Little Dot #81
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeLittle Dot #81 (June 1962) sits squarely in the middle of the Little Dot series' most productive Silver Age run, a period when the title was functioning as a shared-universe anthology that kept Richie Rich — still only two years into his own solo title — visible to a wide young readership. The book exemplifies Harvey's deliberate strategy of cross-pollinating its 'kid with a quirk' characters: by featuring Dot Polka, Richie Rich, Gloria Glad, and the supporting Rich family together in a single issue, Harvey reinforced the coherent 'Harvey World' that would eventually sustain over fifty Richie Rich spin-off titles. No single confirmed landmark event (first appearance, major story development) has been documented for this specific issue, but its place in the sequence reflects how the Little Dot series served as the nursery for Harvey's entire kid-humor universe.
In "Dizzy Dots," Petey Pelican learns a troubling lesson from his new mentor, Charlie Crow, when the birdseed he’s taught to steal ends up being devoured in a dizzying spree—leaving Charlie with nothing but empty hands. A classic 1962 Harvey tale drawn with playful energy, this issue features Warren Kremer’s sharp cover pencils and inks, capturing the mischievous spirit of the story.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Little Dot series was created by writer Alfred Harvey and artist Vic Herman, with the title character — full name Dorothy Polka — first appearing as a backup feature in Sad Sack #1 in September 1949 before graduating to her own series in 1953. By the time issue #81 reached newsstands in June 1962, the book had adopted Harvey's signature 36-page anthology format, typically housing six to eight short stories and routinely spotlighting Richie Rich and Little Lotta alongside Dot. Warren Kremer, the most prominent illustrator associated with the Richie Rich features, and writers such as Sid Jacobson and Ralph Newman were the primary creative voices across the Harvey line in this era, though specific credits for #81's individual stories have not surfaced in publicly available databases.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Cover date: June 1962, published by Harvey Comics (Harvey Enterprises, Inc.); part of the original Little Dot series that launched in September 1953 and ran 164 issues through 1976.
- Richie Rich — who debuted in Little Dot #1 (September 1953), created by Alfred Harvey and Warren Kremer — appears in this issue as a continuing backup feature, years before his own flagship title reached issue #81.
- Gloria Glad, Richie's red-haired girlfriend known for refusing lavish gifts, had made her first appearance in Little Dot #33 (May 1958); by issue #81 she was an established recurring supporting character.
- Richard Rich Sr. (Mr. Rich), Richie's industrialist father, had been part of the supporting cast since Little Dot #3, and his continued presence here reflects the stable family-cast approach Harvey maintained across the run.
- Mr. Polka and Mrs. Polka — Dot's parents, perpetually exasperated by their daughter's all-consuming dot obsession — are core recurring characters whose domestic comedy formed the backbone of the title's humor formula.
- The issue follows the standard Harvey Silver Age anthology format: approximately 36 pages of full-color stories, typically six to eight short pieces mixing Dot's dot-themed comedy with standalone Richie Rich and Little Lotta backup strips.
- No confirmed first appearance, creative-team change, or landmark story event specific to issue #81 has been documented across comics databases (GCD, Harvey Comics Database Fandom wiki) or key-issue tracking sites.
Cast · 6 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
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After Dot's uncle gives away everything he has, including his clothes, a charitable organization gives him a new suit over his objections.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
Key issues in Little Dot
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