Number 669


The fat kids


In old comics the fat jokes flew fast and furious. There were fat characters: Tubby, Porky Pig, Fatman the Human Flying Saucer, Herbie, and of course Little Lotta. Lotta was a glutton, and shows it in this story from Little Dot #9. Someone came up with a character who had one characteristic, eating, and based solely on that made a string of stories and comic books that lasted for years.

The Lotta story is from Little Dot #9, from original art found on Heritage Auctions. The other story, which I've thrown in to give this posting some weight (yuk yuk) is "Chub" from Dennis the Menace #6. It's written and drawn by the team of Fred Toole and Al Wiseman, and is pretty much in the Lotta mode. I don't remember seeing Chub much. They probably couldn't milk (lowfat, I hope) the subject much more.

Nowadays with childhood obesity a sensitive health issue I can't imagine anyone doing stories like these, so enjoy the non-PC forbidden thrills of past fatty humor. While you're reading I'll do some sit-ups so my stomach doesn't enter the room a couple of minutes before the rest of me.