Ziggy (comic strip)

Ziggy's traits

Ziggy is a diminutive, bald, trouser-less, barefoot, almost featureless character (save for his large nose). He is often drawn in just his shirt with no pants on, though the lower half of his torso is never seen. He lives in a simple house with a garden, and he is often seen working at an office job, at which, his foibles often reflect the absurdities that many readers encounter on a daily basis.

On the name Ziggy, Tom Wilson Jr. noted:

"the name Ziggy derived from his father's school experience of being the last alphabetically. When a new classmate arrived with a last name beginning with "Z," the idea took root with the friendly sounding "y ending, such as Billy or Tommy. "Ziggy is a last-in-line character," the son said in a phone interview. "The last picked for everything and kind of a lovable kind of loser character.""

Ziggy is seen throughout the years as an animal lover, and he is the owner of a number of pets, including a dog, a cat, a parrot, and a duck, all of whom seem to possess some anthropomorphic qualities. For example, in a strip written in the 2000s, his pet fish and his pet cat, named Sid, expressed noticeable displeasure with their owner because he told them that he ate catfish for dinner the night before. Despite them often playing a part in Ziggy's mishaps and misadventures, the love and affection he gives to and receives from his animals is often very different than his interactions with the various human beings he encounters during his days. Tom Wilson often juxtaposed Ziggy's human interactions with his animal interactions for comedic and emotional effect [1].

One of the great appeals of the comic strip is how Ziggy himself deals with the endless stream of misfortunes which befall him on a daily basis. The character is frequently depicted in surreal or arbitrary situations that allow the reader to relate to Ziggy's misfortunes and his take on life. For comedic effect, the strip often mines typical comic strip pop culture territory, such as computers, dating, office relationships, pet ownership, customer service, and many of the other perils of modern life. Since the strip has been in existence for almost 50 years, Ziggy has experienced the waves of societal and technological change that have swept through our culture in the last five decades. For instance, early strips show him using rotary phones, while strips put out in recent years displays Ziggy's adoption of modern technology like cell phones and flat screen TVs.

History

Ziggy first appeared in the 1968 book collection How Do You Do, published by American Greetings. The strip began in 15 newspapers in June 1971, and that number eventually ballooned to over 600 publications. The animated 1982 Christmas television special Ziggy's Gift, which contained the Harry Nilsson song "Give, Love, Joy", won an Emmy Award. Following years of preparation, in 1987 the strip was taken over by Tom Wilson's son, Tom Wilson II.

Ziggy, nameless at his conception, has been visible in some form or another since the mid-1960s. Greeting card writer Tom Wilson first drew a Ziggy-like character as an elevator operator offering political commentary in editorial cartoons, but unfortunately for him, no one would syndicate it. Ziggy eventually appeared in an American Greetings gift book, "When You're Not Around," that caught the eye of Kathleen Andrews, a founder of the fledgling startup Universal Press Syndicate that badly needed a popular comic to keep it afloat. A deal was struck, a name was given and Ziggy was born [2].

Ziggy is also notable for the high amount of merchandise and promotional material with his likeness on it. There have been annual calendars produced throughout the years, as well as various greeting cards, books, dozens of plush dolls, collectables, holiday-themed toys, promotional items, placemats, ornaments, messenger bags, pillowcases, brooches, posters, and cake tins, among a vast number of others.

In 2002, Ziggy became the official spokescharacter for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Tom Wilson I died on September 21, 2011 at the age of 80. His son, Tom, continues to produce the strip, as of 2017.