It Happened on
December 12, 1897
One of the first ethnic comic strips, The Katzenjammer Kids, debuted in the funny pages of Sunday newspapers beginning in December of 1897. The comic strip followed the antics of German twins, Hans and Fritz, and their mother, Momma Katzenjammers. It may be viewed as offensive by today’s standards, but during its heyday, The Katzenjammer Kids was thought to be clever in its depiction of the German culture. Let’s take a look at this century old comic strip. (Source: History Daily)
The Katzenjammer Kids is an American comic strip created by Rudolph Dirks in 1897 and later drawn by Harold Knerr for 35 years (1914 to 1949).[2] It debuted December 12, 1897, in the American Humorist, the Sunday supplement of William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal. The comic strip was turned into a stage play in 1903. It inspired several animated cartoons and was one of 20 strips included in the Comic Strip Classics series of U.S. commemorative postage stamps. [wikipedia]
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Rudolph Dirks
Earliest and most noted comic strip artists, well known for The Katzenjammer KidsPeople featured in this post:
Rudolph Dirks
Earliest and most noted comic strip artists, well known for The Katzenjammer Kids