One of the older comics
Marmaduke is a newspaper comic strip drawn by Brad Anderson from 1954 to the present day. The strip was published by United Feature Syndicate and created by Anderson, with help from Phil Leeming (1955-1962) and later Dorothy Leeming.
The comic strip revolves around the Winslow family and their Great Dane, Marmaduke. The strip on Sundays also has a side feature called "Dog Gone Funny," in which one or more panels are devoted to dog anecdotes submitted by the fans. Anderson, who says he draws on Laurel and Hardy routines for his ideas, received the National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for the strip in 1978. The joke is that Marmaduke is bigger than your average dog.
Publication history[]
The strip was created by Anderson, and sold to the John F. Dille Co. (later known as the National Newspaper Syndicate) in 1954. Anderson said he drew on Laurel and Hardy routines for his ideas. Anderson illustrated the strip, writing it with help from Phil Leeming (1955–1962) and later Dorothy Leeming (1963–1969), and, after August 2, 2004,[Anderson's son Paul.
The strip on Sundays also has a side feature called "Dog Gone Funny", in which one or more panels are devoted to dog anecdotes submitted by the fans.
Brad Anderson died on August 30, 2015, at the age of 91, leaving the long-term fate of the strip unknown; strips co-drawn with the help of his son, Paul Anderson, continue to be syndicated.
Characters[]
- Marmaduke – a messy but lovable Great Dane owned by the Winslow family; Marmaduke is a very large example of the breed and has regularly been drawn as apparently measuring 40 inches (102 cm) and upwards at the withers.
- Phil – patriarch of the Winslow family
- Debbie – matriarch of the Winslow family
- Barbara ("Barbie") – the Winslows' older child
- Brian (or "Billy") – the Winslows' younger child
- Mr. and Mrs. Snyder – the Winslows' neighbors
- King Tut – A Siamese cat, based on Brad Anderson's pet, who is Marmaduke's nemesis
Adaptations[]
Animated series[]
Ruby-Spears produced Marmaduke segments for the 1981 animated series Heathcliff and Marmaduke, whose title character was also based on a comic strip character. In this animated version, the male characters were voiced by Paul Winchell and the females were voiced by Russi Taylor.
Films[]
Main articles: Marmaduke (2010 film) and Marmaduke (2022 film)
A live-action Marmaduke movie, in which the Winslows and their dog move from Kansas to California, was released on June 4, 2010 and received generally negative reviews from critics. The film featured Owen Wilson as the voice of Marmaduke, Lee Pace as Phil Winslow, Judy Greer as Debbie Winslow, Caroline Sunshine as Barbara Winslow, and Finley Jacobsen as Brian Winslow.
It was announced on the Andrews McMeel website that an animated film adaptation of Marmaduke was planned to be released sometime in 2022. The film featured Pete Davidson as Marmaduke, J.K. Simmons as Zeus, Brian Hull as Guy Hilton, Shelby Young as Shantrelle, and David Koechner as Phil Winslow. It was released on Netflix on May 6, 2022 and like the live-action film was panned by critics.