Flowers in the Giggle Garden

I thought I would provide a summary of each comic strip in the Gooseberry Giggle Garden for those who may not be familiar with them. These informational tidbits were obtained from two sources: www.creators.com and www.comics.com. Both sites are chock full of funnies that will keep you laughing for hours should the Gooseberry Giggles fail in that regard. Believe me when I say that these summaries do not do justice to the humor and artistry of the strips they describe. Read them for yourself and keep on smiling!

B.C.
Inspired by the caveman gags of the day and the suggestion of a friend, Johnny Hart created the prehistoric characters in this beloved comic strip to poke fun at the shortcomings of modern man. First published in 1958, B.C. has delighted readers ever since.

Committed
First appearing in 1991, this strip comments on the realities of modern life: the pitfalls of being a working parent, the child as ruler of the home, and the disaster that is housekeeping. Not necessarily applicable to homeschoolers, but the perspective on children is priceless. Written and drawn by Michael Fry, the main characters are Liz the mother, Joe the father, Tracy the eldest child, and Zelda the baby (who reminds me a bit of Jack-Jack, the superhero baby from Pixar's The Incredibles).

Get Fuzzy
A glimpse of single life with pets, this panel tells the story of Rob Wilco, an ad executive who lives with Bucky the cat and Satchel the dog. Together, this madcap trio copes with the ups and downs of modern life and all that it entails. Written and drawn by Darby Conley. This strip is a favorite of my daughter and her friend who lives in CA.

Kit ‘n’ Carlyle
The brainchild of Larry Wright, this comic panel is about an adorable cat named Carlyle who lives with Kit, a single working woman (not to worry, the strip is about the cat, not the woman). Carlyle is a conglomeration of many cats that Mr. Wright has owned over the years, and his understanding of the feline mind is clearly present in each drawing. My husband and I began reading this strip when we lived in San Diego, CA. We like it so much that we named our first cat Carlyle and our newest cat Kit.

Wizard of Id
In 1950, Johnny Hart, the creator of BC (mentioned above), entered a high school art contest that was being judged by artist Brant Parker. Mr. Parker was so impressed with Hart’s work that he requested a meeting with him. That was the beginning of the wonderful partnership behind this comic strip about a short monarch who rules his kingdom with the help of an often-inept magician.