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Forgotten Comic Strips

@forgottencomics.bsky.social

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A home for newspaper comic strips that have fallen out of memory.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Dec 12

I go through a lot of newspaper archives for my job, so I end up reading a lot of funny pages. This is a home for comic strips that have been forgotten, either because they fell out of the public memory, or because they were never that successful to begin with.

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 24

"Toots and Casper" by Jimmy Murphy, 1918-1956
November 7th, 1925 as seen in the Herald and Review

Comic strip "Toots and Casper." Husband and father, Casper, is speaking with his wife, Toots, about how he buys their baby boy, Buttercup, a toy at the first of the month, but this month he's unsure of what to get him. Casper puts several ideas on bits of paper and puts them in a hat, and instructs Buttercup that he'll buy whatever the child pulls out. Buttercup grabs all the papers, and true to his word, Casper goes out to buy several toys.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 16h

"The Simpsons" by Sherri L. Smith, Jeanette Bose and Jason Ho, 1998-2002
September 22nd, 2002 as seen in the Sacramento Bee

Sunday comic strip "The Simpsons," a tie-in to the animated show of the same name. Homer takes Lisa to a museum exhibit on neanderthals. While the museum guide details how ancient man gathered food, a hungry Homer spies a vending machine. When his food gets stuck, he starts to violently rattle the machine, reflecting the guide's description of neanderthal behavior. The vending machine falls on top of Homer, and the guide tells Lisa to leave him, "it's nature's way."

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 16h

"Miki" by "Robert Kay"*, 1945-1950
September 21st, 1949 as seen in the Flint Journal

*Bob Kuwahara

Serialized comic strip "Miki." In the middle of a baseball game, the pitcher has started throwing poorly, walking three men. Something odd is happening. In the stands, young boy Miki and a magical sprite named Uncle Henry are watching. Uncle Henry takes a baseball and throws it at the back of the pitcher's head in hopes that'll snap him out of his trance.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 16h

"Maw Green" by Harold Gray, 1933-1973
June 2nd, 1935 as seen in the Columbus Ledger

Sunday comic strip "Maw Green," a topper strip for Harold Gray's "Little Orphan Annie." A man tries to pressure Maw Green into buying stocks, saying that the company is a sure thing. Maw Green refuses, figuring that any company that was actually successful wouldn't invite an outsider like her to invest.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 16h

"Once Upon a Time" by W.J. Enright, 1925-1929
June 25th, 1926 as seen in the Evening Day

Serialized fairy tale comic strip "Once Upon A Time." A telling of the Scandinavian fairy tale "Jesper Who Herded the Hares." Full text: "There was once a king who ruled over a kingdom somewhere between sunrise and sunset. It was a small kingdom and when the king went up to the roof of his palace and took a look around he could see to the ends of it in every direction. He had only one child, a daughter, and he foresaw that she must be provided with a husband who would be fit to be king after him. Where to find one rich enough and clever enough to be a suitable match for the princess was what troubled him most. At last he devised a plan. He made a proclamation over his and the neighboring kingdoms that whoever brought him a dozen of the finest pearls and could perform certain tasks that would be set he should have the princess in marriage and in due time succeed to the throne. The pearls he thought could only be bought by a wealthy man and the tasks would require unusual talents. Rich men and foreign princes tried and failed, for, though they could all produce magnificent pearls, not one could perform even the simplest of the tasks. Tomorrow - The Fisherman."

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 17h

"The Shell Game" by Will B. Johnstone, 1911-1911
March 1st, 1911 as seen in The Bulletin

Comic strip "The Shell Game." Subtitled "The Sad Story of a Tip That DIDN'T Go Wrong." At the advice of a man with a strawberry for a head, a man with an egg for a head buys stocks in Onion Consolidated, thinking it's a wise investment. A man with a crab apple for a head arrives and lets them know that Onion Consolidated will actually bottom out soon, so Egg runs off to sell his stocks. When he comes up, he learns that Onion Consolidated actually skyrocketed in value. They throw Crab Apple out the window.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Jan 1

"They'll Do It Every Time" by Jimmy Hatlo, 1929-2008
August 13th, 1929 as seen in the Albuquerque Journal

Single panel comic strip "They'll Do It Every Time." An older many tears up his living room looking for his glasses, unaware that they're resting on his forehead.

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 23

"Dr. Smock" by George Lemont, 1974-1985
November 14th, 1984 as seen in the York Dispatch

Comic strip "Dr. Smock." A group of nurses begin an aerobic dancing class. The instructor says "if only one of us walks out of here looking like Jane Fonda, it'll have been worth it!"

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Colonial Capers" by Joe Escourido, 1970-1975
May 7th, 1975 as seen in the Helena World

Comic strip "Colonial Capers." A reverend asks a man who college is going. We learn he's taking English, because he already knows how to speak it. Not exactly taking advantage of the strip's colonial America setting. Originally called "The Colonials," before changing its name in 1973.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Mac Divot" by Jordan Lanski and Mel Keefer, 1955-1975
December 18th, 1967 as seen in the Chicago Tribune

Serialized golf comic strip "Mac Divot." Fictional professional golfer Sandy Mac Divot is giving golf lessons to the king of a fictional Middle Eastern country. Showing him all the follow through with his swings, these lessons might just have bigger applications in ruling a country.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Les Canadiens" by Albert Chartier, 1963-1964
February 8th, 1964 as seen in the Daily Gleaner

Historical French-language comic strip "Les Canadiens," with English translations printed upside down under the panels. Subtitled "Radisson and Groseilliers." Recounting the story of brothers-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers, their joining of the English service and the founding of Hudson's Bay Company. Full English text: "'Our losses in [Hudson's Bay] are enormous. Let's ask Versailles for the punishment of the culprits.' Impovershed, [Groseilliers] goes back to T.R. to live with his wife and brood of children. [Radisson] goes back to the [Hudson's Bay Company] wehre he is welcome with open arms. He spends his last years in L... Remembering his happy days as Coureur Des Bois." While a Canadian strip, this also managed to get published in a few small newspapers in Maine.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Long Sam" by Al Capp and Bob Lubbers, 1954-1962
November 10th, 1955 as seen in The Patriot

Serialized comic strip "Long Sam." Sam, a hillbilly girl who was raised in an isolated community and now finds herself rather susceptible to men, is currently in Paris. A man drops his candy bar on the ground, and Sam wants to eat it. Unbeknownst to here, these two men are trying to find the perfect woman to hook their friend up with. They command her to stand up, which she does, then turn around, which she does. While looking at her ass, they decide she's perfect. Al Capp, everybody.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"School Days" by Clare Victor Dwiggins, 1909-1930
December 17th, 1923 as seen in the San Francisco Chronicle

Single panel comic strip "School Days." Three boys watch as a delivery man unloads a large box from his carriage. They speculate on what it could be, from bicycles to encyclopedias to stoves. Caption below reads, "The Old Curiosity Wagon."

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 23

"From 9 to 5" by Jo Fischer, 1946-1971
January 4th, 1965 as seen in the News Journal

Single panel comic strip "From 9 to 5," spelled out "From Nine to Five" here. A woman is having a job interview. She says, "The salary is OK but what about overtime, leisure time, primp-up time, coffee time and lunch time?"

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 23

"Hollywood Johnnie" by Renny McEvoy and Jim Pablan, 1945-1948
March 28th, 1946 as seen in the Birmingham News

Serialized comic strip "Hollywood Johnnie." A Hollywood agent drives into a beautiful forested region of the country. After getting directions from a gas station attendant, the agent comments on how the scenery looks like a Cecil B. DeMille set.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 4d

"Colonel Wowser" by Johnny Devlin, 1934-1940
May 19th, 1935 as seen in the Marshall News Messenger

Sunday comic strip "Colonel Wowser," a topper strip for Milt Gross’s "Looy Dot Dope." Colonel Wowser's butler, Jitters, is enjoying his employer's drink cabinet and cigar while Wowser is away. He gets a phone call from Wowser, who asks if he's indulging, to which the butler lies and says that he's not. However, it turns out that Colonel Wowser is actually right behind him.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 4d

"Bouford" by "Mellors"*, 1949-1952
December 1st, 1949 as seen in the Meeker Herald

*Frank Borth

Comic strip "Bouford." Bouford is sleeping in, so the dog Shmelzer is sent upstairs to wake him, which his does with great energy and violence. Bouford wonders if maybe horses should be man's best friend instead.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 4d

"Ken Stuart" by Frank Borth, 1947-1949
August 5th, 1948 as seen in the Boston Globe

Serialized comic strip "Ken Stuart." Two women get horny over hunky sailor Ken Stuart. Unbeknownst to them, hunky sailor Ken Stuart can hear them.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 4d

"Sparky Watts" by Boody Rogers, 1940-1942
June 6th, 1941 as seen in the Minneapolis Daily Times

Serialized comic strip "Sparky Watts." Sparky, the strongest man in the world, is taking a nature walk with Sue when they find a stream in the way, Sue unable to cross in her high heels. It turns out this was planned in hopes that Sparky would carry her over the water, resulting in a romantic moment. Instead, Sparky knocks over a tree to create a bridge.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 4d

"Lala Palooza" by Rube Goldberg, 1936-1938*
May 10th, 1937 as seen in the San Francisco Chronicle

*reprints until 1945

Serialized comic strip "Lala Palooza." Lala's brother Vincent has mistakenly thrown out Lala's jewel necklace, which would have been collected by Tony the Ashman. In order to get in contact with Tony and get the necklace back, Vincent puts out an ad in the paper, only for a dozen people claiming to by Tony to show up as his front door.

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 23

"Reg'lar Fellers" by Gene Byrnes, 1917-1949
March 14th, 1932 as seen in the Evening Sun

Comic strip "Reg'lar Fellers." Three children, two boys and a girl, go ice skating. The girls asks them if they know what the Seven Wonders of the World are. One of the boys says they only know one: his father when he was their age.

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Jan 1

"Count Screwloose of Tooloose" by Milt Gross, 1929-1935
February 17th, 1929 as seen in the Detroit Free Press

Full page comic strip "Count Screwloose of Tooloose." A man escapes a mental hospital and stumbles onto a scene of domestic violence. He reports it to the police, but the family work together to protect their abusive husband/father. The man returns to the mental hospital, realizing people are just as crazy out there as they are in here.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 6d

"Sports Hall of Shame" by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, 1989-1997
April 9th, 1993 as seen in the Boca Raton News

Single panel sports informational comic strip "Sports Hall of Shame." Full text: "The first owners of the New York Yankees were shady characters and crooked as loaded dice. Frank Farrell ran gambling houses while Bill Devery was a "bag man" for a Tammany Hall boss. With Farrell and Devery as owners from 1903-14, the Yankees never won a pennant and finished fifth or lower eight times."

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 6d

"Rudy" by William Overgard, 1983-1985
January 16th, 1984 as seen in The Olympian

Serialized comic strip "Rudy," less commonly titled "Rudy in Hollywood." Bonita, an elderly parrot, asks Rudy, a talking chimpanzee, if he's over his mid-life crisis. Rudy has recently lost his job at the club, which he finds actually quite freeing. Bonita reminds him he still needs to eat.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 6d

"Angel" by Mel Casson, 1953-1966
September 23rd, 1963 as seen in the Winona Daily News

Single panel comic strip "Angel." A boy playing cowboy realizes his lasso is the same thing as that little girl's jump rope.

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