The Shmoo (How Al Capp's Cartoon Critter Captured The Nation's Attention)

Self | December 10, 2002 | PJ-Comix

[PJ-Comix]

Have you ever heard of the Shmoo? You can be forgiven your ignorance on this subject since the Shmoo made its brief appearance in the newspaper comics pages over fifty years ago.

The Shmoo was the creation of cartoonist Al Capp in his popular Li'l Abner strip. With much fanfare Capp introduced the Shmoo in August 1948 and for the rest of the year the world went Shmoo crazy.

This creature inspired hundreds of Shmoo clubs all over North America as well as the "Society for the Advancement of the Shmoo." There were dozens of Shmoo products including Shmoo greeting cards, balloons, dolls, toys, jai-alai paddles, belts, suspenders, dairy goods, fountain pens, earrings, neckties, ashtrays, plant holders, soap, and curtains to name just a few. A garment factory in Baltimore turned out a line of Shmoo clothes including Shmooveralls.

The people of 1948 danced to the Shmoo Rhumba and the Shmoo Polka. The Shmoo entered our everyday language through such phrases as "What's Shmoo?" and "Happy Shmoo Year!" The best selling book, "The Life and Times of the Shmoo," was devoured by the reading public. Al Capp was even invited to go on a radio show to debate socialist Norman Thomas on the effect of the Shmoo on modern capitalism. Meanwhile in Germany, the commanders of the Berlin Airlift cabled Capp requesting a dozen inflatible Shmoos to be dropped from transport planes into Berlin as part of "Operation Little Vittles."

By now you are probably wondering why all the fuss over the Shmoo. Well, let me describe the Shmoo. It was a lovable bowling pin-shaped whiskered creature. The Shmoo yielded milk, eggs, cheesecake, and just about anything else you might desire. Shmoo meat when roasted was pork, when broiled it was steak, and when fried it was chicken. The eyes of a Shmoo made good suspender buttons and its whiskers made fine toothpicks. The skin when cut thin served as high quality cloth, cut thick it was leather, and cut in strips it became boards for housing.

Since the Shmoo was fast breeding and lived on practically nothing, it provided for almost all of society's needs. It turned out to be too much of a good thing. The Shmoos gave people all that they desired so the characters of Capp's comic strip quit their jobs. As a result of their indolence, civilization declined. Capp, himself sick of the Shmoo, finally dropped it from his strip early in 1949.

[Little Bill]

I remember the Shmoo, I was a babe in arms at the time. My Granddad had a ritual of taking what ever Grandkids were around and reading the Funny Papers to them, on Sunday. Al Capp was a favorite, the Socalist Capp of my childhood was different from the conservitive Capp of my young manhood.

[my right]

I was stationed at Eglin AFB Fla. in 1966-67. when Al Capp made an appearence at a small local college in Niceville Fla. At 22 yrs. old, I don't know what compelled me to buy a ticket to this event but I must say that he impressed me as few have since with his wit, and unique command of the English language. He captured the audience for two hours.

[AmishDude]

I think Calvin and Hobbes was a bright spot as well.

[PJ-Comix]

N.B. I also read "Prince Valiant," one of the oldest strips still in existence (probably older than "Li'l Abner") and which only runs on Sunday because it is several large panels.

Guess who Hal Foster used as his model for "Prince Valiant"?---HIMSELF! All he did in his drawing was remove his glasses and add that funny haircut and VOILA---Prince Valiant was born!

[yarddog]

I also got to meet Al Capp, although very briefly. Our tiny junior college had an American arts festival and Al Capp was one of the people who attended. We also had Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass boys, Walt Kelly, and several others whose names escape me right now.

Al Capp was a fascinating speaker. When he was on the stage with a panel of others, he was clearly the one with the charisma. He also was very, very conservative. I always wondered if he was being extra conservative because the college was in NW Florida. I am pretty sure the year was 1966.

I heard several years later that he was charged with some type of morals crime, but also heard he was purposely "set up".

One of the thinkgs I particularly remember was that he despised Sammy Davis Junior. Saying the "greatest entertainer in the world" was boring.

[PJ-Comix]

I heard several years later that he was charged with some type of morals crime, but also heard he was purposely "set up".

I mentioned this earlier. Some leftist hippie chick arranged to meet Capp at his hotel room while he was visiting a campus. Definitely a setup. The hippies really HATED Capp.

[yarddog]

Another good early strip was "The Katzenjammer Kids" If that is spelled right.

My Mother always thought it was the best one ever. She would read it in the "Montgomery Advertiser" while she was a child, and she is 84 years old.

[Bernard Marx]

I loved Capp and Abner, but how can you people have forgotten Walt Kelly and Pogo? 'Tis the season for "Deck Us All in Boston Charlie!"

Capp and Kelly were the defining cartoonists of my younger years. Loved 'em both. Now for a real old-timer test. Does anyone else remember the Katzenjammer Kids? Talk about politically incorrect!

[PJ-Comix]

Does anyone else remember the Katzenjammer Kids? Talk about politically incorrect!

How were the Katzenjammer Kids politically incorrect?

[kitkat]

***...but nobody alive today remembers Al
Capp, or Li'l Abner, for that mattter.***

HEY, I'm alive (I think) and I remember Li'l Abner.

"If it's good for General Motors, it's good for the country."

[WVNan]

Lil Abner was always one of my favorites. I loved the characters. Maybe America's love affair with Marilyn Monroe was due to her resemblance to Daisy Mae. Al Capp was a keen observer of human nature. He was indeed a prophet in his description of the Shmoos. The great big Shmoo we all know and love is the U.S. Government. It has done for a whole segment of American society exactly what the Shmooes did to the inhabitants of Dogpatch.

[PJ-Comix]

I loved the characters. Maybe America's love affair with Marilyn Monroe was due to her resemblance to Daisy Mae.

Good point. I hadn't thought of that.

[Bernard Marx]

How were the Katzenjammer Kids politically incorrect?

As I recall they represented many of the stereotypes the P.C. crowd despises so much. Mainly I think the strip allowed a level of violence that would create a negative buzz today (tormenting the Captain painfully when he was suffering from gout was one thing I remember).

[Charles Henrickson]

Some characters you may recall, found at this fascinating website:
Don Markstein's Toonopedia

[Charles Henrickson]

"The Far Side" and "Calvin and Hobbes" are my favorites from the last 30 years.

BTW, am I the only one who likes "Grin and Bear It"? In recent years, I could always count on at least one of the several panels to get me to laugh out loud. Recently, though, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch dropped it, I guess 'cause not enough people responded favorably in the readers' survey.

[gcruse]

I remember those. Don't think I ever had one, tho.

[Charles Henrickson]

"Grin and Bear It":

[PJ-Comix]

The best comics strip of recent years is definitely Zippy The Pinhead. Are we having fun yet?

[yarddog]

I think my favorite of all time was "Our Boarding House" with Major Hoople.

[PJ-Comix]

Zippy the Pinhead was born in a satellite dish outside of Cincinatti, Ohio. God is his co-pilot and his mother is a Las Vegas pizza waitress. Zippy's father is a truck driver and a writer for People magazine. Zippy's favorite food is corn nuts and polysorbate 80. For dessert he likes yogurt covered with taco sauce.