# Do you know this comic strip character? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449 "2014-12-16T23:18:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/101 "2014-12-18T21:17:15Z")
But Aunt Fritzi is hotter. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![norvalnormal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@norvalnormal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norvalnormal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/102 "2014-12-18T21:43:35Z")
Haven’t read every single post preceding, but … The strip was considered silly and “for kiddies only” in the 1960s/1970s but Nancy herself over the years became more iconic than most other cartoon characters and inspired, among other things, fancy-schmancy-nancy Manhattan art gallery exhibits of variations on the theme of “Nancy” (although Art Spiegelman had mined this territory decades earlier). Fantagraphics has now put out 3 chronological volumes of the strip in trade paperback, and I am getting an immense kick out of the strip. There were a couple of Columbia animated cartoons starring Nancy, and they are (deservedly, IMO) all but forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![justmeetee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@justmeetee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justmeetee)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/103 "2014-12-18T21:46:44Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > I don’t remember where I got it, except that it was online. It’s white with > blue and black images of the pair, if I remember correctly. It’s was one of those stiff, short ties that’s impossible to get tied right, so I never wear it. Ran across it recently while looking for an good tie for a cocktail party. I did not choose to wear Nancy and Sluggo to the party. As we can see from this thread, few people would have known the characters. I could never resist wearing a tie like that to any event. But then I am a very good example of Groucho’s “I could never belong to a club that would have me as a member”. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/104 "2014-12-18T21:50:24Z")
A source that’s far from complete but a good start: > **[List of newspaper comic strips](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspaper_comic_strips)** > > The following is a list of comic strips. Dates after names indicate the time frames when the strips appeared. There is usually a fair degree of accuracy about a start date, but because of rights being transferred or the very gradual loss of appeal of a particular strip, the termination date is sometimes uncertain. In the event a strip has its own page, the originator of the strip is listed. Otherwise, all creators who worked on a strip are listed. Many of characters appeared in both strip and c... ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/105 "2014-12-18T23:31:41Z")
> [@norvalnormal](#): > > (although Art Spiegelman had mined this territory decades earlier). [Holy cow.](http://j-walkblog.com/index.php?/weblog/comments/26883) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/106 "2014-12-19T00:21:25Z")
Welp, I guessed wrong. I was thinking it was Little Dot. Once I read it was Nancy I was like all _facedesk_ and I’m not even sitting at a desk. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/107 "2014-12-19T04:58:05Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > A couple of other links: > > [The Lawrence Welk of Cartooning](http://www.tcj.com/the-lawrence-welk-of-cartoonists-ernie-nancy-and-the-bushmiller-society/) > > [Confessions of a Nancy Addict](http://www.interestingideas.com/ii/nanfan.htm) Thanks. I can appreciate the points in these articles, and now that I see the full comic–realizing that I’ve read it a few times somewhere, somehow–I remember that those points weren’t lost on me then. I would point out, though, that the “problem-solving” sight gag itself was not particularly unique to “Nancy”: It’s one of the defining characteristics of the ever popular Merrie Melodies animated cartoons (and I daresay they might have influenced Bushmiller). He did, however, clearly have a talent for distilling it into three frames. I just always thought that that particular minimalist aesthetic was typical of “old” comics, but I can see now it really _wasn’t_ that typical. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/108 "2014-12-19T08:58:01Z")
Wait, wait, I just noticed a similarity to another cartoonist! Nancy’s aunt is named Fritzi. Did Beto name his Fritz character after Fritzi Ritz? I always wondered why she had such a mannish name. If you don’t know who Beto is, you obviously can’t answer this question. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/109 "2014-12-19T09:08:04Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I do. But then again, I’m old. (No, I’m not, dammit. I’m not old.) > > And yeah, [Aunt Fritzi is hawt](https://cidutest.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/nancy-sharks.gif). She is indeed, but without her, that particular comic is funny! ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/110 "2014-12-19T09:16:39Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [Here’s the actual strip for that date.](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KHgbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JU0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4141%2C5187003) Two thoughts about those comics… Aunt Fritzi better give me a spanking, too! I admire the ethnic sensitivity of the strip at the bottom of the page- GORDO. I wonder why I’ve never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/111 "2014-12-19T17:59:51Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [Here’s the actual strip for that date.](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KHgbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JU0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4141%2C5187003) Scrolling over a little- I wonder if Steve Kovacs has still got that 1936 Harley for sale. $195 is a pretty good price. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/112 "2014-12-19T18:37:14Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I’m guessing Family Circus. Not a reader/fan. Just can’t think of another that fits the clue. "Okay. You sit down and read your paper, and you’re enjoying your entire two-page comics spread. Right? And then there’s the Family fucking Circus, bottom right-hand corner, just waiting to suck. And it’s the last thing you read, so it spoils everything you read before it. " – Todd Gaines, _Go_ (1999) ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/113 "2014-12-19T18:57:50Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [Here’s the actual strip for that date.](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KHgbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JU0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4141%2C5187003) Nancy was the funniest of those strips by a mile. Although more hot women appeared in those cartoons then we see today, along with draftsmanship when it comes to backgrounds. > [@Biotop](#): > > A couple of other links: > > [The Lawrence Welk of Cartooning](http://www.tcj.com/the-lawrence-welk-of-cartoonists-ernie-nancy-and-the-bushmiller-society/) > > [Confessions of a Nancy Addict](http://www.interestingideas.com/ii/nanfan.htm) “Puns of the worst kind” they say. That’s right up my alley. Maybe I should think again about becoming a Nancy boy. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/114 "2014-12-19T18:58:21Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > "Okay. You sit down and read your paper, and you’re enjoying your entire two-page comics spread. Right? And then there’s the Family fucking Circus, bottom right-hand corner, just waiting to suck. And it’s the last thing you read, so it spoils everything you read before it. " > > – Todd Gaines, _Go_ (1999) What is the web site that re-captioned the Family Circus? ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/115 "2014-12-19T19:02:15Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > What is the web site that re-captioned the Family Circus? [Dysfunctional Family Circus.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysfunctional_Family_Circus) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/116 "2014-12-19T19:15:39Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/117 "2014-12-19T20:37:00Z")
Remember the [Nietzsche Family Circus](http://www.nietzschefamilycircus.com/) too! Random Nietzsche quotes paired with random Family Circus cartoons. With surreal results. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/118 "2014-12-19T20:46:06Z")
Thank you, Sir. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/119 "2014-12-20T00:45:43Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > According to Wikipedia, it still runs in about 80 newspapers (and of course, you can read it online). It’s a far cry from the 800 it ran in at its peak. > [@Enright3](#): > > Nancy is definitely running here in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Thanks. But I suspect it’s not the same, what with a different cartoonist doing it and all. I remember Ernie Bushmiller’s work very well. Even if I haven’t thought of Nancy in years and years, it was one of those strips that give me a little smile once it has been repointed out to me. Growing up, I’d read every strip, no matter what. Even Mary Worth and Rex Morgan. And I always made a little note of the cartoonists’ names, that was just part of the reading. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449/120 "2014-12-20T02:11:48Z")
[GoComics.com](http://GoComics.com) has Nancy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-this-comic-strip-character/707449.md?page=7)