The Wizard of Id
Encyclopedia
The Wizard of Id is a daily newspaper comic strip
created by American
cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart
. Beginning in 1964, the strip follows the antics of a large cast of characters in a shabby medieval kingdom called "Id". From time to time, the king refers to his subjects as "Idiots". (The title is a play on The Wizard of Oz
, combined with the Freudian psychological term Id, which represents the instinctive and primal part of the human psyche.)
In 1997 Brant Parker passed his duties on to his son, Jeff Parker, who had already been involved with creating Id for a decade. As of late 2002, the strip appears in some 1,000 newspapers all over the world, syndicated by Creators Syndicate
.
, having already created the successful B.C.
, began collaborating with his friend, then-unpublished cartoonist Brant Parker, on a new comic strip. (Parker would go on to create or co-create the strips Goosemyer, Crock and Out of Bounds
.) Having already drawn cartoons about the Stone Age
, Hart advanced through time to the Middle Ages
, taking an idea from a deck of playing cards. The Wizard of Id was first syndicated on November 9, 1964, drawn by Parker and co-written by Parker and Hart.
monarch
known only as "the King". The strip's humor occasionally satirizes modern American culture, and deliberate anachronism
s are rampant. Technology
changes to suit whatever a gag requires; a battle with spears and arrows might be followed by a peasant using an ATM.
In some strips the king is curiously elected to his monarchial position, (albeit through rigged ballots). The aspects that stay the same, however, are that Id is in the middle of nowhere, home to a large castle
surrounded by a moat
. The king and his subjects run an inept army perpetually at war with "the Huns
", while the unhappy, overtaxed peasants (or Idiots) make little money as farmers and stablehands to keep modest lifestyles.
to pure black
", according to Don Markstein's Toonopedia.
The drawing style of certain characters has changed from the early years of the strip to today. For example, the old style of the King's head was more rectangular, had a crown with identifiable card suits on it (club, diamond, heart), his mustache and beard always hid his mouth, and his beard frequently extended to a curved point when the King was shown in profile (see The Wondrous Wizard of Id, 1970, Fawcett Publications
). In the new style, the King's head is more trapezoidal with a slightly smaller and undecorated crown, he has a huge nose (even bigger than Rodney's) which covers his mouth and chin, and when he opens his mouth it appears that his beard has been shaved off.
There are many other generic incidental characters that Parker often included in The Wizard of Id. They are not individually identifiable, but they serve as the "straight men" and joke-tellers for each day's strip. In addition to assorted guards, peasants and executioners, they include the Huns, fortune tellers, dentists, bartenders, innkeepers, town criers, insurance salesmen, monks, rats, horses, dragons and frogs, to name a few.
and Don Sahlin
produced a test pilot for the Wizard of Id. By the time interest was expressed in the concept Henson was deeply involved in other projects and decided to not pursue it any further.
in 1971, 1976, 1980, 1982 and 1983. In 1984, Parker received a Reuben Award for his work on the strip. Dozens of paperback
collections have been published since 1965, and some titles are still in print as of 2010.
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....
created by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart
Johnny Hart
Johnny Hart was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society...
. Beginning in 1964, the strip follows the antics of a large cast of characters in a shabby medieval kingdom called "Id". From time to time, the king refers to his subjects as "Idiots". (The title is a play on The Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
, combined with the Freudian psychological term Id, which represents the instinctive and primal part of the human psyche.)
In 1997 Brant Parker passed his duties on to his son, Jeff Parker, who had already been involved with creating Id for a decade. As of late 2002, the strip appears in some 1,000 newspapers all over the world, syndicated by Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate is an independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns for daily newspapers. It was founded in 1987 by Richard S. Newcombe, and is based in Los Angeles. Creators was one of the first syndicates to allow its clients to maintain creative control of their material...
.
History
In the early 1960s, Johnny HartJohnny Hart
Johnny Hart was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society...
, having already created the successful B.C.
B.C. (comic strip)
B.C. is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Johnny Hart. Set in prehistoric times, it features a group of cavemen and anthropomorphic animals from various geologic eras...
, began collaborating with his friend, then-unpublished cartoonist Brant Parker, on a new comic strip. (Parker would go on to create or co-create the strips Goosemyer, Crock and Out of Bounds
Out of Bounds (comic strip)
Out of Bounds is the title of a comic strip by Don Wilder and Bill Rechin. It was first syndicated in 1986. Rechin received the National Cartoonist Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1992 for his work on the strip.-External links:**...
.) Having already drawn cartoons about the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, Hart advanced through time to the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, taking an idea from a deck of playing cards. The Wizard of Id was first syndicated on November 9, 1964, drawn by Parker and co-written by Parker and Hart.
Setting
The Wizard of Id deals with the goings-on of the rundown and oppressed mythical kingdom of Id. It follows people from all corners of the kingdom, but concentrates on the court of a tyrannical, dwarfishDwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
known only as "the King". The strip's humor occasionally satirizes modern American culture, and deliberate anachronism
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
s are rampant. Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
changes to suit whatever a gag requires; a battle with spears and arrows might be followed by a peasant using an ATM.
In some strips the king is curiously elected to his monarchial position, (albeit through rigged ballots). The aspects that stay the same, however, are that Id is in the middle of nowhere, home to a large castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
surrounded by a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. The king and his subjects run an inept army perpetually at war with "the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
", while the unhappy, overtaxed peasants (or Idiots) make little money as farmers and stablehands to keep modest lifestyles.
Format
The Wizard of Id follows a gag-a-day format, plus a color Sunday page. There are running gags relating to the main cast, to a variety of secondary, continuing characters, and to the kingdom itself. Occasionally it will run an extended sequence on a given theme over a week or two. For instance, in 1967 there was a six-week story with the Wizard taking over the throne.Style
"The strip's humor style—quite contemporary, in contrast to its medieval setting—ranges from broad and lowLow comedy
Low comedy is a type of comedy characterized by "horseplay", slapstick or farce. Examples include somebody throwing a custard pie in another's face. This definition has also expanded to include lewd types of comedy that rely on physical jokes, for example, the wedgie.- History :This type of comedy...
to pure black
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
", according to Don Markstein's Toonopedia.
The drawing style of certain characters has changed from the early years of the strip to today. For example, the old style of the King's head was more rectangular, had a crown with identifiable card suits on it (club, diamond, heart), his mustache and beard always hid his mouth, and his beard frequently extended to a curved point when the King was shown in profile (see The Wondrous Wizard of Id, 1970, Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett . At the age of 16, Fawcett ran away from home to join the Army, and the Spanish-American War took him to the Philippines. Back in Minnesota, he became a...
). In the new style, the King's head is more trapezoidal with a slightly smaller and undecorated crown, he has a huge nose (even bigger than Rodney's) which covers his mouth and chin, and when he opens his mouth it appears that his beard has been shaved off.
Cast of characters
Main characters
- The King: A pint-sized despot; like most characters in the strip, the king is named simply after his role. "Sire" to his subjects, he is the greediest, most evil man in the kingdom, and yet he maintains a sense of humor. Jokes are often centered on his height. From his throne room he hands out terrible, DraconianDraconianDraconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offences had heavy punishments .Draconian may also refer to:* Draconian , a Death/doom metal band from Sweden...
punishments for crimes, (executions being quite common). He is only ever looking to win votes, power and money. He has a thin skin and a short temper (especially about his height), and main characters often find themselves chained to the wall or the rackThe RackThe Rack is the first album by Asphyx. It was released in 1991 by Century Media Records.-Track listing:# "The Quest for Absurdity" – 1:21# "Vermin" – 4:02# "Diabolical Existence" – 3:55# "Evocation" – 5:31# "Wasteland of Terror" – 2:16...
if they thoughtlessly insult the king. He is hated by the peasants, who to his dismay often proclaim "The king is a fink!" However, he is occasionally shown to have a quirky softer side, and it is mentioned his only friends are the moat monsters. His "pets" are a dragon and a St. Bernard dog named Bonapart; he rides Bonapart in fox hunts. His father, who was king until his son overthrew him, is kept in a tower surrounded by "The King of Id" jack-in-the-boxJack-in-the-boxA jack-in-the-box is a children's toy that outwardly consists of a box with a crank. When the crank is turned, it plays a melody, often "Pop Goes the Weasel". At the end of the tune there is a "surprise", the lid pops open and a figure, usually a clown or jester, pops out of the box...
toys—the only gifts his son gives him. His mother works as a charwoman and routinely complains and scolds her son—the only person who ever does so.
- The Wizard: The king's royal wielder of magicMagic (paranormal)Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
, sometimes nicknamed "Wiz". He is smart but sarcastic, good-natured but cynical, and is constantly dominated by his wife, Blanche. He wears a traditional pointed wizards' cap festooned with stars and crescent moons, like MerlinMerlinMerlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
. From his basement he works over a vat, where his spirit familiarFamiliar spiritIn European folklore and folk-belief of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiar spirits were supernatural entities believed to assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic...
lives. He is capable of powerful spells, but often his plans backfire on him. His incantations usually sound a little like, "Frammin' at the jim-jam, frippin' in the krotz." He is friendly to all the king's subjects, but like most of them, he secretly considers the king to be a creep (or a fink).
- Sir Rodney the Chicken-Hearted: Usually just called "Rodney", he is the king's chief knightKnightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
and head of the hapless royal army. He is a tall, lanky man of dopey intelligence who wears green chainmailChainmailMail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh.-History:Mail was a highly successful type of armour and was used by nearly every metalworking culture....
and carries a spear. He is hopeless as a warrior, and his troops are just as incompetent. Rodney is at heart a coward; he is terrified of fighting and often pretends to be good at slaying dragons, while in fact he once bribed one, (known as "Dragy".) He has an enormous nose, the source of many jokes—and is always trying to win the King's attention. He occasionally works as a spySPYSPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
, wearing a tree costume with a large hole to accommodate his nose.
- Spook: A miserable, comically destitute prisoner who for many years has lived in the dungeonDungeonA dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
s beneath the castle. He is covered from head to toe with hair, sometimes being likened to a giant rat. His crime was one of a few mentioned things (when a visiting earl expressed an interest in meeting the only person to beat the king at croquet, he is introduced to the Spook. Or when he called the King a "two bit, four flushing, dirty, lowdown, indiscriminate clod" in an early strip), but most of the time it is accepted that the king sentenced Spook to a lifetime in the dungeon for calling him a fink. He is treated poorly by the system, but his best friend is the warder Turnkey, posted outside his cell. He lives beneath the level of the moat, eating swill. For a hobby, he attempts to escape frequently. He normally tunnels under the walls, only to have his plans ironically cut short. His favorite book is "History's Great Escapes" (coincidentally his own autobiography) (strip of 6/28/1967, also published in "Remember The Golden Rule"). It is mentioned that his full name is Wellington J. Fransworth Spookingdorf the Third in the strip of 8/20/1970, featured in Volume #10 of the series.
- Turnkey: The guard who runs the dungeons but spends all his time sitting outside the Spook's cell. In a way their lives are similar—he is stuck in the same place all day and he doesn't have an important place in the world. He sometimes expresses frustration about this to the Spook.
- Blanche: The Wizard's wife. It has been said (citation: following Blanche's request, "tell me you married me for my bod and not for my money", the Wizard puts on a lightning conductor hat, grounds it thoroughly, and swears, "may lightning strike me dead...it was not for your money (strip of 4/30/1976, also published in "My Kingdom For A Horsie!", Coronet edition 1985) the Wizard married Blanche for her money, for she is considered extremely ugly by everyone in the kingdom. Occasionally though, she looks to him for romance, which he is hesitant to offer. She also heads the Women's Liberation front in Id.
- Bung: The court jester, a chronic alcoholic who spends little time entertaining and most of his time in saloons or the royal wine cellar. He wears traditional jester's garb with bells on the bonnet, but he is rarely seen to perform. Frequently drunk, he once declared, "I've learned the secret to avoiding hangovers: Don't sober up!" (A "bung" is a cork in a barrel or bottle of an alcoholic beverage.) In cartoon tradition, his intoxicated state is portrayed by a prominent red nose surrounded by tiny, fizzing bubbles.
- Gwen: A beautiful but frustrated fair maiden who, as her blonde stereotype suggests, is quite clueless. She is adored by all but is in love only with Rodney. They sometimes date, but in his non-macho way he is usually too dense to return the romantic feelings she has for him. She often spends time commiserating with Blanch, or conversing with frogs who claim to be enchanted princes.
- Larsen E. Pettifogger: Attorney-at-law in the kingdom of Id. An unscrupulous, incompetent shyster with a big pretentious nose and stovepipe hat, he lies and cheats to protect criminals. While inept as a lawyer, he is greedy and selfish, and doesn't mind imbibing alcohol at his clients' expense. Although it is generally accepted that he has never won a case, there have been a few occasions when his clients have been acquitted by chance. For example, once upon exiting the court, he remarked to the defendant, "That was a close one. Once or twice there I thought the judge was going to wake up." He has been the Spook's lawyer on several occasions. His appearance and manner are patterned directly after W.C. Fields, one of whose film and radio characters was named "Larson E. Whipsnade". (The word "pettifogger" means a less-than-scrupulous attorney, and "Larsen E." is a pun on larcenyLarcenyLarceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
.)
- Evil Spirit: An apparitionGhostIn traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
who lives in the Wizard's vat and takes form as a smoky puff of gas. He keeps the Wizard company while at work, but he is more childish and gullible than evil. It is sometimes mentioned he has a "sewer wisp" for a girlfriend.
- The Doc: The royal physician, the subject of many doctor jokes. He plays golf, for instance, charges outrageous fees, and is indifferent to the health and welfare of his patients. His name was only revealed once (in a strip reprinted in Strike The Sot!)—Dr. Puckerstein.
- The Duke: A vain, toadying nobleman who helps the King run the castle and shares in the duties of the government. He wears an Elizabethan ruff collarRuff (clothing)A ruff is an item of clothing worn in Western Europe from the mid-sixteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century.The ruff, which was worn by men, women and children, evolved from the small fabric ruffle at the drawstring neck of the shirt or chemise...
and a pageboyPageboyThe pageboy is a hairstyle named after what was believed to be the haircut of an English page boy. It has straight hair hanging to below the ear, where it usually turns under. Often there is a fringe in the front. This style was popular in the 1950s and 1960s.-Design and style:The pageboy...
hairdo, is pompous and self-admiring, and he never likes to get his hands dirty. Like Rodney, he strives to impress the King at all times. He is often cited as the King's "P.R. manPublic relationsPublic relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
". His full title, according to a letter he once signed to a peasant requesting an autograph, is "The Duke of Marinello".
- Lackey: The king's personal servant. He never says much, but is loyal enough to stand by the throne and await the King's every order. He is therefore often overworked. However, Lackey has displayed occasional resentment about his position; in one strip, when he informs the king that a vendor has arrived selling slaves, the indignant King orders Lackey to tell the visitor that the King doesn't believe in slavery. After confirming that the king is serious about this proclamation ("You're darned right!"), Lackey leaves the room, remarking "Tell him yourself, shorty."
Supporting characters
In addition to the main cast, several recurring jokes have run throughout the life of the comic strip for which certain characters come back from time to time.- The Night Sentry: An unnamed tower guard who cries "Twelve o'clock and all's well", etc., but can't resist ad libbing sarcastic commentary—much to the annoyance of the King, who suffers from insomniaInsomniaInsomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
. - The Stablehands: Two unnamed peasants, invariably holding pitchforks and shovels, and unhappy in their work. Hart and Parker would cut to them whenever they had a "dung" joke. The peasants and their work are also used as an analogy for low-level paper pushing bureaucrats.
- Robbing Hood: A forest-dweller who, unlike the Robin HoodRobin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
character he parodies, "takes from the wretch and gives to the peer", (usually himself). - The Lone Haranguer: A phantom heckler who frequently rides past the King's window to shout "The King is a fink!" The King has suffered anxiety over the stranger, but he and Rodney have never succeeded in capturing or identifying him, their plans constantly backfiring on themselves. The name is a play on The Lone RangerThe Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
. (Actually, this character was caught eventually, and identified as an inebriated Bung, with two wine bottles dribbling under his arms.) - Troob: A local minstrelMinstrelA minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty...
and poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, (a "troubadour") who travels the kingdom writing songs and commentary on Id's ways of life. He sometimes entertains the King on his luteLuteLute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
, but his music is uninviting. He is one of the few people in Id to be streetwise enough to see the bigger picture of the state of the kingdom. His song describes the place well: "The land of Id, 'tis such delight, the land of milk and honey / No need to lock your doors at night, the King has all the money!" - Yodey: A stable boy whom Rodney is training to become a knight. He is a gigantic oaf, very strong but stupid and gullible. He looks up to Rodney to teach him, even though he is already more capable than Rodney is.
- Abra Cadaver: A FrankensteinFrankensteinFrankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
-like monster the Wizard built out of old body parts. He is deranged but obedient, and is twice the size of the Wizard. The name is a play on "abracadabraAbracadabraAbracadabra is an incantation used as a magic word in stage magic tricks, and historically was believed to have healing powers when inscribed on an amulet...
" and "cadaverCadaverA cadaver is a dead human body.Cadaver may also refer to:* Cadaver tomb, tomb featuring an effigy in the form of a decomposing body* Cadaver , a video game* cadaver A command-line WebDAV client for Unix....
". - Bernie the Torch: An accident-prone peasant so unlucky that when he came out of hospital after being run over by a steamroller, a gargoyleGargoyleIn architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
fell on him. He was once hit by a meteoriteMeteoriteA meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
during surgery, after getting run over by a horse. - Magic Mirror: A talking mirror that lives to insult whomever happens to be addressing it, (usually either the King or Blanche).
- Lance: Sir Rodney's stunt doubleStunt doubleA stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
, appeared 13 October 2009.
There are many other generic incidental characters that Parker often included in The Wizard of Id. They are not individually identifiable, but they serve as the "straight men" and joke-tellers for each day's strip. In addition to assorted guards, peasants and executioners, they include the Huns, fortune tellers, dentists, bartenders, innkeepers, town criers, insurance salesmen, monks, rats, horses, dragons and frogs, to name a few.
In other media
In 1969, Jim HensonJim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
and Don Sahlin
Don Sahlin
Don Sahlin was a Muppet design and builder who worked for Jim Henson from 1962 to 1977. His first creation for Jim Henson was Rowlf the Dog, which he built in 1962 for a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials. Don would go on to design and build most of the Muppet characters, including Bert and...
produced a test pilot for the Wizard of Id. By the time interest was expressed in the concept Henson was deeply involved in other projects and decided to not pursue it any further.
Awards
The Wizard of Id has enjoyed a successful life to date. It has been named best humor strip by the National Cartoonists SocietyNational 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...
in 1971, 1976, 1980, 1982 and 1983. In 1984, Parker received a Reuben Award for his work on the strip. Dozens of paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
collections have been published since 1965, and some titles are still in print as of 2010.
Fawcett Gold Medal
- The King Is a Fink! (1969)
- The Wondrous Wizard of Id (1970)
- The Peasants Are Revolting! (1971)
- Remember the Golden Rule! (1971)
- There's a Fly in My Swill! (1973)
- The Wizard's Back (1973)
- Yield (1974)
- Frammin' at the Jim-Jam, Frippin' in the Krotz! (1974)
- Long Live the King! (1975)
- We've Got to Stop Meeting Like This (1975)
- I'm Off to See the Wizard (1976)
- Every Man is Innocent Until Proven Broke (1976)
- Let There Be Reign (1977)
- Help Stamp Out Grapes (1978)
- Charge! (1978)
- Ala Ka-Zot! (1979)
- Well, This Is Another Fine How Do You Do (1982)
- The Lone Haranguer Rides Again! (1982)
- Abra Cadaver! (1983)
- My Kingdom for a Horsie! (1984)
- Suspended Sentence Indeed! (1984)
- The Fing Is a Kink! (1985)
- I Dig Freedom (1985)
- Pick a Card, Any Card (1986)
Andrews McMeel
- Strike the Sot!: A Wizard of Id Collection (1988) ISBN 0836218043
- My Vat Runneth Over!: A Wizard of Id Collection (1989) ISBN 0836218388
- Ta-Da!: A Wizard of Id Collection (1990) ISBN 0836218175
Other publishers
- The Best of The Wizard of Id: 40 Years of Mirth, Merriment and Mayhem (2009) Titan Books, ISBN 1848563639
- The Wizard of Id Dailies: 1971 Titan Books, ISBN 978-1848566835
International syndication
- The strip has been translated into FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
as Velho, meaning "wizard". A version in the KainuuKainuuKainuu is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Northern Ostrobothnia, North Karelia and Northern Savonia. In the east it also borders Russia. Kainuu is known in the ancient Norse sagas as Kvenland....
dialect called Näläkämoan noeta – Veleho kaenuuks was published in 2001. - In Denmark it is called Troldkarlen Kogle and has previously appeared in the comic magazine "Basserne"
- In Italy, The Wizard of Id is known as Mago Wiz (Wiz The Sorcerer) and has been published with great success in the comics magazines Il MagoIl Mago (magazine)Il Mago was an Italian comics magazine created by Mario Spagnol and published monthly by Mondadori from April 1972 to Dicember 1980. Issues published amounted to 105.-History:...
and LinusLinus (magazine)Linus is an Italian comics magazine. The first number was published in April 1965 by Milano Libri, a subsidiary of Rizzoli. It is currently published by Baldini & Castoldi in monthly issues....
, and in the science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
magazine UraniaUrania (magazine)Urania is an Italian science fiction magazine published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore since October 10, 1952.-History:The first issue featured the novel The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke...
, plus several hardcover editions also by Mondadori. - The German version is called Magnus der Magier (Magnus the Magician).
- In Sweden it is called Trollkarlen från id.
- In the Netherlands it is called De Tovenaar van Fop. (The Wizard of Fool, 'fool' in the sense of 'to trick'.)
- The strip is known in many Spanish-speaking countries as El Mago Fedor.
- In India it is published in English in the comics section of the English daily newspaper Deccan Chronicle.
- Treatment of the comic strip varies in individual countries, especially in monarchies. In Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, references to the king are deleted and replaced with "the boss".
External links
- John Hart Studios – official website for John Hart Studios
- The Wizard of Id – official site from Creators Syndicate
- NCS Awards
- Henson Wizard of Id test pilot