New Funnies #91

History

New Funnies was a direct continuation of Dell's The Funnies, which pivoted from a superhero-and-strip anthology to an all-ages funny-animal format beginning with issue #65 (July 1942), at which point Raggedy Ann and Andy joined the Walter Lantz cast as co-headliners. The editorial and production work was handled by Western Publishing (Western Printing & Lithographing Company) on behalf of Dell, an arrangement formally codified in 1944 — the same year this issue appeared — with Dell financing distribution and Western providing creative and print production. The Raggedy Ann and Andy stories carried in this run were scripted by Gaylord DuBois and illustrated by L. Bing and George Kerr, a team responsible for most of the Raggedys' comics appearances of the era; the Walter Lantz character stories were copyrighted to Walter Lantz Productions, reflecting the close working relationship between the studio and the Dell–Western publishing apparatus.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published September 1944 by Dell; produced editorially and physically by Western Publishing (Western Printing & Lithographing Co.) under the formal Dell–Western partnership arrangement solidified that same year.
• 52 pages, full color — the same page count as neighboring 1944 issues, reflecting a reduction from the 60-page format of earlier issues in the run.
• Part of the New Funnies anthology series (#65–108), which ran continuously from July 1942 before being renamed Walter Lantz New Funnies with issue #109 (March 1946).
• Andy Panda served as the series' de facto mascot throughout this period; Woody Woodpecker had been appearing in the title since 1942 and was progressively moving toward becoming its dominant character.
• The Raggedy Ann and Andy feature — titled 'Johnny Gruelle's Raggedy Ann & Andy' — was scripted by Gaylord DuBois and illustrated by L. Bing and George Kerr; the stories drew on Gruelle's original characters and featured supporting cast including Marcella, Beloved Belindy, and others from the Raggedy-verse.
• Li'l Eight Ball, a Walter Lantz cartoon character who debuted in the 1939 theatrical short 'The Stubborn Mule' and first appeared in Dell comics with issue #64 (The Funnies, May 1942), continued as a recurring strip in this issue; community pressure would eventually result in his removal from the title after issue #126 (August 1947).
• Homer Pigeon — who made his first comic appearance in New Funnies #83 (January 1944) — was still a relatively new addition to the cast at the time of issue #91, alongside recurring characters Carrie Pigeon, Toby Bear, Billy Bee, Bonny Bee, Charlie Chicken, and Red Cardinal.
• Woody Woodpecker's trajectory through this run led directly to his first solo Four Color Comics appearance in 1947 and eventually to the Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker ongoing series (1952–1983), making these mid-1944 New Funnies issues part of the character's foundational comics history.

Cast · 13 characters

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