1950s comics: A trip down memory lane
Comic strips were a fun part of American pop culture over the last century, capturing the imaginations of readers across the country. From superheroes to everyday folks, these strips offered a mix of humor and excitement. Classics like Flash Gordon brought futuristic adventures, while Blondie delivered laughs with its domestic antics. Li’l Abner provided a satirical look at rural life, and Nancy charmed readers with her simple yet engaging escapades.
Comic strips in the ’50s covered a wide range of genres. Western fans had Hopalong Cassidy, while mystery lovers could follow the intriguing cases of Mandrake the Magician. For those who enjoyed more down-to-earth stories, The Heart of Juliet Jones offered romantic drama, and Barney Google combined humor with everyday situations. This variety ensured that there was something for everyone in the comic strips of the 1950s.
These comics transcended entertainment — they also reflected the social and cultural trends of the time. Characters like Tillie the Toiler and Myrtle showcased the changing roles of women, while The Lone Ranger and Brick Bradford echoed the era’s fascination with heroes and adventure. The universal appeal of these strips helped to shape the collective memory of a generation.
For your retro viewing pleasure, we’ve gathered over 50 comic strips from this memorable era, bringing back names like Etta Kett, Curly Kayo, Grandma, Moon Mullins and many more. Take a look!
Vintage Sunday comic funnies: Abbie an’ Slats (1952)
Vintage ’50s comic strip: Ferd’Nand (1952)
Old fifties funnies: Smilin Jack (1952)
Funnies section Eveready Battery ad – The child who wouldn’t drown (1952)
Hopalong Cassidy and Rip Kirby
The San Francisco Examiner – Mar 1 1954
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Flash Gordon by Mac Raboy
The Philadelphia Inquirer – Jun 6 1954
Fifties comic strips Barney Google and Mandrake the Magician
The San Francisco Examiner – Oct 18 1954
Blondie and Grandma
The Bristol Herald Courier – Aug 9 1954
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Duck and Lil Abner
The Bristol Herald Courier – Aug 9 1954
Freckles and his Friends and Kerry Drake
The Ogden Standard Examiner – Oct 18 1954
Hale Frontier Scout and Bugs Bunny
The Ogden Standard Examiner – Oct 18 1954
Fifties comic strips Henry and Jiggs
The Bristol Herald Courier – Aug 9 1954
Hopalong Cassidy and Rip Kirby
The San Francisco Examiner – Oct 18 1954
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Etta Kett
Intelligencer Journal Jun 28 1954
The Lone Ranger and a certain Duck
The San Francisco Examiner – Mar 1 1954
Brick Bradford and Adventures of Patsy
Daily Independent Journal Jan 7 1954
Fifties comic strips Moon Mullins and Nancy
Myrtle and Secret Agent X-9
The San Francisco Examiner – Mar 1 1954
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Myrtle and The Heart of Juliet Jones
The San Francisco Examiner – Oct 18 1954
Orphan Annie and Secret Agent
The Bristol Herald Courier – Aug 9 1954
Roy Rogers and Dick Tracy
The Bristol Herald Courier – Aug 9 1954
Curly Kayo
The Daily News Journal Feb 23 1954
Fifties comic strips Roy Rogers and Dick Tracy
The Bristol Herald Courier – Aug 9 1954
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Vintage comics from the ’50s Freckles and Alley Oop
Intelligencer Journal Jun 28 1954
Invisible Scarlet O’Neil and Ella Cinders
Marin Daily Independent Journal Jan 7 1954
Steve Roper and L’il Abner
The Ogden Standard Examiner – Oct 18 1954
The Lone Ranger and a Duck
The San Francisco Examiner – Oct 18 1954
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Big Ben Bolt
The Philadelphia Inquirer – Apr 18 1954
Bringing up Father
The San Francisco Examiner – Oct 18 1954
Fifties comic strip Funny Business by Hershberger
The Ogden Standard Examiner – Oct 18 1954
On our Way by J R Williams
The Ogden Standard Examiner – Oct 18 1954
Rusty Riley
The Philadelphia Inquirer – Jun 6 1954
Tillie the Toiler
The San Francisco Examiner – Mar 1 1954
Fifties comic strip Tillie the Toiler
The San Francisco Examiner – Oct 18 1954
Will Yum
Oakland Tribune – Jul 18 1954
Fifties comic strips Barney Google and Mandrake the Magician
The San Francisco Examiner – Mar 1 1954
Modest Maidens panel
Daily Independent Journal Jan 7 1954
Muggs and Skeeter and Brick Bradford
The Daily Notes May 26 1954
Vintage comics from the ’50s – Big Sister and Mutt and Jeff
Daily Independent Journal Jan 7 1954
Vintage comic strip – The Gumps (1956)
Sunday comics: Harold Teen (1956)
Early Peanuts with Charlie Brown and Snoopy (1956)
John Sevier – Nolichucky Jack – An Old Glory story (1956)
Old ’50s comic strip: Penny(1957)
Pogo (1957)
Men at Work (1957)
There Oughta Be a Law comic (1957)
Lolly (1957)
Mickey Finn (1957)
21 Responses
Loving comic strips like I do I really enjoyed these clippings you showcased. The late 1940s to the early 1970s and especially the 1950s were the classic days of the comic strip. Would love to see you continue showcasing strips from the 50s and 60s.
Looking for a cartoon from the 50,s of a large fellow pedaling a bike with a tall and small wood building that looked like an outhouse. I think his name was Humpfrey.
Humphrey Clinker the fat guy on the trike. Connected with Joe Palooka the boxer? Maybe..
What was the cartoon strip called. I’m looking for a picture of his bike with the house.
What is the name of the comic strip that Humphrey was in. I’m looking for a picture of the boy riding the bike with the house on back.
joe palooka
On Sunday mornings in the 1950’s I would lie on the floor and look at the newspaper comics while a man on the radio read them.
Looking for a newspaper comics series from the 50’s of a young man and his sailboat
Looking for a newspaper comic strip(50s-
60s vintage)of a character,who had a
black cloud hanging over his head(as in
bad luck):his first name was Joe;his last
name began with B and was a series of
consonants strung together,like “Blffkks”
Joe Bftsplk ( or whatever) was a character in Li’l Amber created by Al Capp.
Would like to see the comic strip
“The Teenie Weenies” about tiny characters living in a ccoffi can and dealing with a bad rat named Ginky.
Looking for a comic strip from the 59’s that featured a dog named Ritz…..
You guys missed the Katzenjammer Kids
Looking for a 1950s (1958-1959) Sunday newspaper comic strip a little boy and his dog land on the moon in a rocket just ahead of a Russian space ship. I remember something about the title being Boy Orbit or Roy Orbit.
Trying to put a name to a cartoon character that was basically a line drawing with a large nose and compact rotund body. He had a very sweet character and I believe had a little dog as a friend. He seemed to be a forerunner of cartoon. Characters that had a body that didn’t necessarily conform to a human figure per se , such as the Minions
I am searching for an old comic book or comic strip that included characters “William” and “Wendy”. Do you know what the name of this would be?
Looking for pictures of Nancy who had a boyfriend named pogo. Not pogo the possum. This pogo was a boy
Trying to locate a comic strip from approx. 1948-1953, only info I have regarding comic strip is this:
2 ladies in the comic strip names were Birdie and Girdie. My dad’s nickname (Birdie) came from this
comic, and the classmate who told me the story can’t remember much more about the comic. Dad
passed away this past week and I just now found about “THE REST OF THE STORY”
I recall seeing a lot of these comics as “recently” as the 1980s. For these 1950s strips, it’s striking that so many of them build jokes around television. I guess since it was the hot new technology back then, it was on a lot of people’s minds.
I’m trying to remember a 1950’s comic strip character who rode a tricycle all the time. It had a little shack behind the seat and I think this character was named “Sweeny” or “Sweenie” and he had massive thighs.
I believe Nancy’s boyfriend (?) was named Sluggo.
Yeah he was