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Which comic features appear in 500+ papers?

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With Tundra now in over 500 papers, I wondered how exclusive that milestone was. I estimate there are about 230 features in syndication (excluding Sunday only illustration/puzzle type features or those aimed at a foreign language). I asked each of the syndicates which of their features are running in more than 500 papers. Of the 230 features only 33 (or 13.6%) are in the 500+ club. Fifteen of those run in 1000+ papers (6%).

The average age of these syndicated comics is 37.3 years old. The oldest is Blondie at 82 years. The youngest (if counting when it went into syndication) is Tundra at 6 years. One could argue that Tundra existed as a regional strip since 1991, in which case Pearls Before Swine would take honors as the youngest strip in the 500+ club at 12 years.

There are only two feature with a credited woman producing the strip – Lynn Johnston (For Better of For Worse) and Susie MacNelly (Shoe). I believe others, like B.C., have women (Perri Hart, Patti Pomeroy) who work on the strip, but aren’t credited.

Half of the features (16) could be considered “legacy” features wherein the original creator is no longer producing it. Two are re-runs.

Here’s the breakdown by syndicate:

Universal: 14
King Features: 13
Creators: 5
WPWG: 1
Tribune Media: Undisclosed

And finally here is the list of those running in over 500 papers. Features with an * indicate that they run in over 1000 papers.

  • Andy Capp (Creators)
  • B.C. (Creators) *
  • Baby Blues (King Features) *
  • Beetle Bailey (King Features) *
  • Blondie (King Features) *
  • Born Loser (Universal)
  • Dennis the Menace (King Features) *
  • Dilbert (Universal) *
  • Doonesbury (Universal) *
  • Family Circus (King Features) *
  • For Better or For Worse (Universal) *
  • Frank & Ernest (Universal)
  • Garfield (Universal) *
  • Get Fuzzy (Universal)
  • Hagar the Horrible (King Features) *
  • Hi and Lois (King Features) *
  • Luann (Universal)
  • Marmaduke (Universal)
  • Mother Goose and Grimm (King Features)
  • Mutts (King Features)
  • Non Sequitur (Universal)
  • One Big Happy (Creators)
  • Peanuts (Universal) *
  • Pearls Before Swine (Universal)
  • Pickles (WPWG)
  • Rose is Rose (Universal)
  • Rubes (Creators)
  • Sally Forth (King Features)
  • Shoe (King Features)
  • The Lockhorns (King Features)
  • Tundra (Self-Syndicated)
  • Wizard of Id (Creators) *
  • Ziggy (Universal)
  • Zits (King Features) *
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Comments 24

  1. Alan, just curious if these numbers use the formula weekday=1 sales point, weekend=1 sales point (thus 500 papers could be any combination, to a minimum of 250 publication titles)?

    Interesting post nevertheless.

  2. My understanding is syndicates count Sunday and daily as separate sales.

  3. It’s pretty depressing that Peanuts is still in over 1,000 papers despite being in reruns for over 10 years.

    Peanuts would still make money without reruns, so why wouldn’t Universal want to push newspapers to replace Peanuts spaces in newspapers to turn something like Cul De Sac into a huge hit.

  4. Alan, thanks for digging into that. It’s very interesting and the Mike’s observation is a good clarification!

    David, I’m guessing that a syndicate will not do anything intentionally to reduce sales of a strip, rerun or not, as it could easily backfire and simple reduce their revenue. How hard they are trying to get their newer strips in would be a fair question though.

    None-the-less, kudos to Chad Carpenter and Bill Kellogg for expanding Tundra’s reach … definitely a good strip to do it with but still quite a hard feat.

  5. Three youngest strips with 1,000 papers

    1. Zits (1997)
    2. Baby Blues (1990)
    3. Dilbert (1989)

  6. Thanks for finding that out, Alan!

    Much appreciated.

  7. And, I’m proud to say, only two of those listed in the 500 Club are missing from the “One Fine Sunday in the Funny Pages” traveling exhibit. Which is currently on display in Pittsburgh at the Toonseum, just so you know. :0)

  8. Thanks for putting this together. I had no idea this was the breakdown. Good to know for us newbies.

  9. I’m disappointed but not surprised that the ancients take up nearly all the 1000+ strips.

  10. Yeah, it’s easy to call some of these ancients, but to build and maintain this many sales, you gotta admit they’ve done (or did) something right. They got to the patent office first. Time to reinvent 🙂

  11. Here’s the status of what 500 club comics appear in the Tampa Bay area newspapers (Tampa Bay Times/Tampa Tribune)

    Times:
    Baby Blues
    Blondie
    Dennis The Menace
    Dilbert
    Doonesbury
    Family Circus
    For Better of For Worse
    Garfield
    Get Fuzzy
    Hagar the Horrible
    Hi and Lois
    Luann
    Marmaduke
    Mother Goose and Grimm
    Mutts
    Non Sequitur
    Peanuts
    Pearls Before Swine
    Pickles
    Rose is Rose
    Sally Forth
    Shoe
    Tundra (Mon.-Sat. only)
    Zits

    Tribune:
    B.C. (Sunday only)
    Baby Blues
    Beetle Bailey
    Blondie
    Dilbert
    Doonesbury
    Family Circus
    Frank & Ernest (Sunday only)
    Garfield
    Get Fuzzy
    Hagar the Horrible
    Hi and Lois
    Luann
    Mother Goose and Grimm
    Mutts (Sunday only)
    Non Sequitur
    Pearls Before Swine
    Pickles
    Rose is Rose
    Sally Forth (Sunday only)
    Shoe (Sunday only)
    Zits

    In all the Tampa Bay Times has 24 of the 500-club comics and the Tampa Tribune has 22.

  12. WOW– Cul De Sac is in under 500 papers??! That is mind-boggling and has to change.

  13. Great list, but now I am curious as to what Tribune Media has that also belongs to the 500+ Club…..

  14. out of all the syndicated strips, which ones are translated and in how many languages?

  15. Hey?! -I know it’s not thought of as a comic, BUT the Jumble actually does have a cartoon panel drawn for it every day. It’s in over 600 papers. and yes, it’s over 57 years old. That ought help up the average age.

  16. I LOVE the jumble… I do it every day!

  17. Very interesting. Just as an aside, my local paper, the Hutchinson (KS) News, recently dropped three legacy strips (Beetle, Hagar & BC) and For Better or For Worse and added Tundra, Dilbert, Reply All and Dustin to dailies and Cul de Sac to Sundays. How often does that happen?? And, boy, are the oldsters FURIOUS.

  18. Given that For Better Or For Worse is in repeats, it is a legacy strip too.

  19. Can’t wait to pick up my paper and get a hearty “chuck”le from 1964.

  20. Actually Peanuts (in some papers) already did 1964. They’re doing 1965 (or 1999) now. 🙂

  21. For Better or For Worse isn’t in repeats–it’s new material, but set in the past.

  22. Unparalleled accuracy, unqeuivaocl clarity, and undeniable importance!

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