The Bumpkin Billionaires
Encyclopedia
The Bumpkin Billionaires was originally a comic strip
in the UK
comic
Whoopee!
. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 9 March 1974.
The main characters in the story were a family of four country yokel
s — "Ma" and "Pa" and their children Billy and Daisy — who had come into a great deal of money (possibly inspired by The Beverly Hillbillies
).
As the saying goes, however, "money does not bring happiness" and this particular family saw their wealth as more of a curse than a blessing. They aspired to returning to the simple life of paupers and were desperate to get rid of their money. Thus they would come up with an endless number of "get-poor-quick schemes
", much to the distress of their long-suffering bank manager.
The stories usually ended with the Bumpkins' plans backfiring, leaving them either as well off as they were before or even more wealthy, much to the delight of the bank manager. This proved very popular with kids.
When Whoopee! merged with Whizzer and Chips
in 1985, the strip went with it, becoming part of the Whizzer section. Likewise, when Whizzer and Chips merged with Buster
in 1990, the strip continued there. It remained in Buster until the comic's last issue at the beginning of 2000, though, as with all other strips by this time, it had by now become a reprint. it was drawn by Mike Lacey throughout except for the last years in Whizzer and Chips by Jim Hanson.
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....
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comic
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Whoopee!
Whoopee! (comic)
Whoopee! was a British comic that ran from 9 March 1974 to 30 March 1985, when it merged with Whizzer and Chips. It was published by IPC Magazines Ltd....
. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 9 March 1974.
The main characters in the story were a family of four country yokel
Yokel
Yokel is a derogatory term referring to the stereotype of unsophisticated country people.-Stereotype:In the US, it is used to describe someone living in rural areas...
s — "Ma" and "Pa" and their children Billy and Daisy — who had come into a great deal of money (possibly inspired by The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
).
As the saying goes, however, "money does not bring happiness" and this particular family saw their wealth as more of a curse than a blessing. They aspired to returning to the simple life of paupers and were desperate to get rid of their money. Thus they would come up with an endless number of "get-poor-quick schemes
Get-rich-quick scheme
A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to acquire high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 1900s....
", much to the distress of their long-suffering bank manager.
The stories usually ended with the Bumpkins' plans backfiring, leaving them either as well off as they were before or even more wealthy, much to the delight of the bank manager. This proved very popular with kids.
When Whoopee! merged with Whizzer and Chips
Whizzer and Chips
Whizzer and Chips was a British comic magazine that ran from 18 October 1969 to 27 October 1990, when it merged with the comic Buster. As with most comics of the time, Whizzer and Chips was dated one week ahead....
in 1985, the strip went with it, becoming part of the Whizzer section. Likewise, when Whizzer and Chips merged with Buster
Buster (comic)
Buster was a long-running British comic which carried a mixture of humour and adventure strips, although the former increasingly replaced the latter...
in 1990, the strip continued there. It remained in Buster until the comic's last issue at the beginning of 2000, though, as with all other strips by this time, it had by now become a reprint. it was drawn by Mike Lacey throughout except for the last years in Whizzer and Chips by Jim Hanson.