226) Ferd’nand…

Original Ferd’nand by Mik 2-19-1963

Ferd’nand was created in 1936 by Dutch cartoonist Henning Dahl Mikkelsen (1915-1982), who signed his work as “Mik.” The Presse-Illustrations-Bureau of Copenhagen, Denmark was the first to feature the strip, which then gained international recognition as it was (with a few rare exceptions) a pantomime comic, posing no language barrier.

Mik moved to the United States in 1946. A year later Ferd’nand was pick up by United Features Syndicate and released to American audiences.

The star of the strip, Ferd’nand, is the only named character throughout the seven decades of its publication. Even Ferd’nand’s wife and son are never named.

When Mik died, the strip was continued by other cartoonists until it was retired in 2012.

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