Little Lotta
Encyclopedia
Little Lotta is a fictional character
published by Harvey Comics
from 1953 to 1972, and then sporadically until 1993. A contemporary of Little Audrey
, Little Dot
and Wendy the Good Little Witch
, she was one of Harvey's best-known female characters during the 1960s and featured in many of the company's child-friendly comedy titles. Like many of Harvey's comic headliners, Lotta was notable for a 'quirky' defining characteristic - in this case, an insatiable appetite giving rise to superhuman strength.
Lotta Plump first appeared in 1953 as a backpage feature in Little Dot (where she debuted with Harvey's most successful property, Richie Rich). From the outset, Lotta's dietary habits were a running gag employed in virtually every story and featured prominently on the covers of her two comic titles, Little Lotta (1955-1972, 1974-76; 1992-1993) and Little Lotta in Foodland (1962-1968). A typical cover scene typically displayed Lotta devouring a meal of gigantic proportions or performing some feat of tremendous strength.
Far from being the 'unpopular fat kid' stereotype represented in other popular media (such as contemporary Tubby in Little Lulu
) Lotta was depicted as friendly, kind-hearted and always ready to use her tremendous strength for what she deemed as good. She has her share of bullying, but any tormentors quickly regret instigating her wrath. In a sense, Lotta's storylines fulfill two very common childhood fantasies: the satisfaction of visceral desires (eating everything in sight) and freedom through physical power.
Lotta lives in the fictional town of Bonnie Dell, a 'timeless' picket-fence suburb existing in the same world as several other Harvey characters (although in many stories it is simply called Harveyville). Lotta began making regular crossovers with Dot and Audrey from the beginning of the sixties, frequently combining their peculiar foibles to either cause trouble or save the day. Guest appearances with Richie Rich and Gloria took place during the 1970s, when she and the other 'Harvey Girls' featured in Richie Rich and his Girlfriends.
She has a boyfriend named Gerald, who in many ways is Lotta's opposite. He is a shy, diminutive boy with glasses, and he is not very strong. Lotta and Gerald have many adventures together and frequently have dressed up to imitate their favorite comic book hero, Flying Man. When dressed up, Lotta becomes "Leaping Lotta". In several stories, Lotta expressed an ambition to become a police officer.
Lotta has been penned by Warren Kremer
and Howard Post, but for the majority of the years that she appeared in comics, she was drawn by Sid Couchey
and Dom Sileo.
"Little Lotta" was published from 1955-1976, when Harvey's Richie Rich explosion took over. Lotta's book was canceled along with "Little Audrey", "Little Dot" and "Wendy", after 120 issues (issue #121 was advertised, but never issued). Lotta remained a supporting feature in the back of Richie Rich books until Harvey's demise in 1982. Upon Harvey's return in 1986, a proposed idea to have Lotta return as the drummer of a rock band with Little Audrey on guitar and Little Dot on vocals was shelved. So was an idea of having the three appear as teenagers and have adventures similar to Archie.
A "Little Lotta" comic book was used as a plot device on "Everybody Loves Raymond
" in 1996 (season 4, episode 17).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
published by Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
from 1953 to 1972, and then sporadically until 1993. A contemporary of Little Audrey
Little Audrey
Little Audrey is a fictional character, appearing in Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios cartoons from 1947 to 1958. She is considered a variation of the better-known Little Lulu, devised after Paramount decided not to renew the license on Marjorie Henderson Buell's comic strip character...
, Little Dot
Little Dot
Little Dot was a comic book character published by Harvey Comics between 1949 and 1982, and then sporadically until 1994. A little girl obsessed with dots, spots, and round, colorful objects, she first appeared in 1949 as a supporting feature in Sad Sack and by 1953 was given her own series,...
and Wendy the Good Little Witch
Wendy the Good Little Witch
Wendy the Good Little Witch is a fictional comic book character from Harvey Comics. Wendy was introduced as a back-up feature as well as a companion for Casper in Casper the Friendly Ghost #20, May 1954. Soon, she was trialed in Harvey Hits, starting with #7. After a total of six appearances, she...
, she was one of Harvey's best-known female characters during the 1960s and featured in many of the company's child-friendly comedy titles. Like many of Harvey's comic headliners, Lotta was notable for a 'quirky' defining characteristic - in this case, an insatiable appetite giving rise to superhuman strength.
Lotta Plump first appeared in 1953 as a backpage feature in Little Dot (where she debuted with Harvey's most successful property, Richie Rich). From the outset, Lotta's dietary habits were a running gag employed in virtually every story and featured prominently on the covers of her two comic titles, Little Lotta (1955-1972, 1974-76; 1992-1993) and Little Lotta in Foodland (1962-1968). A typical cover scene typically displayed Lotta devouring a meal of gigantic proportions or performing some feat of tremendous strength.
Far from being the 'unpopular fat kid' stereotype represented in other popular media (such as contemporary Tubby in Little Lulu
Little Lulu
"Little Lulu" is the nickname for Lulu Moppett, a comic strip character created in the mid-1930s by Marjorie Henderson Buell. The character debuted in The Saturday Evening Post on February 23, 1935 in a single panel, appearing as a flower girl at a wedding and strewing the aisle with banana peels...
) Lotta was depicted as friendly, kind-hearted and always ready to use her tremendous strength for what she deemed as good. She has her share of bullying, but any tormentors quickly regret instigating her wrath. In a sense, Lotta's storylines fulfill two very common childhood fantasies: the satisfaction of visceral desires (eating everything in sight) and freedom through physical power.
Lotta lives in the fictional town of Bonnie Dell, a 'timeless' picket-fence suburb existing in the same world as several other Harvey characters (although in many stories it is simply called Harveyville). Lotta began making regular crossovers with Dot and Audrey from the beginning of the sixties, frequently combining their peculiar foibles to either cause trouble or save the day. Guest appearances with Richie Rich and Gloria took place during the 1970s, when she and the other 'Harvey Girls' featured in Richie Rich and his Girlfriends.
She has a boyfriend named Gerald, who in many ways is Lotta's opposite. He is a shy, diminutive boy with glasses, and he is not very strong. Lotta and Gerald have many adventures together and frequently have dressed up to imitate their favorite comic book hero, Flying Man. When dressed up, Lotta becomes "Leaping Lotta". In several stories, Lotta expressed an ambition to become a police officer.
Lotta has been penned by Warren Kremer
Warren Kremer
Warren Kremer was an American comics writer and artist best known for his creation of the Harvey Comics characters Richie Rich, Hot Stuff the Little Devil and Stumbo the Giant. His style is known for big, bold compositions, and a keen sense of contrast and color.- Childhood and early career...
and Howard Post, but for the majority of the years that she appeared in comics, she was drawn by Sid Couchey
Sid Couchey
Sid Couchey is an American comic book artist best known for his illustration work on the Harvey Comics characters Richie Rich, Little Lotta and Little Dot. His style is known for big, friendly faces and a sharp sense of visual humor....
and Dom Sileo.
"Little Lotta" was published from 1955-1976, when Harvey's Richie Rich explosion took over. Lotta's book was canceled along with "Little Audrey", "Little Dot" and "Wendy", after 120 issues (issue #121 was advertised, but never issued). Lotta remained a supporting feature in the back of Richie Rich books until Harvey's demise in 1982. Upon Harvey's return in 1986, a proposed idea to have Lotta return as the drummer of a rock band with Little Audrey on guitar and Little Dot on vocals was shelved. So was an idea of having the three appear as teenagers and have adventures similar to Archie.
A "Little Lotta" comic book was used as a plot device on "Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
" in 1996 (season 4, episode 17).