My favorite part of the Blondie comic strip was Dagwood and Blondie’s little gray dog Daisy, who always dashed around at their feet, imitating them during their frequent moments of chaos.
True to life, too. What family dog doesn’t uncomprehendingly but wholeheartedly dive right into any household pandemonium?
The Blondie comic strip — which began on Sept. 8, 1930, as the story of a flapper and her wealthy suitor — was immensely popular, contributing even a sandwich to American culture (The “Dagwood sandwich” is a towering, multilayered construction topped by an olive on a toothpick).
Chic Young’s King Features strip inspired a long-running film series, radio and TV shows and four comic book titles at Harvey Comics, published between 1950 and 1965. Both Dagwood’s surname and Daisy’s name were inspired by Chic Young’s friend Arthur Bumstead and his dog Daisy.
Even Daisy had her own comic book, Daisy and Her Pups, from 1951 through 1954. “Issues featured a couple of Daisy and the Pups stories with plenty of cameo appearances by Dagwood, Blondie and the rest of the Bumstead household,” noted the Comics for All website.
The Bumsteads, who had married in 1933, brought Daisy home from a pet store in 1934 after their son Alexander was born. In short order, Daisy had a litter of five pups — four females and a rascally male named Elmer.
The pups eventually vanished from the strip, and in 2005 the Tampa Bay Times wondered where they’d gone. They got an answer from Dean Young, who took over the strip after his father’s death in 1963.
Q: “Gosh, Daisy must be 550 years old! Are her pups ever going to make another appearance?”
Dean Young: “No. The pups, I imagine, are somewhere in the neighborhood, but, in my tenure, I found that drawing five little puppies in each panel was more than I can bear.”
 |
| Daisy's first appearance in 1934 |
David Blaszkiewicz:
ReplyDeleteThat Blondie was some number.
Bob Doncaster:
ReplyDeleteThe missing pups give new meaning to the term "doggone."
Richard Meyer:
ReplyDeleteMy favorite newspaper strip as a kid. Since the flapper origins were long gone and never mentioned, it took me years to find out why it was named after her and not him, and why she looked nothing like any suburban housewife I ever saw.
Michael Fraley:
ReplyDeleteAlexander was named after one of Young's former assistants who had just hit the big time with a thing called Flash Gordon -- Alex Raymond.
Lisa Childress:
ReplyDeleteI loved Daisy! As you noted, she reacted to everything that went on. I think she knew where all the bones were buried... ;oD
Also, the dog in Pickles is obviously inspired by her, although his reactions aren't as anthropomorphic as hers are. :o]