# Please help me find this short comic strip from ca.1975 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [December 16, 2025, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765 "2025-12-16T20:44:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [December 16, 2025, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/1 "2025-12-16T20:44:35Z")
It’s a two-panel Hagar the Horrible in which Hagar says “There are little flecks of gold in my beard. Don’t they make me look distinguished?” His wife replies deadpan “Those are codfish flakes.” I know it was printed prior to 15 June 1975, but not very long before. I could have found it myself earlier in (I think) the Go Comics archive, but they seem to have changed their format. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/2 "2025-12-16T20:54:22Z")
If you’re able to narrow down the range, you could try [Google’s newspaper archive.](https://news.google.com/newspapers) [Here’s Hagar for April 7, 1975.](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IXAcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xFUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7218%2C2983693) (April 6 and 7 were combined into one scan.) ---
**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:** [December 16, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/3 "2025-12-16T21:04:34Z")
Thank you! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/4 "2025-12-16T21:14:20Z")
Glad to help. I used to read Random Acts of Nancy and, when possible, track down the original strip; the archive for the _Pittsburgh Press_ is one of the resources I used. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/5 "2025-12-16T21:25:07Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I know it was printed prior to 15 June 1975, but not very long before. I could have found it myself earlier in (I think) the Go Comics archive, but they seem to have changed their format. ☹ Here is the June 15, 1975 strip: > **[Hagar The Horrible Comic Strip 1975-06-15 | Comics Kingdom](https://comicskingdom.com/hagar-the-horrible/1975-06-15)** > > Read the Hagar The Horrible comic strip from June 15, 1975, and check out other Hagar The Horrible comics by Chris Browne. Then you can scroll down from there to look at the days prior to this. But I went all the way back to the beginning of May, glancing over every comic, and didn’t see anything that matched the story you are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/6 "2025-12-17T01:58:56Z")
This comic was before my time but wouldn’t silver or gray flecks make more sense for beards and Atlantic fish? ---
**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:** [December 17, 2025, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/7 "2025-12-17T15:56:21Z")
The reason I remember it so well is that my beard at the time did have gold flecks in it, something my girlfriend commented on the week of 15 June, right after her birthday. Referencing the cartoon, I told her they were codfish flakes. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/8 "2025-12-17T16:17:16Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Then you can scroll down from there to look at the days prior to this. But I went all the way back to the beginning of May, glancing over every comic, and didn’t see anything that matched the story you are looking for. I did the same in the Cleveland Plain Dealer archives and did not see anything that matches the description. Memory can be a fickle thing; there might be some detail that’s not quite as you remember it? ---
**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:** [December 17, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/9 "2025-12-17T16:31:14Z")
I’ve gone through the first half of 1975 and not found it. The strip debuted on 4 February 1973, so there’s a little less than two additional years to search. I am 100% sure of the details, I just don’t remember on what day I saw the strip. It couldn’t have been much earlier than 15 June 1975 because it came to mind so quickly. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/10 "2025-12-17T16:31:51Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > This comic was before my time but wouldn’t silver or gray flecks make more sense for beards and Atlantic fish? Silly comic strip, not documentary. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MuleSkinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@MuleSkinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MuleSkinner)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/11 "2025-12-17T16:50:36Z")
I found a Facebook post where someone wrote the following: “There’s a comic strip in which Hagar is proud of his beard, which is turning silver due to his age. It turns out they’re actually fish scales.” ---
**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:** [December 17, 2025, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/12 "2025-12-17T16:54:43Z")
That’s possible, but the flecks in my beard at age 20 were definitely gold. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/13 "2025-12-17T18:03:33Z")
> [@MuleSkinner](#): > > “There’s a comic strip in which Hagar is proud of his beard, which is turning silver due to his age. It turns out they’re actually fish scales.” Fish scales makes so much more sense and approaches funny! Last night when I posted, I actually thought codfish flakes meant bits of a meal of flaky cod Hagar had eaten and didn’t consider fish flakes = fishfood (for pets) till this morning. I also wondered if the strip showed Hagar admiring gold beard beads(?) that a Viking costume might include, lol. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2025, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/14 "2025-12-17T18:10:23Z")
I’ve looked at a lot of archived strips and can’t find any older than 50 years. The cutoff date seems to be 1 January 1975, which really pisses me off. All of the first two years is simply ignored. 😡 Judging from where I was living in 1974, it had to have appeared in the second half of that year. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2025, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/15 "2025-12-17T23:16:24Z")
It may be in one of the first few books > **[Hägar the Horrible](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A4gar_the_Horrible)** > > Hägar the Horrible is the title and main character of an American comic strip created by cartoonist Dik Browne and syndicated by King Features Syndicate. It first appeared on February 4, 1973 (in Sunday papers) and the next day in daily newspapers, and was an immediate success. Following Browne's retirement in 1988, his son Chris Browne continued the strip until his 2017 retirement, with artwork by Gary Hallgren. Currently, it is written and drawn by staff members of Browne Creative Ente "Haga... ---
**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:** [December 18, 2025, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/16 "2025-12-18T15:21:50Z")
I’ve been trying to find a couple of those in my area, but no luck so far. Maybe a Doper or two has them? ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/17 "2025-12-18T15:27:15Z")
My mom taped up a Hagar comic strip on the fridge. Hagar approaches his wife and asks “When do we eat?” She replies with exasperation, “You mean when do you EAT and EAT and EAT and EAT!” Hagar then turns to the reader and says “Gee, I thought they liked to cook.” That was for my dad, but I don’t he ever noticed it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/18 "2025-12-18T15:36:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve been trying to find a couple of those in my area, but no luck so far. This looks like what you need > **[Hagar the Horrible: The Epic Chronicles by Dik Browne: 9781848562349 |...](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/19390/hagar-the-horrible-the-epic-chronicles-by-dik-browne/)** > > The continuing quest of Hagar the Horrible, the world’s mildest marauder, to put food on the family table and loot in his coffers. Aided by his crew of odd-balls, misfits and miscreants, his sidekick... ABE has a copy for 15 bucks. > **[Hagar the Horrible: The Epic Chronicles: The Dailies 1973-1974 - Dik Browne:...](https://www.abebooks.com/9781848562332/Hagar-Horrible-Epic-Chronicles-Dailies-1848562330/plp)** > > Titan Books - 2009 - Low prices on new and used copies of books. 30 days return policy ---
**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:** [December 18, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/19 "2025-12-18T17:10:03Z")
I just found the cartoon going through six months of _ **The Pittsburgh Press** _ archives. It appeared on Page 9 of the Saturday, 29 June 1974 edition: [The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=djft3U1LymYC&dat=19740629&printsec=frontpage&hl=en) Turns out my memory was maybe 98% accurate. Not bad for an old geezer like me! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765/20 "2025-12-18T18:05:39Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Fish scales makes so much more sense and approaches funny! Approaches, but I’m still trying to figure out why that’s funny enough that Dik Browne would think “I’ve been working on a joke about fish scales… wouldn’t work for Hi & Lois, but maybe in Hagar’s beard. Aha, I think I’ve finally aced it. It’s certainly worthy of running in major newspapers alongside Peanuts and Doonesbury!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-this-short-comic-strip-from-ca-1975/1025765.md?page=2)