Billy DeBeck

Billy DeBeck was the creator of the long-running newspaper strip *Barney Google*, later retitled *Barney Google and Snuffy Smith*. Born William Morgan DeBeck on April 15, 1890, in Chicago, he died on November 11, 1942. DeBeck’s strip became a sensation in the 1920s and 1930s, introducing a cast that included the title character, Bunky, the hillbilly Snuffy Smith, and the racehorse Spark Plug. Spark Plug in particular became a merchandising phenomenon, often compared to Snoopy in later decades. DeBeck drew in a distinctive “big-foot” style, with scratchy lines, oversized feet, and bulbous noses, and his work frequently reflected his enthusiasm for sports. In 1946, the National Cartoonists Society established the Billy DeBeck Memorial Awards—originally called the Barney Awards—which later evolved into the Reuben Award. His legacy appears in collections such as *The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics* and *Barney Google: Gambling, Horse Races, & High-Toned Women!*, and his work has been reprinted in titles like *Four Color* and *Large Feature Comic*.