Theory of the Month Club – 1967 Part Three

Hi and Lois daily strip, September 8, 1967.

The “Theory of the Month Club” series, which began in 1966, was inspired by Benjamin Spock’s, “Baby and Child Care,” which was published in 1946. This book became an essential reference book for parents during the Baby Boom era.  Dr. Spock was the first pediatrician to use psychoanalysis to understand the needs of children and applied these theories to child development and family dynamics. His ideas encouraged parents to be more flexible and affectionate with their children, and to treat them as unique individuals.

Above and below are the final four “Theory of the Month Club” strips from 1967. You can tell that Dik Browne had a lot of fun with this series.  He experimented with different styles of calligraphy in the title panels and came up with hilarious visuals to show how the kids responded to the well-intentioned theories that Hi and Lois kept coming up with.

Hi and Lois daily strip, October 28, 1967.

Hi and Lois daily strip, November 24, 1967.

Hi and Lois daily strip, December 23, 1967.

In future posts we will feature “Theory of the Month Club” strips from 1968 and 1969.

– Brian Walker