Cathy (comic strip)
Encyclopedia
Cathy was a comic strip
drawn by Cathy Guisewite
. It featured a woman who struggled through the "four basic guilt groups" of life — food, love, mom, and work — the strip gently poked fun at the lives and foibles of modern women. Cathy's characteristics and issues both made fun of and sometimes fed into negative stereotypes about women. The strip debuted on November 22, 1976, and at its peak appeared in over 1,400 newspapers. The strips have been collected into more than 20 books. Guisewite received the National Cartoonists Society
Reuben Award in 1992 for the strip.
Initially, the strip was based largely on Guisewite's own life as a single woman. However, Guisewite had Cathy's longtime boyfriend
Irving propose marriage on Valentine's Day
2004. The two characters married in the February 5, 2005 strip. That same year, Cathy appeared in the 75th anniversary party of Blondie and Dagwood
.
On August 11, 2010, Cathy Guisewite announced the decision to end the run of Cathy. On October 3, 2010, the final strip ran, with the revelation that Cathy is pregnant with a baby girl.
, pizza
, and her mother's cooking.
At the end of the comic series, Irving and Cathy find out that they are expecting a child, leaving the comic strip with a sincere ending.
, 1950s
era. Although an equal in her marriage to Cathy's Dad, Mom held many old-fashioned ideas. Prior to Cathy's marriage, she seemed to have an obsession with seeing Cathy married, right down to keeping a current copy of Bride magazine in her purse and going as far as trying to send Christmas cards to some of Cathy's ex-boyfriends, one of which was incarcerated for swindling investors, until Cathy stopped her.
Note: capitalization appears according to the copyright page of the book.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
drawn by Cathy Guisewite
Cathy Guisewite
Cathy Lee Guisewite is the cartoonist who created the comic strip Cathy, about a career woman facing the issues and challenges of eating, work, relationships, and being a mother. As Cathy put it in one of her strips, "The four basic guilt groups."Born in Dayton, Ohio, Guisewite grew up in Midland,...
. It featured a woman who struggled through the "four basic guilt groups" of life — food, love, mom, and work — the strip gently poked fun at the lives and foibles of modern women. Cathy's characteristics and issues both made fun of and sometimes fed into negative stereotypes about women. The strip debuted on November 22, 1976, and at its peak appeared in over 1,400 newspapers. The strips have been collected into more than 20 books. Guisewite received the National Cartoonists Society
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
Reuben Award in 1992 for the strip.
Initially, the strip was based largely on Guisewite's own life as a single woman. However, Guisewite had Cathy's longtime boyfriend
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship, although normally not in long-term committed relationships, where other titles A boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship, although normally not in long-term committed...
Irving propose marriage on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
2004. The two characters married in the February 5, 2005 strip. That same year, Cathy appeared in the 75th anniversary party of Blondie and Dagwood
Blondie (comic strip)
Blondie is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930...
.
On August 11, 2010, Cathy Guisewite announced the decision to end the run of Cathy. On October 3, 2010, the final strip ran, with the revelation that Cathy is pregnant with a baby girl.
Main characters
- Cathy Andrews Hillman — the protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the strip and the only one not shown with a nose (although a small one was occasionally seen in side views). - Andrea — initially Cathy's ultra-feminist foil and best friend, Andrea's role was reduced in the later years. Andrea is married to Luke, whom she met during an on-line chat, and has two teens, Zenith and Gus (who grew from infants to uninhibited teens (not seen in the strips), illustrating – especially Zenith – that the characters do age, albeit very slowly.)
- Electra — Cathy's dog - rescued from the animal shelter as a puppy.
- Vivian — Irving's dog - also a rescued dog from the shelter. Both Cathy and Irving said that the dogs rescued them.
- Anne Andrews — Cathy's mother. Just as likely to provide frustration as inspiration. Refused to throw anything out, even onlineONLINEONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
. Was highly marriage obsessed and was constantly either asking Cathy when she was getting married or trying to fix her up. - Bill Andrews — Cathy's father. More often than not, a helpless bystander to Cathy's mom. Cathy went to him when she needed advice about work, something Cathy's mom (even though she had created jobs - M.O.Ms, Mothers on the Move, or Granny Nannies, the daycare center in Flo's house) said she knows little about.
- Charlene (née) McGuire — one of Cathy's best friends, receptionist at her office. Charlene's role expanded greatly once Andrea got married. Charlene announced her pregnancyPregnancyPregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
on Sunday, May 20, 2007. - Simon — Charlene's husband. He and Cathy dated ten times before she decided that he wasn't for her. But (at first) Cathy was adamant that Charlene should have adhered to the "woman's rules" one of which is to never date a woman's old boyfriend.
- Irving Hillman — former on-again-off-again love interest, golf and electronicsElectronicsElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
addict and her husband as of February 5, 2005. http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComic.mpl?date=2005/2/5&name=Cathy The more complex the machinery, the better he liked it - even if he didn't understand how to set it up. - Mr. Earl Pinkley — Cathy's boss, who often managed to make what little control he actually had of his work environment, go a very long way. At one point, he sexually harassed Cathy by coming on to her in her apartment. Cathy solved the problem by telling Charlene what really happened and the gossip about her boss "spending the night" (he forgot to mention it was due to the fact that he was knocked out when Cathy punched him in the nose for trying to come on to her).
- Mrs Hillman— Irving's mother who treated him like a "king." Did everything in her power to aggravate Cathy, especially regarding the 2007 Hillman family reunion.
- Mr. Hillman— Irving's father. He seemed content to let his wife do all the talking.
- Mabel represented multiple people (she was usually seen as the salesperson at any given store). She seemed to work at every single store, bank, travel agency etc. that Cathy went to and always had a pencil in her hair. She was easily aggravated by Cathy and vice versa. She sometimes had a co-worker with her. In at least one strip, the co-worker was referred to as Edith.
- Emerson was one of the first boyfriends introduced (Irving was first) when the strip debuted. He pursued Cathy who figured she could do better and irritated Irving. He was eventually dropped in favor of Irving, but is often mentioned in Cathy's list of those she dated.
- Many, many men that Cathy dated briefly
The four basic guilt groups
Defined by Cathy Guisewite, the four basic guilt groups are four types of temptation that the character Cathy faces in her daily life.Food
Cathy had a love/hate affair with food (especially carbs). She loved it, but hated what it did to her thighs. She was often shown in a department store fitting room trying to stuff herself into a bathing suit. She was constantly on a diet, weighed herself obsessively and many mornings feared to get up, believing that she had ballooned overnight. Cathy was particularly fond of chocolateChocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
, pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
, and her mother's cooking.
Love
Cathy had dated extensively, but was unable to find "Mr. Right". Although a number of love interests had come and gone over the years, none had come back like Irving, whom she finally married. Later Irving leaves Cathy due to her dislike of cats.At the end of the comic series, Irving and Cathy find out that they are expecting a child, leaving the comic strip with a sincere ending.
Mom
Although well-meaning, Mom's advice often frustrated Cathy, whether or not Mom was right. Cathy and her mother were from two different generations, of course. Cathy grew up in the era of feminism, women's rights and the sexual revolution. Mom was from the earlier, more conservative World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
era. Although an equal in her marriage to Cathy's Dad, Mom held many old-fashioned ideas. Prior to Cathy's marriage, she seemed to have an obsession with seeing Cathy married, right down to keeping a current copy of Bride magazine in her purse and going as far as trying to send Christmas cards to some of Cathy's ex-boyfriends, one of which was incarcerated for swindling investors, until Cathy stopped her.
Work
Cathy had to juggle many tasks at Product Testing, Inc. Her boss, Mr. Pinkley, often asked the impossible, and Cathy always seems to pull through in the end and give him and the client exactly what they wanted, albeit with quite a bit of drama. Cathy also worked at Jamba Juice. She was fired for bringing home smoothies for her cats.Books
Following are books featuring Cathy, illustrated by Ms. Guisewite. The chronological strips and special collections lists are believed to be complete; the other sections are not.Note: capitalization appears according to the copyright page of the book.
Chronological strips
The following books are collections of strips in the order they were published.- Cathy Chronicles (1979)
- "What do you mean, I still don't have equal rights??!" (1980)
- What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing With a Double Bed (March 1981, ISBN 0-553-01316-5)
- I think I'm having a Relationship with a Blueberry Pie! (1981, ISBN 0-553-01337-8)
- Another Saturday Night of Wild and Reckless Abandon (September 1982, ISBN 0-8362-1201-0)
- A Mouthful of Breath Mints and No One to Kiss (August 1983, ISBN 0-8362-1120-0)
- Men should come with instruction booklets (August 1984, ISBN 0836220552
- Wake me up when I'm a size 5 (July 1985, ISBN 0-8362-2069-2)
- Thin thighs in thirty years (July 1986, ISBN 0-8362-2081-1)
- A hand to hold, an opinion to reject (August 1987, ISBN 0-8362-2092-7)
- Why do the right words always come out of the wrong mouth? (August 1988, ISBN 0-8362-1808-6)
- My Granddaughter Has Fleas!! (August 1989, ISBN 0836218558
- $14 in the Bank and a $200 Face in My Purse (August 1990, ISBN 0-8362-1820-5)
- Only Love Can Break a Heart, But a Shoe Sale Can Come Close (August 1992, ISBN 0-8362-1893-0)
- Revelations From a 45-Pound Purse (August 1993, ISBN 0-8362-1722-5)
- The Child Within Has Been Awakened But the Old Lady on the Outside Just Collapsed (September 1994, ISBN 0-8362-1761-6)
- Understanding the "Why" Chromosome (August 1995, ISBN 0-8362-0423-9)
- Abs of Steel, Buns of Cinnamon (August 1997, ISBN 0-8362-3683-1)
- I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore (August 1998, ISBN 0-8362-6821-0)
- I'd Scream Except I Look So Fabulous (August 1999, ISBN 0-7407-0006-5)
- Shoes: Chocolate for the Feet (August 2000, ISBN 0-7407-0555-5)
Special collections
The following books include strips already published in earlier books.- Reflections: A Fifteenth Anniversary Collection (January 1991, ISBN 0-8362-1877-9)
- Cathy Twentieth Anniversary Collection (September 1996, ISBN 0-8362-2523-6)
- Food (December 2001, ISBN 0-7407-2112-7)
- Love (December 2001, ISBN 0-7407-2061-9)
- Mom (December 2001, ISBN 0-7407-2060-0)
- Work (December 2001, ISBN 0-7407-2062-7)
- The Wedding of Cathy and Irving : A Cathy Collection (July 2005, ISBN 0-7407-2668-4)
Gift books
The following books are smaller than the works above. They may have a short storyline and are intended as gifts.Hardback
- Commiserations (September 1993, ISBN 0-8362-3048-5)
- Like Mother, Like Daughter (September 1993, ISBN 0-8362-3049-3)
- Confessions to My Mother (March 1999, ISBN 0-8362-8788-6)
- Affirmations (May 1996, ISBN 0-8362-1058-1)
- Shop till you drop, then sit down and buy shoes (May 1996, ISBN 0-8362-1068-9)
Paperback
Paperback gift books.- How to Get Rich, Fall in Love, Lose Weight, and Solve All Your Problems by Saying "No" (1983, ISBN 0-8362-1986-4)
- Eat Your Way to a Better Relationship (1983, ISBN 0-8362-1987-2)
Other books
The following books feature Cathy illustrations by Guisewite, but are not authored by her.- Dancing Through Life in a Pair of Broken Heels, written by Mickey Guisewite, Cathy Guisewite's sister (April 1994, ISBN 0-553-37377-3)
- Lifestyles of the Trim & Healthy, written by Matthew Bennett (June 1994, ISBN 0-9629502-9-7)
- Girl Food written by Barbara Albright & Cathy Guisewite (1997, ISBN 0-3862-3173-2)
In popular culture
- During the closing down of Bloom CountyBloom CountyBloom County is an American comic strip by Berkeley Breathed which ran from December 8, 1980, until August 6, 1989. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in Middle America, where children often have adult personalities and vocabularies and where...
in the final days of the comic strip, Steve DallasSteve DallasSteve Dallas is a fictional character in the American comic strips of Berke Breathed, most famously Bloom County in the 1980s.He was first introduced as an obnoxious frat boy in the college strip The Academia Waltz, which ran in the University of Texas's Daily Texan during 1978 and 1979...
seeks employment in other strips. He is seen (in the strip) to land a guest spot in Cathy, much to that title character's horror, who responds to his announcement ("I brought my toothbrush.") by ordering him "Out! Out! Out! Forever!" - The strip's content was lampooned occasionally on the television show Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, with Andy SambergAndy SambergDavid Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
as Cathy. Samberg, dressed in a wig, spoke in a screechy parody of a female voice and repeatedly made non-sequitur-style statements such as "How am I gonna fit into all these bikinis?", "My mom drives me nuts!", and "AAACK!" (Samberg would pull his hair). In the first sketch, Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
appeared as Irving. - It was frequently made fun of in the television show 30 Rock30 Rock30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, mostly by other characters making comparisons between main character Liz LemonLiz LemonElizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
and Cathy. In one episode Tracy JordanTracy JordanOgbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
points out that something Liz said (Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate. ACK!) was later repeated in a Cathy strip. - In the animated series The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
Homer SimpsonHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
expressed dislike for the Cathy comic strip many times, such as in the episodes "Treehouse of Horror XITreehouse of Horror XI"Treehouse of Horror XI" is the first episode of The Simpsons twelfth season and the 249th overall, and the eleventh Halloween episode. The episode features "G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad", "Scary Tales Can Come True" and "Night of the Dolphin" and was written by Rob LaZebnik , John Frink and Don Payne and...
", where he remarks that the strip has "too much baggage", and "Thursdays with AbieThursdays with Abie"Thursdays with Abie" is the ninth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States on January 3, 2010. In the episode, Grampa meets a human interest journalist who writes and publishes Grampa's life stories making Homer jealous and while...
". Also, "Girls Just Want To Have SumsGirls Just Want to Have Sums“Girls Just Want to Have Sums” is the nineteenth episode of the seventeenth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on April 30, 2006.-Plot:...
" shows Lisa admiring the work of inspirational female artists, in which Cathy's comic is satirically featured. - Other comic strips, such as Pearls Before SwinePearls Before Swine (comic strip)Pearls Before Swine is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis, who was formerly a lawyer in San Francisco, California. It chronicles the daily lives of four anthropomorphic animals, Pig, Rat, Zebra, and Goat, as well as a number of supporting characters...
and Liberty MeadowsLiberty MeadowsLiberty Meadows is a comic strip and comic book created, written and illustrated by Frank Cho. It relates the comedic activities of the staff and denizens of the titular animal sanctuary/rehabilitation clinic.-Publication history:...
, often mocked Cathy by breaking the fourth wallFourth wallThe fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, the strip generally being criticized by male characters. - On the day of the final Cathy strip, the comic strip LiōLioLio is a singer and actress who was a pop icon in France and Belgium during the 1980s.- Biography :...
depicted Cathy riding off with characters from two other retired comic strips, Opus the PenguinOpus the PenguinOpus the Penguin is a character in the comic strips and children's books of Berkeley Breathed, most notably the popular 1980s strip Bloom County. Breathed has described him as an "existentialist penguin" and the favorite of his many characters...
from Bloom CountyBloom CountyBloom County is an American comic strip by Berkeley Breathed which ran from December 8, 1980, until August 6, 1989. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in Middle America, where children often have adult personalities and vocabularies and where...
and Huey FreemanHuey FreemanHuey Freeman is a fictional character of The Boondocks syndicated comic strip written by Aaron McGruder, as well as the main character and recurrent principal narrator of the animated TV series of the same name...
from The Boondocks, after they have thrown a brick through Liō's window. - On October 10, 2010, the comic strip Pearls Before SwinePearls Before Swine (comic strip)Pearls Before Swine is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis, who was formerly a lawyer in San Francisco, California. It chronicles the daily lives of four anthropomorphic animals, Pig, Rat, Zebra, and Goat, as well as a number of supporting characters...
complimented Cathy Guisewite for retiring and making way for young cartoonists rather than choosing to run repeats. - In an episode of The Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
, Sheldon gives Penny ice cream, and tells her, "I've been familiarizing myself with female emotional crises by studying the comic strip, "Cathy." When she's upset she says, "ACK" and eats ice cream" - The characters on Sex and the CitySex and the CitySex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
make multiple disparaging references to the comic throughout the show; Miranda fears that she will become a woman who puts Cathy strips on her fridge for comfort. - Caroline Duffy of Caroline in the CityCaroline in the CityCaroline in the City is an American situation comedy that ran from September 21, 1995 to April 26, 1999 on the NBC television network. It starred Lea Thompson as cartoonist Caroline Duffy. The series premiered in the two-hour Thursday night block led by Friends.-Premise:Caroline Duffy is a...
also writes a (fictional) comic strip named after herself and centering around a young single woman. Her comic is often confused with "Cathy" by other characters, which annoys her (it is implied that although her comic Caroline In The City is successful, it is outstripped by Cathy).
See also
- Cathy GuisewiteCathy GuisewiteCathy Lee Guisewite is the cartoonist who created the comic strip Cathy, about a career woman facing the issues and challenges of eating, work, relationships, and being a mother. As Cathy put it in one of her strips, "The four basic guilt groups."Born in Dayton, Ohio, Guisewite grew up in Midland,...
- List of women in comics
- Reuben Award
External links
- Cathy at goComics.com
- An Interview with Cathy Guisewite: Cartoonist enters 25th year of creating nationally syndicated comic strip Cathy from Universal Press SyndicateUniversal Press SyndicateUniversal Press Syndicate, a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, is the world's largest independent press syndicate. It distributes lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roger Ebert and News of the Weird...
- Cathy Guisewite profile at National Cartoonist Society Awards (Reuben) Web site
- Cathy cartoon widget at Yahoo