Little Orphan Annie

Little Orphan Annie is a full page (later half page or tab) comic strip created by Harold Gray which first appeared on August 5, 1924. Gray's character was loosely based off of James Whitcomb Riley's eponymous character from his 1885 poem "Little Orphan Annie".

Related Topics:
Full page - Half page - Tab - Comic strip - Harold Gray - August 5 - 1924 - James Whitcomb Riley - 1885 - Little Orphan Annie

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In Gray's version, Annie, an orphan, was taken in by "Daddy" Oliver Warbucks, a prototypical capitalist of almost unlimited wealth and influence. With his right-hand men, Punjab (an eight-foot native of India) and The Asp (an inscrutably generalized Oriental), Warbucks tackled international intrigue and the neverending plots to kidnap or harm Annie. Probably no other comic strip has ever so completely glorified the American business ethic, although Warbucks enjoyed good relations with his unionized employees and there were a share of corrupt businessmen as villians. Daddy repeatedly suffered seeming death at the hands of his enemies, leaving Annie to fend for herself until his next reappearance.

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Annie's main physical characteristics are a mop of red, curly hair and vacant circles for eyes. She is always accompanied by her dog, Sandy. Her catchphrase is "Leapin' lizards!"

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In 1995, the strip was one of 20 included in the Comic Strip Classics series of commemorative US postage stamps.

Related Topics:
Comic Strip Classics - Postage stamps

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After Gray's death, the strip continued in lesser hands and was replaced with reruns in 1974. Following the success of the Broadway musical (see below), the strip was resurrected in 1979 as Annie by Leonard Starr, who retired in 2000. Since then the strip has been written by Jay Maeder and drawn by Andrew Pepoy, Alan Kupperberg and Ted Slampyak.

Related Topics:
1974 - 1979 - Leonard Starr - 2000 - Jay Maeder - Andrew Pepoy - Alan Kupperberg - Ted Slampyak

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