# Remember when Bloom County was funny? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661 "2009-11-07T01:07:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/21 "2009-11-09T13:50:55Z")
It was funny, but the humor did not age well. These days there are much better works of snark and reference humor. Looking back at the old comics they mostly just seem to be a lightweight Doonesbury with goofy animals. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/22 "2009-11-09T15:01:59Z")
Bloom County was hilarious, but it’s also a relic of the ‘80s. It’s humor came primarily from lampooning the go-go Reaganism “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” mindset of that decade. The detached irony that was so cutting-edge at the time is now hackneyed. It’s also generously peppered (or laced is perhaps a better word) with references to long-forgotten events. A whole two weeks of strips parodying televangelist Oral T. Roberts’ crass money-making pitches just doesn’t play well in '09. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/23 "2009-11-09T15:02:17Z")
Actually, no, I don’t remember it ever being funny. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/24 "2009-11-09T15:30:25Z")
Yeah, Bloom County was my favorite comic back in the day. Outland was pale in comparison and it came when I thought BC was at its peak. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/25 "2009-11-09T15:42:08Z")
My classroom still has an Opus poster hanging on the back wall. (Opus contemplating a dandelion, while the basselope lounges at his feet.) “Life. You’re born. You live. You go on some diets. You die.” A dated strip, but hilarious in its time. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/26 "2009-11-09T16:55:13Z")
_Bloom County_ : _Doonesbury_ as _Family Guy_ : _The Simpsons_ ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/27 "2009-11-09T18:34:43Z")
My favorite Bloom County strip is the one where a Hare Krishna is soliciting money from Opus, but Opus can’t understand him. Thus, Opus hears “Prayer temples for Hare Krishnas” as “Prayer dimples for hairy fishnuts”. I remember laughing all day with that one. My Google-fu is failing me, or else I would post a link. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/28 "2009-11-09T19:21:57Z")
Great interview with Berkeley Breathed in the LA Times last month: > **[Berkeley Breathed, drawn back to 'Bloom County' but looking forward](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/hero-complex-blog/story/2009-10-03/berkeley-breathed-drawn-back-to-bloom-county-but-looking-forward)** > > This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/29 "2009-11-10T10:20:57Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > My favorite Bloom County strip is the one where a Hare Krishna is soliciting money from Opus, but Opus can’t understand him. Thus, Opus hears “Prayer temples for Hare Krishnas” as “Prayer dimples for hairy fishnuts”. > > I remember laughing all day with that one. > > My Google-fu is failing me, or else I would post a link. [http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/Images/fav\_strip1\_full.jpg](http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/Images/fav_strip1_full.jpg) “Pear pimples for hairy fishnuts!” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/30 "2009-11-10T20:15:41Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > _Bloom County_ : _Doonesbury_ as _Family Guy_ : _The Simpsons_ _Family Guy : The Simpsons_ as _Ziggy : Bloom County_ ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/31 "2009-11-10T21:22:02Z")
I don’t remember when it _wasn’t_ funny. _Outland_ was tolerable. _Opus_ was shit. But _Bloom County_ was genius. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/32 "2009-11-10T22:08:02Z")
I think the problem with _Opus_ was that the Sundays-only format didn’t allow enough room for development of new side characters. Some of them seemed like they had potential, but they just never went anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/33 "2009-11-10T22:14:41Z")
What is this Bloom County you speak of? I’ve never heard of such a thing! 😃 Wonderful strip. I whiled away many happy hours reading those as a kid, even though some of them needed a more adult mindset to fully appreciate. And yes, Outland was… Ok. Opus was generally not all that great. I was actually rather sad it was based on Opus, never really cared much for the character. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661/34 "2009-11-11T00:12:03Z")
Gene Simmons never had a personal computer when he was a kid. My all-time favorite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-bloom-county-was-funny/516661.md?page=1)