Casper the Friendly Ghost #20

History

The issue went on sale March 24, 1954 under the editorial oversight of Leon Harvey, who served as vice-president and editor at the company his brother Alfred Harvey had founded. The Harvey Comics line had only taken over Casper from St. John Publications in 1952, and by issue #20 the editorial team — led creatively by writer-editor Sid Jacobson and anchored artistically by Warren Kremer — was actively expanding Casper's supporting cast to give the title more varied content. Wendy herself was designed and drawn by artist Steve Muffatti, who rendered her as a visually child-friendly counterpart to Casper: small, round-faced, and robed in red, with none of the grotesque green-skinned qualities assigned to her aunts. The issue's contents, at 36 pages in full color, followed Harvey's established anthology format, pairing the Wendy debut with other Harvey staples including Casper, Herman and Katnip, Spooky, Buzzy, and Baby Huey.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Wendy the Good Little Witch, created by artist Steve Muffatti and introduced as a backup feature in a story where Casper befriends her after she halts a battle between witches and ghosts.
• On sale date was March 24, 1954; the indicia lists the publisher as Family Comics Inc. under the Harvey Famous Name Comics brand, with Leon Harvey credited as editor and vice-president.
• The issue is a 36-page, full-color anthology also featuring Casper, Herman and Katnip, Spooky, Buzzy, and Baby Huey — standard format for Harvey titles of the period.
• Wendy's debut story, 'The Poor Little Witch Girl,' establishes her defining character conflict: three wicked aunts (Thelma, Velma, and Zelma) who want her to practice black magic while she insists on using her powers for good.
• After her debut here, Wendy was further tested in Harvey Hits beginning with issue #7, and after accumulating six appearances she earned her own solo series, Wendy the Good Little Witch, which launched in August 1960 and ran for 97 issues through December 1990.
• Ancillary Wendy titles that grew from this single debut include Wendy Witch World (1961–1974), Casper and Wendy (1972–1973), and a second Wendy the Good Little Witch series (1991–1994).
• Interior stories from this issue were reprinted extensively across Harvey's own line (including Casper the Friendly Ghost #62, The Friendly Ghost, Casper #27, Little Dot #72, and TV Casper & Co. #5) as well as in Dark Horse's Harvey Comics Classics Vol. 1 (June 2007) and American Mythology's Casper's Capers #4 (2018).
• Wendy made her first animated appearance in the Paramount theatrical cartoon short Which Is Witch (1958) and later appeared as a co-protagonist in the 1998 direct-to-video film Casper Meets Wendy, portrayed by Hilary Duff in her feature film debut.

Key issues in Casper the Friendly Ghost

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#10 1st appearance — Spooky

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#19 1st appearance — Nightmare