Editor’s Dispatch: Snuffy Smith’s 80th Anniversary!

We have an exciting anniversary happening right now in the Kingdom: the 80th anniversary of Snuffy Smith appearing in Barney Google and Snuffy Smith! Yes, 80 years ago this month was the first time readers met the bodacious hillbilly. Early this year we celebrated Barney Google turning 95, but today the focus is all about Snuffy!

To celebrate this great milestone, we asked the current cartoonist of the strip, John Rose, to give us the scoop on Snuffy Smith!

John said….

“In 2014, Barney Google turned 95 and Snuffy Smith turned 80, but I don’t feel a day over 51!

How is that possible?!  It’s because I have been bodaciously blessed to carry on the rich tradition of this wonderful comic strip, following in the footsteps of two legendary cartoonists, Billy DeBeck and Fred Lasswell.  I started working on the comic strip in 1998 as Fred’s inking assistant.  He was a wonderful friend and mentor to me. I was chosen by King Features to become the strip’s cartoonist in 2001 after Fred’s death.

Eighty years ago this month, Snuffy Smith was introduced into the popular Barney Google comic strip.  And before too long, he became so popular that the strip was titled Barney Google and Snuffy Smith.  As you can see, Snuffy and Loweezy have changed a little bit over the years…but haven’t we all?!  The strip above by DeBeck marks Snuffy and Loweezy’s first appearance.  And below is a special drawing of Snuffy and Loweezy by me to show how they look today.  

Bodaciuous 80th birthday wishes, Snuffy!  Here’s to at least 80 more!”

–John Rose

Thanks so much for the scoop John! We fans are sure glad the premier moonshiner of Hootin’ Holler Mountain came aboard the strip 80 years ago!

To read even more of the history of Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, you can see what our Archivist had to say about this great strip here and here. And of course you can always enjoy keeping up with all the news around the strip at the Snuffy Smith website.

And finally Kingdom members, we hope all our American readers have a very wonderful Thanksgiving this week! In a time of year so focused on gratitude, the whole team here at Comics Kingdom and King Features is very thankful, during Thanksgiving and the rest of the year, to our amazing cartoonists, characters, and readers!

Happy Thanksgiving, all!