August 29th, 2013

Summer Romance

by Brian Walker, Greg Walker and Chance Browne

Chip Flagston was about eight years old when Hi and Lois started in 1954.  He is the only character in the cast who has aged slightly over the years. Now fifteen, his adolescent libido is a rich source of gags.

Although he knew about them from the beginning, Chip really discovered the opposite sex as the strip matured.  He graduated from women-hater clubs and hiding in trees from schoolgirls to carrying their books and spending hours on the phone with his class sweetheart.  He has to go through this difficult age alone, convinced that his parents don’t understand anything about true romance.  After all, what do Moms and Dads know about the problems of teenage girls and boys?

This classic strip from 1965 shows Hi and Lois observing how Chip has changed.

Hi and Lois daily strip, November 1, 1965.

Summer vacations are the perfect time for romance to blossom.  Outside the confines of the classroom and the pressures of homework and sports, teenagers are less inhibited during the carefree days of July and August.  It is also a time when they have opportunities to meet new friends from different schools or other towns.

Unfortunately, these summer romances often end when it is time to go back to school.  In this Sunday page from 2002, Chip and his girlfriend come up with a pragmatic solution to preserve the good vibes of their brief time together.

Hi and Lois Sunday page, September 1, 2002.

Hopefully, many of our readers also have sweet memories of similar innocent days and can identify with this episode.  Feel free to share these experiences by sending in your stories here or to the Hi and Lois Facebook page.

– Brian Walker