# Does Sluggo Have Parents? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384 "2015-11-23T21:05:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/1 "2015-11-23T21:05:37Z")
I found a paperback at a thrift store called “How Sluggo Survives” from the “Nancy” comic strip. Sluggo appears about ten years old, yet he seems to live alone in a shack, he sleeps on bedsprings, his roof leaks, the window glass is broken, he looks like he’s homeless. I know through the years the strip was drawn by various people, the book has a date of 1989. So anyway, does Sluggo have parents? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/2 "2015-11-23T21:18:00Z")
I seem to recall his father being a borderline hobo, but it’s been awhile. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/3 "2015-11-23T21:21:31Z")
Apparently, he is an [orphan.](http://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2015/04/06) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/4 "2015-11-23T21:43:30Z")
Hell, my dad ran away from home when he was 14 and wound up working with a truck driver who drank heavily when he was on the road. Nobody came looking for him and nobody cared. Apparently, if you weren’t an adorable curly-haired moppet, weren’t wanted by your own family, and were old enough to work and support yourself, social services weren’t about to help you during the Great Depression. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/5 "2015-11-23T23:14:21Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Apparently, he is an [orphan.](http://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2015/04/06) Only the Bushmiller strips are canon. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/6 "2015-11-24T01:31:27Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Only the Bushmiller strips are canon. Good lord, there is Nancy canon? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/7 "2015-11-24T01:50:26Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Only the Bushmiller strips are canon. That and my Aunt Fritzi fanfic. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/8 "2015-11-24T02:00:23Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Only the Bushmiller strips are canon. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Good lord, there is Nancy canon? “It’s Bushmiller Time!” - Zippy the Pin Head. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/9 "2015-11-24T02:23:43Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > That and my Aunt Fritzi fanfic. Oh, my! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/10 "2015-11-24T16:56:59Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > That and my Aunt Fritzi fanfic. A friend once told me “Aunt Fritzi never wears pants. Prove me wrong!” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/11 "2015-11-24T17:31:03Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > A friend once told me “Aunt Fritzi never wears pants. Prove me wrong!” [http://j-walkblog.com/images2/leonrussellshirt.gif](http://j-walkblog.com/images2/leonrussellshirt.gif) [![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ogh-qYSiczU/SHs9fCxmEAI/AAAAAAAAAPE/rX264ok5BLE/s400/nancy20080711.jpg) ](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ogh-qYSiczU/SHs9fCxmEAI/AAAAAAAAAPE/rX264ok5BLE/s400/nancy20080711.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/12 "2015-11-24T17:35:31Z")
Flip the book over! It becomes _ **Bums, Beatniks and Hippies!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/13 "2015-11-24T18:30:53Z")
Poor Sluggo ☹ Does he have a real name? ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/14 "2015-11-24T18:54:25Z")
I thought he had as many parents as Nancy. I could easily be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/15 "2015-11-24T19:33:26Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > [http://j-walkblog.com/images2/leonrussellshirt.gif](http://j-walkblog.com/images2/leonrussellshirt.gif) > [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/\_ogh-qYSiczU/SHs9fCxmEAI/AAAAAAAAAPE/rX264ok5BLE/s400/nancy20080711.jpg](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ogh-qYSiczU/SHs9fCxmEAI/AAAAAAAAAPE/rX264ok5BLE/s400/nancy20080711.jpg) Yes, but the joke was that she is (almost) always drawn with just the top half of her body sticking into the frame. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/16 "2015-11-24T21:55:45Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > [http://j-walkblog.com/images2/leonrussellshirt.gif](http://j-walkblog.com/images2/leonrussellshirt.gif) > [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/\_ogh-qYSiczU/SHs9fCxmEAI/AAAAAAAAAPE/rX264ok5BLE/s400/nancy20080711.jpg](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ogh-qYSiczU/SHs9fCxmEAI/AAAAAAAAAPE/rX264ok5BLE/s400/nancy20080711.jpg) Wow! When did they up-dish Fritzi Ritz? We’re getting on toward Liberty Meadows here! ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/17 "2015-11-25T01:54:51Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > That and my Aunt Fritzi fanfic. Now we’re talking! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sluggo-have-parents/738384/18 "2015-11-25T02:10:53Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Only the Bushmiller strips are canon. I assume that’s a joke, but it does give me an excuse to mention my frustration with this sort of thing. The current runner is the one who decides canon. In an ongoing work, the purpose of canon is just to maintain some sort of consistent world. It allows the future to be predicted to an extent. That it why the so-called “Word of God” is so important, despite concepts such as “Death of the Author.” So, no, you can’t say something isn’t canon just because you don’t like the new direction being taken by an ongoing work–not unless you are the current author. That said, I do wonder if his orphan status is new, since the OP is talking about a 1985 comic. His orphan status could be a retcon, or his parent(s) could have died between then and now.