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'Family Circus' Turns 45
Editor and Publisher ^ | February 28, 2005 | E&P Staff

Posted on 03/04/2005 3:45:21 PM PST by sully777

NEW YORK "The Family Circus" reached its 45th anniversary today. Or maybe it will reach its 45th anniversary tomorrow. That's because the comic panel started on a leap-year day -- Feb. 29, 1960.

Bil Keane created "The Family Circus," and now does it with his son, Jeff Keane, for more than 1,500 newspapers via King Features Syndicate.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: barfy; cartoons; clamenza; dolly; fattony; fredo; hannity; happybirthday; jeffy; pj; saccharine; sleepy; sneezy; treacle
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To: sully777

When I was a kid, my mom always told me I would find Family Circus funny when I had kids of my own. Well, I have three now...it's still lame.


41 posted on 03/04/2005 4:31:15 PM PST by AndrewB
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To: Moral Hazard

"Peanuts" is like Sam Kinison compared to "Ziggy."


42 posted on 03/04/2005 4:31:29 PM PST by Clemenza (Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms: The Other Holy Trinity)
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To: durasell
I keep waiting for Ziggy to break into their home and kill them all.

Are you confusing Ziggy with Zippy the Pinhead?

Ziggy
Zippy

43 posted on 03/04/2005 4:32:14 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: onja
In my mind, Far Side, Dilbert, Wizard of Id , and BC are the best cartoons.

Calvin and Hobbes, hands down THE best. Well drawn, universal appeal, consistently funny, thematic without becoming redundant, never sold out to mass marketing, and Bill Watterston knew when to quit. Wonder what he's doing now?

44 posted on 03/04/2005 4:33:13 PM PST by LexBaird ("Democracy can withstand anything but democrats" --Jubal Harshaw (RA Heinlein))
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To: Dog Gone

"And it's easily a finalist for "Lamest Cartoon to Run 45 Years."

I have but one thing to say to you: Apartment 3G and Mary Worth.

Okay. That's two things.

Nuff said.


45 posted on 03/04/2005 4:35:09 PM PST by agooga
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To: Moral Hazard
"Nancy" when it was drawn and scripted by Ernie Bushmiller was the lamest ever. It NEVER even came close to funny.


46 posted on 03/04/2005 4:38:38 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: agooga

Prince Valiant was the Al Gore of comics: LAME!


47 posted on 03/04/2005 4:40:22 PM PST by Clemenza (Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms: The Other Holy Trinity)
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To: durasell
I keep waiting for Ziggy to break into their home and kill them all. He'd scrawl "Death, death, death" on the walls in ink.

That cracked me up. You get points for the best freep comment today.

48 posted on 03/04/2005 4:42:09 PM PST by RepoGirl (Rottweilers are republican; all cats vote nader.)
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To: durasell
I keep waiting for Ziggy to break into their home and kill them all. He'd scrawl "Death, death, death" on the walls in ink.

That cracked me up. You get points for the best freep comment today.

49 posted on 03/04/2005 4:43:16 PM PST by RepoGirl (Rottweilers are republican; all cats vote nader.)
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To: hemogoblin
That link just cracks me up!

This is one of the cleaner ones, so be warned:


50 posted on 03/04/2005 4:49:19 PM PST by Hank Rearden (Never allow anyone who could only get a government job attempt to tell you how to run your life.)
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To: sully777

Although I agree with many here who've said that Family Circus can be treacley and repetitive at times, I cut it some slack (fairly or not) because Bil Keane is a conservative-values Christian whose work quietly puts those values on display.

Bil is the father of Glen Keane, one of the foremost animators working today. Glen was the supervising animator of Disney's characters Ariel (Little Mermaid), Aladdin (title character), Pocahontas (title char), Tarzan (title char) and many others, and he probably owes his early introduction to art to his father Bil.


51 posted on 03/04/2005 4:52:01 PM PST by pogo101
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To: RepoGirl

I liked Family Circus when my kids were young, because the family go to church and behave with courtesy and good humour toward one another. Now I like Foxtrot and Baby Blues better, but it's still a cute comic.

Sally Forth is my nominee for the lamest comic. The people all look warped.


52 posted on 03/04/2005 4:52:22 PM PST by KateatRFM
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To: LexBaird
Calvin and Hobbes, hands down THE best.

Second best. Right after "Bloom County."

53 posted on 03/04/2005 5:09:09 PM PST by buccaneer81 (Rick Nash will score 50 goals this season ( if there is a season)
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To: sully777
Those of you who think the "Family Circus" is lame evidently don't understand the nuances of the comic genius who is Bil Keane. Perhaps an explanation of his complex humor would help you gain an appreciation of the unfettered hilarity the artist presents.

Take today's installment. Daddy is knotting his tie, while looking into a mirror. The daughter, Dolly, announces (presumably to other family members, who are not visible): "It's almost time to go! Daddy's putting on his tie!"

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are! Dolly, who is approximately as intelligent as a turnip, has figured out that when Daddy finishes getting dressed, he will be ready to leave! Ahhh...HAHAHAHA! Hilarious!

This is quality humor. Keane's razor-sharp wit once again surprises and delights his audience. Little wonder that this comic strip has lasted nearly half a century!

54 posted on 03/04/2005 5:16:45 PM PST by southernnorthcarolina (<b><font color=e58d0e>Did you know that HTML codes don't work on tag lines?</font></b>)
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To: llevrok
"BRING BACK DONDI!!!!"

You're too damn old!

Die already you fossil!

55 posted on 03/04/2005 5:30:10 PM PST by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
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To: sully777
From Go, one of my favorite movies:

Claire: So what do you have against The Family Circus?

Todd: Ok, so you sit down to read your paper, and you're enjoying your entire two-page comic spread, right? And then... then there's The Family F***ing Circus, bottom right corner, just waiting to suck, and that's the last thing you read, so it spoils everything you read before it.

Claire: ...You could just not read it.

Todd: I hate it... yet I'm uncontrollably drawn to it.

56 posted on 03/04/2005 5:34:57 PM PST by Wormwood (Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!)
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To: sully777

I am tragically disappointed to find that there is so much as one person here who finds any humor in Family Circus. It should be on the obit page where people are already bummed out.


57 posted on 03/04/2005 5:36:14 PM PST by fat city (Julius Rosenberg's soviet code name was "Liberal")
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To: billorites; llevrok

I hated and feared Dondi. His menacing eyes were black pools of death.

Better him than Peanuts though.


58 posted on 03/04/2005 5:48:28 PM PST by WorkingClassFilth (Offending all people equally - pursuant to the directives of the CRA of 1964)
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To: Wormwood

That exact quote came to mind when I saw the article title.


59 posted on 03/04/2005 5:53:09 PM PST by Polonius (It's called logic, it'll help you.)
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To: LexBaird

The complete Calvin and Hobbes collection with every published strip will be published September 1st of this year. Just in time for Christmas!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0740748475/103-5753705-0085460


60 posted on 03/04/2005 6:11:13 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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