Animated Animals

Odie, from the Garfield comic strip

I love my superhero comic books, but I also love a good comic strip -- those laugh-out-loud stories told through text and art that appear in the pages of the newspapers (and, increasingly, online).

In honor of the anniversary of Odie (who first appeared in newspaper pages on August 8, 1978), I thought I'd take a look at five of the most famous, influential, and unforgettable cartoon creatures to grace the pages of the funny pages:



5. Pogo Possum

He's served as inspiration to a generation of comic artist heavy hitters -- and found time to become the official "state 'possum" of Georgia. The star of the comic strip Pogo, this 'possum is the creation of cartoonist Walt Kelly, whose strip ran in newspapers for nearly 30 years.

Kelly, who was both strongly interested in politics and liberal, often wove his political philosophies into the fabric of his strip, using wit and humor to lighten the results. (Pogo's picture popped up on buttons during the 1952 presidential election, along with the motto, "I go Pogo.")

Pogo Possum lives in the marshes, along with such friends and neighbors as Albert the Alligator, Howland Owl, and Porky Pine. Amiable and good-natured -- and desiring to stay out of trouble -- Pogo's pals often get him into trouble for him, not in the least in continually pestering him to run for president. (Hey, it's an allegory.)

Never heard of the strip before?  You probably know one of the quotes. In 1970, Kelly designed a Pogo poster for Earth Day. It read, "We have met the enemy -- and he is us."

-- Read some sample strips here

-- Request collections of Pogo



4. Snowy 

Created in 1929, The Adventures of Tintin is the work of a Belgian artist who went by the pen name Hergé. The artist modeled Tintin on a previous character he'd created (Totor, an adventurous Boy Scout, who had been the subject of his own comic strip when Hergé was in high school). A former reporter, Tintin is a detective who is something of an Indiana Jones -- touring the globe to foil criminals, recover treasure and artifacts, and occasionally save the world. Many of Tintin's adventures were based on real-world events (like space exploration and international politics).

While Tintin is surrounded by a large cast, his most faithful companion is Snowy, a fox terrier dog. Smart, heroic, and definitely still doglike, Snowy accompanies his master on all of his adventures, and saves Tintin's life on more than one occasion. (He's only got one real fear: spiders!)  And, like many comic strip animal creations, Snowy can talk -- though often he only speaks to Tintin.

The character was named after Hergé's first girlfriend (her nickname was "Milou," which was Snowy's name in the original French versions of the comic).

-- Read more about Tintin at the official website

-- Request collections of The Adventures of Tintin

-- Request The Adventures of Tintin animated series on DVD

-- Request Stephen Spielberg's animated film The Adventures of Tintin on DVD or Blu-ray



3. Hobbes

If this were a more subjective list, Hobbes would've claimed the Number One spot on this list for me!  Named for the seventeenth-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, this talking tiger is one half of the duo that make up Bill Watterson's wholly-awesome comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes. Premiering in 1985 and running for ten years, the strip gained a devoted fan following for its stories about childhood, friendship, and the magic of the imagination.

Hobbes himself is a plush toy, owned by six-year-old Calvin. When Calvin and Hobbes are on their own, Hobbes is drawn as a walking, talking tiger; when other characters enter the room, however, Hobbes is drawn as an ordinary plush toy. The nature of exactly what Hobbes is, is something the strip is always careful not to resolve. As explained by Watterson: Calvin sees his stuffed toy one way, and the rest of the world sees Hobbes another way. Hobbes's nature is, plainly put, a subjective look at reality.

Hobbes himself -- as seen by Calvin -- is smart, sharp, witty, and terribly proud of not being human. (He's decidedly a "wild animal," with one of his favorite activities being sneaking up on Calvin and pouncing on him.) With his wry, quiet wisdom, he's also a good compliment to Calvin's zany and mischievous personality -- making him the best friend and tiger a kid could hope for.

Hobbes: As seen by Calvin, and by the rest of the world

-- Request collections of Calvin and Hobbes

-- Request the book Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip by Nevin Martell



2. Garfield

He's lazy, hates Mondays, and loves lasagna. You don't have to read Jim Davis's comic strip to know about Garfield, the fat and lazy orange cat belonging to one Jon Arbuckle.

First appearing in 1978, the strip has been in circulation ever since. The strip was a quick success, going on to become the most syndicated strip in the world (appearing in over 2,500 newspapers across the world). Inspiring Saturday morning cartoon series and even movies, Garfield also reigns supreme in merchandizing, appearing on everything from notebooks and t-shirts to coffee mugs and plush toys hanging in car windows. Not bad for a "lazy" cat!

(You can also check out the truly unusual website Garfield Minus Garfield, which offers a unique, post-modern take on the comic strip -- and the weirdly philosophical misadventures of Jon Arbuckle.)

-- Request collections of Garfield

-- Request Garfield the animated series on DVD

-- Request the live-action/animated films Garfield starring Bill Murray on DVD or Blu-ray



1. Snoopy

We've talked before about the appeal of Charles Schulz's Peanuts strip, and no where is that more evident than in the strip's most popular character: Snoopy. A beagle dog owned by the hapless Charlie Brown, Snoopy has a love for writing, his bird-pal Woodstock, and, most of all, dinnertime.

While not as "talkative" as Snowy, Snoopy -- like Garfield -- speaks at least to the audience, courtesy of some handy thought bubbles. (Woodstock seems to be able to understand him most of the time, too.) Of course, this authorial canine doesn't really need the spoken word to communicate: parading up to Charlie Brown with his own dinner bowl in his teeth seems to get the message across pretty clearly.

The character was inspired, in part, by Schulz's childhood dog, Spike (which happens to be the name of Snoopy's brother). Like Hobbes and Calvin, Snoopy serves as a good counterpart to his anxious, somewhat sad owner, with Snoopy always cheerful, confident, and ready to enjoy life -- particularly when snoozing atop his red dog house.

-- Request collections of Peanuts

-- Request Peanuts cartoons on DVD



-- Post by Ms. B