '3' in the bottom corner of this picture (following the No 1 in image 8). 

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 11

  

As the competitors leave the stage, there's an extraordinary confrontation between the two buddies. The darker one attacks his friend, clamping a hand over his mouth as if he's just made some gloating, disparaging remark about him or perhaps disclosed a secret. The cherished trophy is sent flying. This sudden animosity is entirely unexpected*. 

 

But look what is happening at waist level!  He's pulling the blond into a tight embrace, which doesn't suggest their friendship is in any danger. Both their pouches are swollen and nestling together in a remarkably explicit sexual statement for it's time. 

 

The attacker's knee is raised between his friend's thighs, which might be an angry ball-bashing attack, but in reality it seems to be more about contacting his groin and prising his legs open. This detail might just be Tom milking the erotic potential of the scene, but it also seems like an echo of what the loser has just watched other men do to his buddy in image 10. Also, it may be my over-active imagination, but the blond's six-pack seems to have taken on the shape of a giant penis. There's certainly a remarkably strong line tracing down his body to his buddy's groin. 

 

 *Perhaps his annoyance is less surprising if you discount the introductory, character developing images and narrative which I assembled for Part 1. A comment posted here while I was composing this commentary says the set was originally called 'Beating Mr Universe' which implies he's probably just a sore loser. These days we could just blame steroids.

 

There may have been some cropping of his image, but disembodied hands reaching towards the sexy subject of the picture were a popular device at this time. You can see them in Etienne's calendar images and there's a similar 'off-stage' presence in Harry Bush's surfer pictures. Perhaps it's reflecting the cruel plight of men in the 60's who suffered from forbidden desires and were doomed to a life of hiding in perpetual frustration.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 12

 The bystanders drag the two combatants apart. While they glare at each other, the darker one gets a gratuitous groping. It's clear he still has plenty of admirers, the two on either side of him match those seen in image 8*. 

 

Darkie is revealed to have a giant bulge in his pouch, but it's not clear whether it's because of his feelings for his buddy or because of the guy cupping his pecs and furtively snuggling up to his uncovered backside.  

 

The blond on the right seems poised to attack, this pose can be seen in other fight images by Tom. It's not particularly interesting, but Tom has cleverly positioned his fist in a suggestive position close to the crotch of one of the supporters. 

 

*Tom's fastidious attention to detailing the supporting cast as individuals and regular guys of ambiguous sexuality is one of the joys of his older work. In later years, they tended to become leather clones or cops, which were more or less the same thing.

 

 

 

ToF Index 

 

This Article is Work in Progress, 

More Commentary and Images Soon 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe, part 1 (updated Wed 24th)

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 01

Two leather guys (with hunky bubble butts) ponder the possibilities of bodybuilding, having just read that the 'Mr Universe' competition will be coming to a venue near them next year. 

 

As I explain in my introductory article, to the series, this image is dated as 1963 in the Tom of Finland Retrospective Vol 3, not 1961, the date when this series was first advertised. Arguably, it's more sophisticated, stylistically, than some of the images that follow. The boot tops showing through the jeans show amazing attention to detail. Nevertheless, weight-training by a blond and dark-haired couple does figure in the Universe story, so this image makes the perfect starting image.

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 02

 

 The buddies embark on a programme of weight training, with their naivety about the subject much in evidence. The blond in the foreground makes a clumsy effort at training with an old-fashioned dumb-bell, which even in 1961* was reserved for comic, circus effect. His dark-haired friend struggles to even lift his more modern, barbell weights. His technique is terrible (bending his back, instead of his legs) but it produces a sight that is sexy as well as amusing. 

 

Neither of them has bothered to change into gym gear for these exertions. So, it's no wonder that the more experienced gym user, watching their efforts, is laughing at them! That's the sort of humiliation that every young man dreads. The on-looker is completely naked and standing suggestively close to the inviting ass, which is screening his nudity from us. It's a juxtaposition which is full of possibilities, but Tom is the soul of discretion. 

 

This particular image, unusually for Tom, has an 'assembled' look, as if separate images have been married together. This was a style that Luger (Colt) would soon make his own. *Like image 1, this image is actually dated as 1963 in the Tom of Finland Retrospective Vol 3 

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 03

As if chastened by their taste of gym culture, the boys head for the beach. The blond seems to have made phenomenal progress, so perhaps we're a few months further on here. He is giving advice to his less advanced buddy. Both of them still seem to have dressed more with an eye to the posing opportunity offered by the beach, rather than donning serious training gear. Perhaps for this reason, both seem to be finding their physical endeavours positively arousing. 

 

The presence of weight training equipment on a beach is probably less surprising to US readers than those in other parts of the world, where the muscle beach phenomenon is virtually unknown. There will normally be other users of the equipment around as well, of course, so the pair may not be spared further ridicule.

 

This picture has been assembled by me from two separate fragments that were printed in 101 Boys Art Quarterly in Summer 1965. It's almost certainly not the full picture, Tom didn't usually crop this tightly and I suspect there's another character around, observing the boys' efforts (compare with the images above and below).

 

This picture illustrates the difference in style between the 1961 and 1963 images, but the apparent fuzziness could easily be due to the reproduction process used by the magazine. It may have been pirated.  

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 04

The blond shows his friend how to do an overhead lift, but his serious mentoring turns into farce as the tiny towel he's tied round his waist becomes dislodged and flutters to the ground. There's a deliciously wry expression on the blond's face, an 'oh-oh' moment. His friend is highly amused and another fine beach specimen, out strutting his stuff, is also there to witness his embarrassment. 

 

This image, like No 3, is almost certainly cropped closer than Tom's original, fairly obviously to the right and left, but also above with only a tiny fragment of the weights visible. It has the effect of drawing attention to the laughing spectator at the water's edge. I don't think any significant elements are missing, however.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 05 (extra)

This image of a blond body-builder, turned on by his own physique, is not part of the Universe set, it dates from much later - 1982*. It fits in well, however, as an illustration of the bikers' growing obsession with their new hobby (and the effect on their vanity). 

 

* This image is not at all typical of Tom's other 1982 work, which is all about the leather scene he had immersed himself in. Perhaps it was a nostalgic throwback. In most copies of this image, the wall is washed out and indistinguishable from the mirror, so I have applied AI to bring it out better.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 06 (extra)

 The change in the bodybuilders' physiques as their development progresses means that before long their old clothes no longer fit them.

 This is probably not part of the set either, but it is a near contemporary (1960) and again serves to illustrate the progress of the men's quest to achieve muscledom. The original was (I think) a wry observation on the 1960s fad for sitting in the bath in new jeans so they would shrink to fit.

 

 

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 07 (maybe?)

 As the contest draws nearer, the boys go shopping to get their posing outfits. 

They are both visibly more muscular. 

 

 I don't know for sure if this is a Mr Universe image, it's a maybe. However, the subject fits and the two protagonists look like buddies and are blond and dark haired. The image is listed in the Tom of Finland Retrospective, Vol 2, but is undated. However, it is positioned amongst a group of pictures from 1963. That is also the 'official' date of several of those shown above. 

 

Tom had a bit of a thing about tailors around this time. This image also appears in that article and I speculate that the flared trousers look 1970s, but they were also fashionable in the 60s and often turned up on sailors of course. These days no-one get measured for new clothes and the old joke about inside leg measurements has gone the way of the ark.

 

Next time - The Mr Universe Contest.

 

The official source for Tom of Finland work is of course 

The Tom of Finland Foundation 

Tom of Finland - The Mystery of 'Mr Universe'

Tom of Finland - Mr Universe 01

If you are a fan of Tom of Finland, you will probably be familiar with this image. It's shows two leather guys pondering the world of bodybuilding and the 'Mr Universe' competition, which seems to be coming to a venue near them 'next year'. This image is often presented as a stand-alone work, presumably because of its aspirational, 'Pride' message, but it's actually part of a 'Mr Universe' series which was widely documented in its time* but seems to have become lost or dispersed since then. This article is an attempt to reconstruct it from contemporary sources. 

 

*The Tom of Finland Retrospective (vol 1) dates this image to 1963, but the 'Mr Universe' series seems to have appeared in late 1961 (see below). It's not impossible that Tom produced this picture later, but it's obviously related, and I have chosen to make it the opening image for my reconstructed series. 

 

According to Valentine-Hooven (in "Tom of Finland, His Life and Times" p101) Tom did the series for Rex Pickering at 'Scan' Magazine, and it was indeed first advertised in 'Scan' issue 9. It was also advertised simultaneously in issue 17 of 'Man Alive' (which we can date precisely to Nov 1961). In the latter source, it is actually advertised as a 'Hussar Studio' product. Around this time, Hussar also published Tom's 'Thieving Cowboy' series, about which there is even wilder confusion over publication dates! See the 2023 mitchmen 'Thieving Cowboy' article for more on Tom's relationship with Royale /Hussar.

 

 

Tom of Finland - The Leather Outfit Thief 01 (my title)

 

  We don't know exactly how Tom viewed 'bikers' at this time, in the 'Mr Universe' image (top) they are drawn as cute boys with bubble butts, looking slightly naive in their leather jackets. However, in a contemporary series illustrated above, the leather man is portrayed as a muscular, god-like creature, worshipped from the bushes by an envious youth. It's another series (like the Thieving Cowboy) in which a set of clothes is stolen, and the same thing happens in the second of the 'Kake' series. In 1964, it's the motorbike itself that gets stolen. All these miscreants end up on the receiving end of a severe belting, and Tom's work is littered with handsome leather men treating eager, initiates in the same way. That's a good excuse for including one of my own favourite Tom images....

 

Tom of Finland - Leather Initiation

 In later life, Tom was absorbed into the world of leather that fascinated him so much. Quite which end of the belt he saw himself is not known, but the experience of having his own drawings stolen in 1954 and widely pirated after he became famous may be relevant. In that context, the aspiration of two biker dandies to become more muscular and, by implication, more manly, makes perfect sense. 

 

 

Tom of Finland - Test Your Strength

 

This image, with the same youthful admirer from the Leather Outfit Thief, is also from 1961. It's actually part of the 'Circus Set' but embodies, in a more positive way, the idea of manly role models for gay men to aspire to.

 

The 'Mr Universe' series isn't about joining the Leather Clan, but it is very much about justice and assertiveness. The scarcity of surviving, intact images is probably a reflection of Tom's attempts to control the distribution of his own work. In 1965 '101 Boys Art Quarterly' was able to publish only fragments of some of the individual images. In the same year, AMG published a couple of (complete) images from the set in Physique Pictorial with a typically waspish comment to the effect that they offered many of Tom's series for sale, but this wasn't one of them!

 

Valentine-Hooven says there were 12 to 15 pictures in the series, I have identified a group of 17 images that seem related, of which 2 or 3 are dubious, but interesting. 

 

The story begins in the next post.  

 

Mitchell - Soldiers, shorts and sexiness

Mitchell - Builder Press-Ganged

A construction site workman is arrested by a Military Policeman after a struggle that has resulted in most of his clothes being ripped off. Interestingly, the cop is tying his hands with rope rather than clapping handcuffs on him. The workman does not seem to find his predicament very worrying, on the contrary, he's positively excited by it*. Perhaps he does not realise that he has been selected for conscription into the expanding British Army and a taste of military discipline is coming his way. The MP's choice was not entirely random, of course, he could not resist the hunky man doing manual work in tight white vest and jeans. Predictably, the Policeman's own shorts are somewhat briefer and tighter than normal military issue, but who wants normal?

 *Unlike some parts of the world, British people find Military personnel a lot less threatening than civilian police. 

~ 

 This picture has many connections which date it (rather damningly from my point of view!). The central figure with the ripped vest was inspired by a 'Zipper #31' beefcake model called 'Giano', I think. He posed on a board looking very wet, but I can't find him in my back files for the moment (and thanks to Google's latest 'improvements' to its search engine, it's now disappeared off the face of the earth, until such time as a copy pops up for sale on e-bay). Any offers of help to find him?

Mike Arlen - Military Arrest

The Military Policeman (and to some extent the whole image) was inspired by Mike Arlen's photo-series about an MP arresting a suspected Arab insurgent and being seduced by him (above). 

Arlen's work in this genre and the military shorts, link back in turn to the Royale Studio military imagery of the 50s/60s.

~ 

For more pictures by Mitchell at this blog, click on the 'mitchpix' label below 

Make Men Wear Shorts

I have a bit of a fantasy thing going on at 'X' based on the idea of men being obliged to wear shorts for work. Snug-fitting ones of course and as brief as possible. I've tagged the posts #makemenwearshorts.

His First Work Uniform

 

In this particular organisation, even the older Supervisor has to wear shorts. It's a creditable nod to equality, but, as you can see, some shorts are more equal than others. The shorter leg length is a probationary thing, reserved for newer employees (young or not). It not only symbolises the difference in rank, but also reminds the new recruits that although they are big boys now, they are just juniors in this set up and still have a lot to learn. 

  

Original, uncaptioned image (click to enlarge)

 I found this image at Kinky Callum's website, but I suspect it actually originates from Houston Visitor. The compulsory wearing of shorts links quite naturally to spanking and AI creators mostly take this route, but I am loath to blur the age boundary and avoid educational settings for my storyline. The more subtle themes of control, humilation and submission of adult men are more important.

Summary of Franco Articles at mitchmen

Franco - At Home with His Plant

  

 The principal articles with Franco images at mitchmen (as of June 2025) are listed below.
A more complete list of references can be obtained by using the search facilities (sidebar, top right)

 

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Franco 

 

Riding the Wedge with Franco 

 

A-Z article on Franco is Updated  

 

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Franco, Part 2  

 

Franco, Swimmer and Night Visitors 

 

Franco Milking Machines 

 

Franco's Office Discipline 

Franco's Office discipline

 These Franco images are not so much Lab Rat (see previous post) as Rat Race.

 

Franco - He's been a naughty boy

To the best of my knowledge, this is an entirely new Franco device.

It's a brilliantly simple concept, with the leg-spreading surface creating discomfort for the rider

 and a splendidly sexy view for us. Particularly those with a spanking interest. 

 

An unusual device for an Office, you might think, but it's sophisticated design suggests it gets regular use. Perhaps it's a repurposed ashtray, no longer of any use in a smoke-free environment. At any rate, the Office setting is a refreshing change from the usual spanking worlds of overly-parenting daddies and perpetual education. Franco's all-purpose title doesn't give us much else to go on.

 

AI is gifting some great new faces for Franco's art. This man's fashionably casual, masculine look provides a great persona for the cube rider, suggestive of calculating ambition and polished presentation. In short, the sort of man who wouldn't want to be caught naked with a plug up his ass. 

The hint of sweaty embarrassment on his face says it all. 

 

I have imagined this scene as the interrogation of an Office Manipulator,

caught passing commercial secrets to the opposition.

 

The Office Manipulator (Franco/mitchmen)

Franco - By The First Few Slaps

 

There's a marvellous look on this man's face, too. Again, it's as if he's been caught by a new arrival walking in the middle of a humiliating punishment. His jeans suggest he might be a workman from the maintenance department, or perhaps it's a new, literal take on dress-down Friday. 

 

 

Franco - Stripped and Strapped

 The strap is a spanking tool that allows no prevarication or half-heartedness. If it's not applied forcefully it's not going to even reach its target. There's no scope for faking it. So it seems an appropriate device for dealing with this miscreant who seems to be a bit of a bruiser, well able to stand up for himself. It would take a serious misdemeanour to persuade a man like this to shed every stitch of his clothing and accept corporal punishment. Probably Carter from Accounts, caught dipping his fingers into the Petty Cash. 

 

 

Franco - Introduced To The Strap

 Another hunky man discovers the sting of the strap for the first time. Despite his obvious maturity, he seems to have a pristine, virgin ass, if there is such a thing! If he looks the sort of man who can be easily persuaded, his tormentor looks like the sort of man who is used to having his way. The setting looks like a stately home. Perhaps this visitor carelessly damaged a priceless artefact. There are few remedies in law for such a situation, but the threat of a ruinous lawsuit would make a short dose of pain seem like a soft option to one who was relatively inexperienced. He doesn't know, of course, that the artwork he broke was a fake, substituted for just this eventuality. Let's hope he hasn't agreed to pay his debt in installments.

 

 

Franco - The Song of the Strap

 This strap sufferer looks the exact opposite in character, a toughie with hair on his ass to prove it. That's of little help in giving him protection from a strap wielded as determinedly as this. It's fierceness pays tribute to his butch persona, but, unfortunately, manly hairiness also bestows an obligation on him to bear pain with masculine dignity and not complain. In this image, we've reached the point where his stoicism is breaking down. A roar of dismay finally escapes his lips and his leg lifts in a futile attempt to block the spanker's stroke. It's a moment of triumph for some spankers, to break their man. For others, it's the moment when he ceases to be a worthwhile subject.  

 

 

Franco - Dad's Mad

 I prefer to see this titled as  'The Boss's Unexpected Bonus'. After giving numerous warnings, he's finally taking that lazy guy from maintenance to task for not fixing his radiator. He's amazed and delighted to discover that he's wearing a jockstrap under his jeans instead of the customary desire-dousing, baggy boxers that workmen usually wear. And they're framing the most delicious buns he's ever set eyes on. You can see by the look on the workman's face that it's escalating out of control, but his mesmerising butt is casting a spell that's not going to be easily broken. It's fortunate indeed that he doesn't have to go back to a desk job!

 

 

 

Franco - Fascination

 Franco's provided his own narrative here that explores the sense of control a spanker might enjoy, framing it in the context of a consensual sport. His words create a genuine sense of mounting excitement that would create a great video if synchronised with the moment of ecstasy. 

 

Also buried in here is the age-old belief that 'you like it really, don't you?' That is something that seems embedded in the psyche of many men, who can't quite believe that others are not necessarily what they want them to be. 

 

 

Franco - Daddy's Plaything

For me, there's a sense of mistaken intention here as well, with the young recipient having donned a pair of extremely skimpy briefs to provoke his companion's lust. He believed that the promise to 'batter his ass' was about penetration rather than pulverisation. The top remains inscrutable.

 

 

Franco - Bouncin 'n Spankin

 

Some men really do enjoy it sexually, but you'd be lucky to find one that also looks as good as this. Great, cute face and great physique too, a gift from the Gods. It looks like he's having to concentrate, perhaps wanting to prolong the exquisite joy of pain administered by a generous, patient man. 

This is another 'golden oldie' image given a new lease of life by AI. 

 

 

Franco - Tantrum

AI has gone mad with this image, with stray limbs littering the bottom section, but I wanted to share the key ingredients - (another) great ass billowing out of lowered jeans and a subject who appears to be angrily trying to negotiate a ceasefire when it's obviously far too late! He might desist if he could see the outraged expression it's causing on his tormentor's face. Stop digging pal! I've shortened Franco's original title which is alliterative and defines an age range that I'd rather steer clear of at this blog.

 

 

Franco - Paddled

A room furnished in minimalist fashion seems an apt setting for a naked paddling. There's no restraint being applied to hold the subject in position, which amplifies the sense of his total submissiveness to serious power. There's a touch of the Hospital ward in the bed design which might suggest a medical malingerer being exposed, but I see a manipulative pick-up who lies in bed all day rather than pulling his weight by doing chores around the house. It's such a comfy billet that he'll even take punishment rather than lose it. He might regret that choice in the weeks to come.  

 

~ 

 

I found these images in Corpunisfun at deviant art, but unfortunately it's deactivated now. 

Try Telemachus12