I think I heard this on a rerun of I Love Lucy. Fred said it to Ricky as they parted company. But I didn’t quite grasp the implication.
Google results are conflicted. Phrases.org.uk suggests “…the person addressed is rather laughable.”
Urban Dictionary says “To say bye to somebody that you find interesting and funny. You really enjoyed her/his company and want her/him to know it.”
I thought the phrase sounded quaint and was thinking about adding it to my list of salutations, but perhaps the phrase is too old to ever be used again so maybe this is moot anyway.
I always thought this was the meaning, but in a spirit of good-natured joshing rather than actually mocking, as between friends.
It magically appear around the mid-1920’s. It was almost certainly something akin to “I’ll see you.” and the respondent says, “Not if I see you first.”
It was a joking reference.
One of my great-aunts always said that to us in the 1950’s, as we left. She would have been in her late 20’s when that was popular.
I think the “funny papers” supposed to be in contrast the “society pages”.
Back in the day when there was a socitey column, the high-class families would make it into the “social pages”. Kind of like: “Rich McFanstyPants was seen at the Ritz Clarton in the company of Diva Rockfeller. She had a 3000 karat diamond ring, sparking rumours of a wedding that may or may not take place on the Kennedy compound.” Only the creme de la creme of the socialites would make it into the society pages.
So, “see you in the funny papers” means: “Well, I surely won’t see you in the society pages, but maybe in a comic strip.”
I’ve always assumed it had the same good natured faux ribbing that you get when someone says “See you later!” and the answer is “Not if I see you first!”