Little Dot #23
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeLittle Dot #23 (May 1957) holds a place in the Harvey universe as the issue most commonly cited as the first appearance of Mrs. Plump — the mother of Little Lotta (Lotta Plump) — in the story "Urge to Splurge," introducing a supporting family member who would go on to anchor Lotta's domestic world across dozens of stories. The issue also demonstrates the mid-series vitality of the Little Dot anthology format, which continued to serve as the primary showcase for Richie Rich and his circle of friends years before he earned his own title. As a 1957 entry in a run that launched in 1953, it documents how Harvey was actively expanding the supporting casts of its signature characters throughout the Silver Age, building out the family-and-friends networks that would define the Harvey style for the next two decades.
In "Dot and Jot," a quiet moment of teasing turns into a playful twist when Dot shares the story of her mechanical doll, Jot—crafted by her uncle Branes and eerily like her in appearance and mischief. As she recounts the clever pranks Jot pulled, Dot uses the tale to surprise the boys, leading them to question whether she’s really Dot or Jot in disguise.
In a quiet moment of childhood rivalry, Lotta and Dot find themselves shut out when the boys sabotage their access to a shared boat—removing its bottom to keep them from using it. Outsmarting their rivals with a clever ruse, the girls convince the boys they’ve somehow acquired a boat of their own, turning the tables with nothing but imagination and wit.
In "null," a quiet moment after a game of football leads Richie to invite his friends to his backyard—where, to their astonishment, a real train waits, nestled among the trees and grass. The story unfolds with a simple, whimsical wonder, capturing the magic of childhood imagination and unexpected surprises.
In "Little Dot Meets Uncle Sly," Jo’s uncle—a master of disguise and camouflage—presents her with a polka-dotted kite, sparking an impromptu adventure when it gets tangled in the tree of grumpy Mr. Grumble. Determined to retrieve it, Dot and her clever uncle use disguises and clever tactics to sneak past the gruff neighbor, all while keeping the spirit of the moment alive. The story captures a sweet, playful moment of childhood determination and the quiet humor of a mission that ends with a surprising twist.
In "Urge to Splurge," Lotta’s national eating contest prize sets off a day of generous impulses—each treat she buys for herself leads her to someone or something hungrier, and she gives it all away. With no food left for herself, she walks away with a heart full of joy, proving kindness can be its own reward.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Little Dot launched in September 1953 from Harvey Enterprises, Inc., with Richie Rich debuted in that very first issue — created by Alfred Harvey alongside artists Warren Kremer and/or Steve Muffatti, though there has been some dispute over creative credit between Harvey, artist Warren Kremer, and editor Sid Jacobson. By issue #23, the series was firmly in its mid-run groove, publishing bi-monthly and acting as a rotating anthology for the Harvey kids line while Richie Rich remained a backup feature without his own dedicated title. The series eventually ran 164 issues in its original volume before concluding in April 1976.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of Mrs. Plump (Little Lotta's mother) in the story "Urge to Splurge" — though this attribution is flagged as uncertain by at least one indexing database.
- Little Lotta (Lotta Plump) appears as a lead character in "Urge to Splurge," continuing her established role as a backup feature since Little Dot #1 (September 1953).
- Richie Rich appears in a football/trains story; his first appearance was in Little Dot #1 (1953), created by Alfred Harvey with Warren Kremer and/or Steve Muffatti.
- Reggie Van Dough, listed in the catalog index for this issue, first appeared in Little Dot #2 (November 1953) — not in this issue; his presence here is as a returning character.
- The GCD records a Dot-and-Lotta story in which the two girls outmaneuver a group of boys who had sabotaged a boat, as well as a solo Dot story involving a loose tooth and another involving a mechanical doll named Jot.
- The Little Dot series ran 164 issues in its first volume (1953–1976), with this issue falling roughly at the one-third mark of the run, during the period when Richie Rich was still exclusively a backup feature — he did not receive his own self-titled series until 1960.
- Harvey's Little Dot line served as the primary proving ground for the company's kids characters throughout the 1950s, a strategy that ultimately produced one of the most expansive character rosters in American children's comics.
Cast · 7 characters
Reprints
↩ Reprints Family Funnies #1 (1950)
Reprinted in Little Dot #20 (1958), Blondie Comics Monthly #119 (1958), Blondie Comics Monthly #133 (1960), Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts #6 (1963), Little Lotta Foodland #6 (1964), Blondie & Dagwood Family #3 (1965), Richie Rich Dollars and Cents #11 (1966), Little Lotta Foodland #11 (1966), Richie Rich Success Stories #11 (1966), The Friendly Ghost, Casper #131 (1969), Richie Rich's Funtime Comics #20-37 (1970), Richie Rich Jackpots #32 (1977), Richie Rich Digest Stories #3 (1979), Harvey Comics Classics #2 (2007)
Key issues in Little Dot
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