Beetle Bailey is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Mort Walker, published since September 4, 1950. It is set on a fictional United States Army post. In the years just before Walker's death in 2018 (at age 94), it was among the oldest comic strips still being produced by its original creator. Over the years, Mort Walker had been assisted by (among others) Jerry Dumas, Bob Gustafson, Frank Johnson and Walker's sons, Neal, Brian and Greg Walker, who are continuing the strip after his death.
Overview Beetle was originally a college student at Rockview University, as of September 4, 1950. Although he was as lazy in college as he would be in the service, he did have a broken down jalopy and was the star of the track team (apparently on a scholarship)."50 Years of Beetle Bailey" 2000 pp.8-9,41 He had four friends: Bitter Bill; Diamond Jim; Freshman and Sweatsock."Ibid p.40 He also smoked a pipe.Ibid.pp:8-9; 41 The characters in that early strip were modeled after Walker's Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers at the University of Missouri. On March 13, 1951, during the strip's first year, Beetle quit school and enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he has remained ever since. His reason for enlisting was because he was running away after being nearly trapped by both his angry jealous first girlfriend "Buzz" and a second girl who was chasing him.Ibid.p.9
Most of the humor in Beetle Bailey revolves around the inept characters stationed at Camp Swampy (inspired by Camp Crowder, where Walker had once been stationed while in the Army), which is located near the town of Hurleyburg at "Parris Island, S.C." (a real-life Marine Corps base). Private Bailey is a lazy sort who usually naps and avoids work, and thus is often the subject of verbal and physical chastising from his senior NCO, Sergeant Snorkel. The characters never seem to see combat themselves, with the exception of mock battles and combat drills.
Beetle is always seen with a hat or helmet which covers his forehead and eyes. Even on leave, his "civvies" include a pork pie hat worn in the same style. He can be seen without it only once—in the original strip, when he was still a college student. The strip was pulled and never ran in any newspaper. It has been printed only in various books on the strip's history. In his 1975 memoir Backstage at the Strips, Walker addressed the question of Beetle's eyes, saying: I constantly get inquiries as to the color of Beetle's eyes. As if I knew. Black as ink, I suppose, if he has any. Maybe there's nothing under the hat. Why should there be? There is nothing until I draw it, and I've never drawn his eyes. Why, then, should he have any?Backstage at the Strips, by Mort Walker; p. 131; published 175 by Mason Charter; LCCN: 76-49696' ISBN" 0-89104-057-9
One running gag has Sergeant Snorkel hanging helplessly from a small tree branch after having fallen off a cliff, with the first instance running on August 16, 1956. While he is never shown falling off, or even walking close to the edge of a cliff, he always seems to hold on to that same branch, yelling for help.
Publication history During the first two years of Beetle Baileys run (1950–1952), Walker did all work on the strip himself, including writing, penciling, inking and lettering; however, in 1952 he hired cartoonist Fred Rhoads as his first assistant. After that, numerous people assisted Walker on the strip through the years.
As of 2016, the strip was being syndicated (by King Features) in 1,800 papers in the United States and the rest of the world.Dwyer, Ed. "CULTURE: The Funny Papers: Newspapers may be in trouble, but the comic strip is alive and well—and flourishing online", Saturday Evening Post (November 7, 2016).
In Sweden, the strip received a dedicated magazine in 1970, with a Norwegian version being added the following year, which is published to this day as of 2020. Denmark also has dedicated (albeit not exclusive) magazine, named "Basserne", first published in 1973.
Characters and story Main characters Private Carl James "Beetle" Bailey: the main character and the strip's namesake, a feckless, shirking, perpetual goof-off and straggler known for his chronic laziness and generally insubordinate attitude. Slack, hapless, lanky and freckled, Beetle's eyes are always concealed, whether by headgear or, in the rare instance of not wearing any (e.g., in the shower), by his hair. He is an expert in camouflage as he is often hiding from Sarge. His nickname was given to him by his aunt who thought his freckles made him look like a ladybug beetle. In early strips, it was revealed that he is the brother of Lois Flagston (née Bailey) of the Hi and Lois comic strip, which Mort Walker wrote, and Dik Browne drew. Beetle's and Lois's grandmother came from Dublin, Ireland. Beetle has a brother Chigger. Sergeant 1st Class Orville P. Snorkel: Beetle's platoon sergeant and nemesis, introduced in 1951. Sarge is known to frequently beat up Beetle for any excuse he can think of, leaving Beetle a shapeless pulp. Obese, snaggle-toothed and volatile, Sarge can be alternately short-tempered and sentimental. They share an uneasy alliance that sometimes borders on genuine (albeit unequal) friendship. Despite his grouchiness and bossiness, Sarge does have a soft side, which he usually keeps concealed. He is from Pork Corners, Kansas. He is also known to be foul-mouthed, even compared to the rest of the cast. Otto: Sgt. Snorkel's anthropomorphic, look-alike bulldog whom Sarge dresses up the same as himself, in an army uniform. Otto is fiercely protective of Sarge and seems to have a particular antipathy toward Beetle. His first appearance was July 17, 1956; originally he was a regular dog who walked on all fours, but Mort Walker finally decided to make him more human-like, believing he would be "funnier that way." Brigadier General Amos T. Halftrack: the inept, frustrated, alcoholic commander of Camp Swampy, introduced in 1951. As of April 26, 1980 he was married to his wife Martha for 30 years. He also has a "General Halfrack Fan Club" (1 member)Comic 5-26-2007 An actual "Half-track" is a military vehicle. In a July 1997 story arc, Halftrack attended mandatory sensitivity training and apologized for his sexist behavior. Miss Buxley: Halftrack's blonde, buxom civilian secretary—and occasional soldier's date (as well as a constant distraction for Halftrack). Miss Buxley has an apparent interest in Beetle and later becomes his girlfriend, but is constantly pursued by Killer. Although she officially became part of the comic in the November 17, 1971, strip, she made an earlier cameo in 1964 as that of woman who refused to date Killer because she dated officers only and wouldn't believe he was an officer himself because of his "dishpan hands.""50 Years of Beetle Bailey" 2000 p.43,62 Lieutenant Sonny Fuzz: very young (with noticeably pointy eyebrows and very little facial hair), overly earnest, anal-retentive, "by the book" and highly misophonic, especially where squeaky furniture is concerned. The apple-polishing Fuzz is always trying to impress uninterested superiors (especially Halftrack), and "rub it in the noses" of his subordinates. He was introduced March 7, 1956 and even then he was so naive that Pvt Cosmo actually won Fuzz's uniform in a dice game.50 years of Beetle Bailey .p.21 Mort Walker said he modeled the character and personality of Lt. Fuzz on himself, having taken himself too seriously after completing Officer Training. Lieutenant Jackson Flap: the strip's first black character, often touchy and suspicious but effortlessly cool, introduced in 1970. Originally wore an afro hairstyle, but later shaved it off as later regulations disallowed many hairdos. Has often been seen with a beard, and is in most ways the total opposite to Lt. Fuzz, even though they share the same rank. Walker created Flap due to critique of the all-White crew of the comic strip, and was immediately censored by US Army newspaper Stars and Stripes until criticism made the publication revert the decision and publish strips with Flap in them along with the rest. Cookie (Cornelius) Jowls: the mess sergeant, who smokes cigarettes while preparing the mess hall's questionable menu. He practices no sanitary food preparation measures aside from wearing a chef hat, and is almost always seen wearing a tank top. Walker once described him as "the sum of all Army cooks I've met in my life." Private "Killer" Diller: the notorious ladies' man and Beetle's frequent crony—introduced in 1951. Private Zero: the buck-toothed, naïve farm boy who takes commands and comments literally and misunderstands practically everything. Private Plato: the Camp's resident intellectual; portly, bespectacled, given to scrawling long-winded, analytical, often philosophical graffiti.50 Years of Beetle Bailey p.71; comic 6-13-2010 Named after Plato but based on Walker's pal, fellow cartoonist Dik Browne. Plato is the only character other than Beetle to evolve from the early "college" months of the strip.
Supporting characters Private Blips: Gen. Halftrack's competent, jaded, not-at-all-buxom secretary. She resents Halftrack's constant ogling of Miss Buxley, and though envious of the latter's appearance maintains a polite working relationship with her. Chaplain Staneglass: According to Mort Walker's Private Scrapbook, Walker based the chaplain on Irish actor Barry Fitzgerald's priest character from Going My Way (1944). He often tries to get Sarge to not beat up Beetle or the men but his efforts either backfire or are futile. Martha (Knips) Halftrack: the General's formidable, domineering wife. She is 70 years old. Her brother Sgt Knips is the senior NCO at Camp Swampy. Private Rocky: His style combines a pompadour, a mullet, and sideburns, along with his ever-present disaffected scowl. Rocky is Camp Swampy's disgruntled social dissident and former biker gang member.50 Years of Beetle Bailey p.38 Private Cosmo: Camp Swampy's sunglass-wearing, resident "shady entrepreneur" and huckster. Loosely based on William Holden's Sefton character from Stalag 17. Captain Sam Scabbard: hard-nosed, flat-top wearing officer, commander of A Company and usually depicted as competent. Mort Walker has said that there needed to be at least one normal person in the comic. Major Greenbrass: staff officer and golf partner of Gen. Halftrack. He is most often simply a sounding-board for the general, reacting to his superior's shenanigans instead of causing his own. In March 2023 he was redesigned with dark skin, making him Black. Private Julius Plewer: fastidious fussbudget, who eventually became Halftrack's chauffeur. Corporal Yo: the strip's only Asian character, introduced in 1990, who tries to help Sarge bring efficiency to Company A. After 30 years in the strip he was redesigned with an olive complexion and less slanted eyes. Dr. Bonkus: Camp Swampy's staff psychiatrist, a little "crazy." Sergeant 1st Class Louise Lugg: a tough female soldier who hopes to be Sarge's girlfriend, introduced in 1986. Bella: Sgt. Louise Lugg's female pet cat. Specialist Chip Gizmo: Camp Swampy's resident computer geek, was named by a write-in contest in 2002, won by Earl Hemminger, from Springfield, Virginia. The contest, sponsored by Dell Computer Corp., received more than 84,000 entries. It raised more than $100,000 for the Fisher House Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides housing for families of patients at military and veterans hospitals.
Retired characters Bunny Piper—Was Beetle's seldom-seen girlfriend (from 1959), before he started dating Miss Buxley. Buzz—Was Beetle's girlfriend before 1959. Canteen (early 1950s)—always eating. Snake Eyes (early 1950s)—the barracks gambler, replaced by Cosmo, Rocky and others. Big Blush (early 1950s)—tall, innocent, and a great attraction to the girls; many of his characteristics incorporated into both Sarge and Zero.