Ziggy is Golden
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Fifty years ago on Sunday June 27, 1971 newspaper readers were introduced to Ziggy in a promotional teaser for the next day’s debut.
On Monday June 28, 1971 Ziggy by Tom Wilson began as a daily panel.
Selling points for the panel was the clean uncrowded art and a lot of pantomime gags; if lettering was necessary it was of the big block type. As such the panel could be run one and a half or even one column wide (though two columns was the preferred width).
And there was the humor.
The trials and tribulations of the lovable underdog were genuinely funny.
Tom Wilson created Ziggy five years before the panel’s newspaper debut as an elevator operator commenting on the social and political scene. It did not sell. What did sell, and sell well, in 1968 was When You’re Not Around, an Andrews and McMeel American Greetings book featuring a revised Ziggy that would eventually become the successful newspaper comic character.
In 1987 Tom Wilson, Jr. began assisting his father and would eventually take over the comic.
Andrews McMeel celebrates Ziggy’s Golden Jubilee:
Ever the optimist, Ziggy consistently delivers when the world seems to need him most, as in the past year, unlike anything the world had experienced. In a socially distanced and ever-evolving digital environment, his positive outlook on life and lighthearted, witty observations can be relied upon to bring a smile to fans enjoying him in more than 250 newspapers, dozens of Ziggy comic collections and other merchandise.
Heralded by The New York Times as a “lovable, optimistic, funny-page favorite,” it’s no secret that Ziggy is a beloved character that brings joy and comfort.
The feature, with its funny gentle situations, remains very popular.
It can be read daily and Sunday in newspapers and at GoComics.
Ziggy © Ziggy and Friends Inc.
The Daily Cartoonist © Andrews McMeel Universal
further disclosure - I miss those 8½" x 11" Treasury books
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