Over The Hedge by Michael Fry and T. Lewis is a sweet comic strip that premiered in 1995. It follows the antics of a handful of woodland creatures that live just over the hedge of a suburban development, giving the animals ample opportunities to ridicule and take advantage of human values and foibles.

RJ, the raccoon leader of the group, is always scheming to benefit from their proximity to the humans. He is extremely proud of his stash of Twinkies. Verne the turtle is the straight man of the menagerie, hopelessly trying to be the voice of reason. And then there’s Hammy the squirrel, a totally whacked out free spirit whose wide-eyed innocence gives him the power to overcome any problem. Other characters occasionally join the main trio.

Though not blatantly political, the strip reflects a lot of the insanity of modern times. It’s sensibilities are vaguely reminiscent of Walt Kelly’s Pogo.

In 2006 an animated version of the strip was released by Dreamworks.

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