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Summary
According to his creator , the United States Army banningBeetle Baileyhelped ensure its popularity . One of the longest - running amusing funnies in American history , Beetle Baileyhas entertain fans for generation . Beetle was created by Mort Walker , draw on his own experiences in the United States war machine . Walker enjoyed a good working relationship with the armed forces , but one strip got him in raging water – and helped generalize it even more .
In the bookMort Walker ’s Private Scrapbook : Celebrating a Life of Love and Laughter , Walker recounts one of the few instances where he got into red-hot water with the military overBeetle Bailey . accord to Walker , the United States Army fearedBeetle Bailey , with his slack attitude towards authority , would actuate disrespect towards commanding officers . In 1954 , the Army bannedBeetle Baileyfrom the Tokyo variant ofStars and Stripes , the prescribed paper of the United States military .
The ban would last for virtually a decade , and in Walker ’s appraisal , help oneself hike the strip ’s popularity in the states .
Beetle BaileyGently Poked Fun at Military Life
Beetle BaileyWas Subversive For Its Time
At its height , Beetle Baileywas syndicated in over 1,000 newspapers . The controversy surrounding the strip no doubt help pad its popularity , but a good portion of its success lie in with its creator , Mort Walker . The first strip appeared in 1950 , and is still going today, . Walker passed away in 2018 , having worked onBeetle Baileyup through his death . Although fans today mostly knowBeetle Baileyfor its war machine - theme wittiness , its titular protagonist actually go the landing strip in college . Roughly a year into the flight strip ’s existence , Bailey enlisted in the armed services , and the landing strip ’s focus changed .
" plausibly the best favor the Army did for me since discharge me was banning Beetle from the Stars and Stripes , the military ’s newspaper . It became a tempest in a teapot and the ensuing publicity rocketed Beetle ’s circulation another hundred papers overnight . “- Mort Walker
Beetle Baileyhit his groove after he joined the Army . At the time of its publication , no other comic strip was covering the same vein of humor ofBeetle Bailey . Bailey had a lackadaisical attitude towards authority , and was incessantly in fuss with his command officer , Sergeant Snorkel . The interactions between the two helped provideBeetle Baileywith decades deserving of jokes and gags that would make it one of the most dear comic strips in the universe . While it may seem to poke fun at the military , Beetle Bailey ’s humor is easy and does not plug down , much likeother greats such as thePeanuts .
Gary Larson ’s Far Side used animal graphic symbol to pop the question insight into the fatuousness of the human condition ; its cartoon strip about bears were among its good .
The Army Had Some Wacky Ideas AboutBeetle Bailey
Beetle BaileyNever Incited an Insurrection
However , the United States Army felt a slight different , and bannedBeetle Baileyfrom its official newspaper . The higher echelons believedBeetle Bailey ’s discourtesy for authorization would bleed overinto membership and lodge soldier . There are no documented representative of soldiers disobey orders or deserting their posts after readingBeetle Bailey . The controversy madeStars and Stripeslook foolish and uptight , and helped launchBeetle Baileyinto the comics ' stratosphere , cement its spot as one of America ’s best comic strips .
Source : Mort Walker ’s Private Scrapbook : keep a Life of Love and Laughter
