Norbert

ComicStripFan.Com

Norbert, by George Fett

Strip run: 1973 - 1983

This strip began its syndicated life as Sniffy on June 29, 1964. The creator, former engineer and sportsman George Fett, based the all-animal cast on the pets that he owned. It began as a gang of neighborhood dogs, including Sniffy (named after Fett's pet beagle), Sniffy's nephew Caesar, his pal Charley, and love interest Queenie. Also in the cast were Clyde the cat, Big John the mouse, and an "Ooh" bird, named after the cries he made during landing. Through the years, the cast continued to grow with numerous animals, birds, insects, and even flowers.

On January 3, 1966, an orphan pup was left on Sniffy's doorstep. He was named Little No-No, who replaced Caesar on the cast and became the focus of attention, with the strip changing its name to Little No-No and Sniffy in 1970. At the same time, Sniffy started to fade out of the picture, which allowed a father-son type relationship to develop between Uncle Charley and No-No. No-No eventually was being called Norbert by 1973, and the strip was renamed Norbert accordingly. Eventually, humans were introduced into the strip, with a boy named Sydney and his friend Cynthia added to finalize the cast.

The strip was released solely as a daily by both Bell-McClure and later by United Feature Syndicate in 1972. The strip achieved greater success overseas than in the US, as Norbert became especially popular in Australia and Japan. George Fett's final strip appeared on January 2, 1982, and Dick Cavalli of Winthrop fame took over. The last daily for Norbert appeared on September 26, 1983. George Fett passed away on November 6, 1989, after a brief illness. He was 69 years old.

For a wonderful biography on George Fett written by his niece, Ms. Victoria Bell, click here.

Check out some great examples of the strip below!

Example of Norbert daily by George Fett, August 7, 1975. Copyright United Feature Syndicate, Inc. Paper size: 18" x 5". Fett re-signed the strip with an ink pen in the lower right corner of the art, dated January 25, 1981.

Example of Norbert daily by George Fett, November 17, 1975. Copyright United Feature Syndicate, Inc. Fett re-signed the strip with an ink pen in the lower right corner of the art, dated January 25, 1981.

Also, be sure to visit the Sniffy gallery page as well, for another great example by George Fett.