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Comic strips are an institution. The format predates comic books by respective decades, and astir of the strips inactive gracing the pages of American newspapers person been astir for ages. But conscionable how aged immoderate of these strips are whitethorn astonishment you. Let’s instrumentality a look astatine the longest-running American comic strips!
But first…given that these strips were each created betwixt the 1890s and 1930s, it’s disappointing but not astonishing that each of the archetypal creators were achromatic men. There were fewer opportunities for anyone other to get their ft successful the doorway successful those years, fto unsocial beryllium supported by paper syndicates for decades to come. Though the scenery of comic strips has changed somewhat from the 1970s on, the funnies conception remains overwhelmingly achromatic and male, acknowledgment successful ample portion to however resistant to alteration the manufacture is, remember, immoderate of the strips we’re talking astir contiguous are implicit a period old. Plus, shrinking abstraction for comics means editors are reluctant to instrumentality chances connected caller strips.
With each that said, I privation to extremity my chapeau to immoderate notable long-runners: Brenda Starr, Reporter, was created by Dale Messick and ran for 71 years from 1940-2011, making it the longest-running portion created by a woman. (And aft she retired successful 1980, each of its consequent writers and artists were besides women.) And Bungleton Green, which was created by Leslie Rogers, ran for 44 years from 1920-1964 and is the longest-running portion by a Black creator.
10. Little Orphan Annie [1924-2010, 86 years]
Little Orphan Annie was created by Harold Gray successful 1924 and stars the titular plucky orphan, her adoptive millionaire begetter Daddy Warbucks, and her loyal canine Sandy. Of course, Annie would yet go acold amended known for the philharmonic that bears her sanction than the comics. Two amusive facts: one, the blimpish Gray hated the New Deal truthful overmuch helium killed Daddy Warbucks disconnected successful protest, lone resurrecting him erstwhile FDR died successful 1945. And two, the portion ended successful 2010 with a cliffhanger, which was resolved 4 years aboriginal successful Dick Tracy, of each places.
9. Bringing Up Father [1913-2000, 87 years]
Originally titled Jiggs and Maggie, oregon sometimes Maggie and Jiggs, this portion was created by George McManus and centered astir the struggle betwixt Jiggs, a moving people Irish migrant who became nouveau riche aft winning a cardinal dollars, and his societal climbing nag of a wife, Maggie, who is embarrassed by his rough-edged “shanty Irish” ways. Some interpretations reason that McManus utilized the portion to represent the people and individuality struggles of taste immigrants successful a sympathetic light; having lone work a fistful of strips, I can’t say. It’s astir apt for the champion that it yet chilled retired to conscionable beryllium astir the antics of immoderate affluent people, though.
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8. Alley Oop [1932-present, 91 years]
Created by V. T. Hamlin, Alley Oop is astir the fantastical adventures of the titular caveman, his favored dinosaur Dinny, and his woman Oola. At its highest circulation, it appeared successful implicit 800 newspapers; it’s besides been adapted by Filmation. And yet I had virtually ne'er heard of it until I started this article; still, I presume determination indispensable beryllium diehard Alley Oop fans retired determination somewhere.
7. Dick Tracy [1931-present, 92 years]
Dick Tracy was created by Chester Gould, who wrote and drew the portion until 1977. The square-jawed constabulary detective and his outlandish villains were an instant hit, though journalists would knock the grade of unit successful the portion for decades. Tracy was so famous, successful fact, that his “2-Way Wrist Radio” helped animate the invention of the compartment phone. He’s been adapted galore times, notably successful the 1990 movie starring Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, and Madonna. Fun fact: similar galore comics, Dick Tracy went done a sci-fi play successful the ’60s, during which his adopted lad Junior joined an alien princess named Moon Maid.
6. Blondie [1930-present, 93 years]
Created by Chic Young, Blondie is 1 of those strips that feels misnamed today, since for decades the main quality has intelligibly not been Blondie herself, but her hapless, sandwich-loving husband, Dagwood Bumstead. But successful 1930, “Blondie Boopadoop” was a carefree flapper, with Dagwood arsenic her sensible, uppercrust boyfriend. The onset of the Great Depression sparked the 2 of them settling down to the relatable mediate people regular they inactive unrecorded successful today, arsenic good arsenic fundamentally switching personalities.
5. Popeye [1919-present, 104 years]
Popeye himself was a latecomer to this strip, which was created by E. C. Segar and primitively called Thimble Theater. It revolved astir the antics of the slacker Ham Gravy and his feisty woman Olive Oyl — until 1 time successful 1929, Ham and Olive hired a sailor named Popeye for an water voyage, and helium proved truthful fashionable with readers that helium yet took implicit arsenic the star, prompting a rubric alteration successful 1938. Popeye has starred successful galore multimedia properties, including the groundbreaking Fleischer Brothers cartoon bid that began successful 1933 and popularized his taxable opus and spinach-based superstrength, and the 1980 movie starring Robin Williams.
4. Barney Google and Snuffy Smith [1919-present, 104 years]
Like Blondie, this strip’s archetypal protagonist was displaced by the Great Depression. Billy DeBeck created Take Barney Google, F’rinstance arsenic a sporting strip, with its top-hatted protagonist enjoying equine racing and prize fights. Barney’s ain horse, Spark Plug, raced for the archetypal clip successful 1922, causing specified a nationalist sensation that “Sparky” became a fashionable nickname for children — including a young Charles M. Schulz, eventual creator of Peanuts. An adjacent much fashionable quality was introduced successful 1934, erstwhile Barney took a travel to Appalachia and met a hillbilly named Snuffy Smith. “Hillbilly humor” was incredibly fashionable successful the 1930s, and Snuffy soon took implicit arsenic the protagonist, phasing Barney out; he’s lone made occasional appearances successful his ain portion since the 1950s. Fun fact: 1923 saw not 1 but two deed songs inspired by Barney Google: “Barney Google (with the Goo-Goo-Googly Eyes)” and “Come On, Spark Plug!”
3. Ripley’s Believe It oregon Not! [1918-present, 105 years]
I benignant of consciousness similar this 1 doesn’t count, but Robert Ripley’s franchise revolving astir bizarre stories and objects, present astir apt champion known arsenic a bid of tacky museums, started arsenic a comic strip. It doesn’t person characters oregon a narrative, conscionable factoids, but astatine its height, it was work by 80 cardinal readers, truthful that’s something. Still, springiness maine the bizarrely dated adventures of a flapper oregon a hillbilly immoderate day.
2. Gasoline Alley [1918-present, 105 years]
Created by Frank King, this portion was primitively called The Rectangle, but 1 country was devoted to a radical of men talking astir those newfangled automobiles, called “Gasoline Alley.” This feature, and 1 of the men, Walt Wallet, dilatory took implicit the strip. In 1921, wanting to adhd an constituent that appealed to women, King had Walt find an abandoned babe connected his doorstep. Walt named the babe Skeezix and became a azygous father. Unusually for comic strips, King had his characters property successful existent time, truthful that by the clip World War II rolled around, Skeezix was aged capable to enlist. Aside from a play successful the ’70s and ’80s wherever their ages were frozen, the characters person continued to turn older, making Walt good implicit a period present and Skeezix a grandfather. It’s mostly unfunny gag-a-day worldly now, but if you tin way down the Walt & Skeezix books collecting the aboriginal days, I can’t urge them highly capable — the gentle wit of Walt fumbling done Skeezix’s babe years volition perfectly melt your heart.
1. The Katzenjammer Kids [1897–2006, 109 years]
Created by Rudolph Dirks, The Katzenjammer Kids, astir mischievous brothers Hans and Fritz, primitively ran successful William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal. In 1912, the exhausted Dirks decided to instrumentality a break, and Hearst continued to people the portion with Harold Knerr arsenic the artist. Dirks sued, and aft a agelong ineligible battle, a Solomon-esque compromise was reached: Knerr continued with The Katzenjammer Kids for Hearst, portion Dirks created the astir identical The Captain and the Kids for Hearst’s rival, Joseph Pulitzer. This portion ended successful 1979, portion the archetypal continued until 2006, and adjacent present is present syndicated successful reprint signifier to astir 50 papers.
Honorable Mentions
Two strips conscionable hardly missed the cutoff for inclusion connected this list: Nancy and Mary Worth, which some started successful 1938, making them 85 years old. However, Nancy was spun disconnected from 1922’s Fritzi Ritz, and Mary Worth from 1934’s Apple Mary, truthful if we tin number Thimble Theater, I deliberation these 2 are worthy mentioning, too. Also, Nancy is presently drawn by Olivia Jaimes and it’s amazing, please spell cheque it out!
Finally, each portion mentioned supra was yet taken implicit by aboriginal artists erstwhile the archetypal creator died oregon retired. So I looked up the longest-running portion by a azygous artist. The satellite rubric goes to the Australian portion The Potts, by Stan Cross, who drew it for 62 years, and the runner up is the British portion Bristow, by Frank Dickens, who drew it for 51 years. But 3rd spot — and the American title — goes, of course, to Peanuts, by the late, large Charles “Sparky” Schulz, who drew it for 50 years. Good aged Charlie Brown!
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