| Hi and Lois | |
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Hi and Lois |
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| Author(s) | Mort Walker and drawn by Dik Browne Brian and Greg Walker and drawn by Robert "Chance" Browne |
| Current status / schedule | Running |
| Launch date | October 18, 1954 |
| Syndicate(s) | King Features Syndicate |
| Genre(s) | Humor |
Hi and Lois is a comic strip about a suburban family. Created by Mort Walker and illustrated by Dik Browne, it debuted on October 18, 1954, distributed by King Features Syndicate.
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The Flagstons first appeared in Walker's Beetle Bailey. They spun off into their own strip, written by Walker and drawn by Browne. Lois Flagston (née Bailey) is Beetle Bailey's sister, and the two strips make occasional crossovers. One of these occurred on the strip's 40th anniversary in 1994, when Beetle visited his sister Lois and her family. Chip resembles his Uncle Beetle in attitude and appearance, especially the eyes.
The strip made efforts to keep up with the times, such as housewife Lois Flagston taking a career in real estate in 1980. In previous decades the strip was acclaimed; in 1962 it earned Browne a Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society.
The strip faced some controversy given the changes in content restrictions since its debut in the 1950s. Once, editors insisted that belly buttons could not appear; in protest, Browne included a box of dimpled navel oranges.
Now produced by the sons of the original creative team, the script is written by Brian and Greg Walker and drawn by Robert "Chance" Browne.
The strip is apparently a favorite of the character known as Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons. He has referred to it on a few occasions, once sarcastically asking Bart Simpson, "Are you the creator of Hi and Lois? Because you are making me laugh." He also once intended to host a signing with the strip's creators at his store, but it was moved to the Springfield Coliseum, presumably due to overwhelming demand.
In 2005, the title characters made a cameo appearance in Blondie for that strip's 75th anniversary. Hi and Lois appeared at a party thrown by Blondie and Dagwood, as did Lois's brother Beetle.
The Flagston family was also featured in a series of Charlton comic books. Eleven issues were produced from November 1969 to July 1971. Cover price was fifteen cents.[1]
(All titles by Mort Walker and Dik Browne unless otherwise noted)