Ziggy
Encyclopedia
Ziggy is a cartoon
created by Tom Wilson
, a former American Greetings
executive.
Ziggy is a small, bald, trouserless, barefoot, almost featureless character (save for his large nose) who seems to have no friends, hobbies, or romantic partner, just a menagerie of pets: Fuzz, a small white dog; Sid, a cat afraid of mice; Josh, a discouraging parrot; Goldie, a fish; and Wack, a duck. The appeal of the cast is juxtaposed with the endless stream of misfortunes which befall Ziggy. The character is frequently depicted in surreal
or arbitrary situations, though many jokes mine typical comic strip
pop culture territory, such as computers and the perils of modern life. Other pop cultural references can be found in the archives.
Ziggy first appeared in the 1969 collection When You're Not Around, published by American Greetings. The newspaper strip began in June 1971. In 1987 the strip was taken over by Tom Wilson II.
The animated 1982 Christmas television special Ziggy's Gift
, which contained the Harry Nilsson
song "Give, Love, Joy", won an Emmy Award
.
There are annual calendars produced as well as various books and promotional items.
Tom Wilson has acknowledged that one in five Ziggy cartoons makes direct reference to the mathematical concept of the Axiom of choice. In his 2009 autobiography, Wilson stated that this recurrent theme is "my own unique way of expressing my love for mathematical analysis. Cartooning has been a career for me, but math was always my passion."
" of the sitcom Seinfeld
centers on the character Elaine Benes
publishing a cartoon that she unwittingly plagiarized from Ziggy.When Elaine's plagiarized cartoon was published in The New Yorker
, the actual Ziggy retorted with the pig at the complaint desk again, saying "The New Yorker is stealing my ideas."
In one episode of the sitcom Cheers
, the character Woody Boyd
breaks into a fit of hysterical laughter after reading a Ziggy comic strip. Bar manager Rebecca Howe
then asks who let him read it, as it is apparently his typical reaction to the strip. In the episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One" of the cartoon Family Guy
, it is revealed that Brian
has a tattoo of Ziggy. In the "Brush with Greatness
" episode of The Simpsons
, Waylon Smithers
is shown reading aloud a typical Ziggy comic panel to Mr. Burns.
Ziggy's lack of pants stoked the fire of Rat from the comic strip, Pearls Before Swine
. In 2009, from December 12th through 16th, Rat held protests demanding Ziggy put on pants. On December 17 the issue was addressed in Ziggy's strip and on the 18th, Ziggy's pants were found at a dry cleaners and he has been seen wearing them intermittently since. This was a planned joke between Tom Wilson and Pearls artist Stephan Pastis
, but due to a mixup the planned strips did not run in the order they were supposed to.
On HBO's television program Mr. Show
, the longevity of Ziggy was explained by its creator's on-going battle with the fictional disease Imminent Death Syndrome.
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
created by Tom Wilson
Tom Wilson (cartoonist)
Thomas Albert Wilson , better known as Tom Wilson, was an American cartoonist. Wilson was the creator of the comic strip Ziggy, which he drew from 1971 to 1987. The strip was then continued by his son, Tom Wilson, Jr.Wilson served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955. He attended the Art Institute...
, a former American Greetings
American Greetings
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products , and electronic expressive content...
executive.
Ziggy is a small, bald, trouserless, barefoot, almost featureless character (save for his large nose) who seems to have no friends, hobbies, or romantic partner, just a menagerie of pets: Fuzz, a small white dog; Sid, a cat afraid of mice; Josh, a discouraging parrot; Goldie, a fish; and Wack, a duck. The appeal of the cast is juxtaposed with the endless stream of misfortunes which befall Ziggy. The character is frequently depicted in surreal
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
or arbitrary situations, though many jokes mine typical comic strip
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....
pop culture territory, such as computers and the perils of modern life. Other pop cultural references can be found in the archives.
Ziggy first appeared in the 1969 collection When You're Not Around, published by American Greetings. The newspaper strip began in June 1971. In 1987 the strip was taken over by Tom Wilson II.
The animated 1982 Christmas television special Ziggy's Gift
Ziggy's Gift
Ziggy's Gift is a 1982 American animated TV special short film directed by Richard Williams, based on the comic strip Ziggy. It was written by Ziggy's creator Tom Wilson and Animators included Eric Goldberg and Tom Sito with music by Harry Nilsson...
, which contained the Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
song "Give, Love, Joy", won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
.
There are annual calendars produced as well as various books and promotional items.
Tom Wilson has acknowledged that one in five Ziggy cartoons makes direct reference to the mathematical concept of the Axiom of choice. In his 2009 autobiography, Wilson stated that this recurrent theme is "my own unique way of expressing my love for mathematical analysis. Cartooning has been a career for me, but math was always my passion."
In popular culture
The episode "The CartoonThe Cartoon
"The Cartoon" is the 169th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 13th episode for the 9th and final season. It aired on January 29, 1998....
" of the sitcom Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
centers on the character Elaine Benes
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
publishing a cartoon that she unwittingly plagiarized from Ziggy.When Elaine's plagiarized cartoon was published in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, the actual Ziggy retorted with the pig at the complaint desk again, saying "The New Yorker is stealing my ideas."
In one episode of the sitcom Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, the character Woody Boyd
Woody Boyd
Huckleberry Tiberius "Woody" Boyd is a lovable, albeit extremely naive and unsophisticated, character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Woody Harrelson. Woody came to Cheers at the beginning of the fourth season of Cheers in 1985....
breaks into a fit of hysterical laughter after reading a Ziggy comic strip. Bar manager Rebecca Howe
Rebecca Howe
Rebecca Howe-Santry is a fictional character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Kirstie Alley. She is introduced after Shelley Long, who played overeducated barmaid Diane Chambers, left to pursue a movie career...
then asks who let him read it, as it is apparently his typical reaction to the strip. In the episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One" of the cartoon Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, it is revealed that Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
has a tattoo of Ziggy. In the "Brush with Greatness
Brush with Greatness
"Brush with Greatness" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 11, 1991. In the episode, Marge revives her high school-era interest in painting by enrolling in an art class after getting encouraged by Lisa...
" episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The 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...
, Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
is shown reading aloud a typical Ziggy comic panel to Mr. Burns.
Ziggy's lack of pants stoked the fire of Rat from the comic strip, Pearls Before Swine
Pearls 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...
. In 2009, from December 12th through 16th, Rat held protests demanding Ziggy put on pants. On December 17 the issue was addressed in Ziggy's strip and on the 18th, Ziggy's pants were found at a dry cleaners and he has been seen wearing them intermittently since. This was a planned joke between Tom Wilson and Pearls artist Stephan Pastis
Stephan Pastis
Stephan Thomas Pastis is an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine.-Background:...
, but due to a mixup the planned strips did not run in the order they were supposed to.
On HBO's television program Mr. Show
Mr. Show
Mr. Show with Bob and David is an American sketch comedy series featuring former Saturday Night Live writer/actor Bob Odenkirk and stand up comedian/actor David Cross...
, the longevity of Ziggy was explained by its creator's on-going battle with the fictional disease Imminent Death Syndrome.