January 30th, 2013

Trixie

by Brian Walker, Greg Walker and Chance Browne

There have been, to the best of our knowledge, thirty-eight book collections of Hi and Lois strips published between 1960 and 2005.  Here is a list.

• Trixie (1960) Avon
• Hi and Lois (1970) Tempo Books
• Hi and Lois in Darkest Suburbia (1971) Tempo
• Hi and Lois: Beware! Children at Play (1972) Tempo
• Hi and Lois: On the Grill (1973) Tempo
• Hi and Lois: Family Album (1973) Tempo
• Hi and Lois: Family Ties (1979) Tempo
• Hi and Lois: Mama’s Home (1982) Tempo
• Hi and Lois: Suburban Cowboys (1982) Tempo
• Hi and Lois: Father Figure (1982) Tempo
• Hi and Lois: American Gothic (1983) Tempo
• Hi and Lois: Dishwasher, Lawnmower or Snowplow? (1983) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Home Sweat Home (1983) Tor
• Hi and Lois: “Is Dinner Ready?” (1983) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Saturday Night Fever (1983) Tor
• Hi and Lois: “Hi Honey, I’m Home!” (1984) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Mom, Where’s My Homework? (1984) Tor
• Hi and Lois: The Bright Stuff (1984) Charter
• Hi and Lois: “How Do You Spell Dad?” (1985) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Trixie à la Mode (1986) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Good Housekeeping (1986) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Dawg Day Afternoon! (1986) Tor
• The Best of Hi and Lois (1986, 2005) Comicana
• Hi and Lois: Sleep-Can (1987) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Say “Cheese” (1987) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Sleepbusters! (1987) Tor
• Hi and Lois: House Calls (1988) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Modern Chaos! (1989) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Croquet for a Day (1989) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Couch Potatoes! (1990) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Wheels of Fortune (1990) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Happy Campers (1990) Tor
• Here Comes the Sun: A Hi and Lois Collection (1990) Avon
• Hi and Lois: Mister Popularity (1991) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Play Ball! (1991) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Up Two Late (1991) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Baby Talk (1991) Tor
• Hi and Lois: Sunday Best by Brian and Greg Walker and Chance Browne (2005) ECW Press

The first title is, by far, the hardest one to find.  Published by Avon Books in 1960, Trixie includes strips from 1958, 1959 and 1960 and she is the star in all of the selections.

During the early years of the strip, Trixie didn’t have much to say – only an occasional whimper or cry for help.  In the late 1950s, Mort came up with the idea of permitting readers to view Trixie’s thoughts.  It was a stroke of genius.  As the copy on the back of the book boasted:  “America’s most engaging female, the Nemesis of the Nursery, whose observations on life have brought mirth to millions, is here in a fresh  and wonderful collection of her most capricious capers.”

Trixie, the thinking baby, help launch the feature to a new level of success and earned Dik Browne the “Cartoonist of the Year” award in 1962.  If you can find a copy of this rare book, you will have not only a valuable collectible, but an artifact that represents an important milestone in the history of Hi and Lois.

– Brian Walker