Posted 8 years ago
PostCardCo…
(437 items)
Happy Hooligan-----
In 1899, Fredrick Burr Opper accepted an offer by William Randolph Hearst for a position with the New York Journal. His Happy Hooligan strip first appeared in the New York Journal in 1900, and it ran until 1932. Hooligan was a tramp with a little tin can hat whose gentle simplicity and bumbling good nature made him a success. On Happy's 30th birthday, Opper threw a party attended by President Hoover, former President Coolidge, Charles Schwab, Alfred E. Smith and others.
In photo # 2 we see a part of a newspaper cartoon strip which depicts Happy Hooligan and his brothers Montmorency and Gloomy Gus
The name "Happy Hoolgan" became a by-word in American culture thru the 1930s, altho gone from print, we were not about to forget the beloved character that easily. There are quite a few postcards bearing his image . Get some of Opper's cards and add them to your collection. Not all were signed---just look for the tin can "hat"! Ha Ha!
I had only run into Happy Hooligan thru the collectible toys & didn't know they were based on a comic strip. Before my time. Learn something new everyday.
Many Thanks for the love!!
I should have told you that he (OPPER) did postcards with his popular cartoon character "MAUD (strip was "AND HER NAME WAS MAUD")-- she was a kicking mule.. I have only had one postcard, which I sold. I liked it a lot.
Bought a nice original Opper Sunday funnies, hand-drawn, 6-panel strip at an estate sale last weekend. It's fairly large and even has written pencil notes by Opper giving instructions to the colorist, at the publication. The only thing it's missing is a year date (it says May 7, but that's it), so I'm still trying to figure that out. The Happy Hooligan character in this particular strip reminded me a bit of Zippy (Zippy the Pinhead by Bill Griffith). I knew little of Opper before this, but I've read up on him and viewed a bunch of his art online. Great stuff!