| Ally Sloper | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Alexander Sloper |
|
First Appearance |
Judy (August 1867) |
|
Original Publisher |
Gilbert Dalziel |
|
Created by |
Charles Henry Ross |
Origin[]
Alexander "Ally" Sloper was an opportunistic businessman with an unerring talent for always backing the wrong horse. He and his sometime business partner Isaac Moses ("Ikey Mo"), a likeminded working-class ne'er-do-well, were generally either on the wrong side of the law or perilously close to it, though Sloper considered himself to be a "Friend of Man".
Originally portrayed as a rather unlikeable character, Sloper mellowed over time and became more openly comedic. Ally is married to Mrs. Sloper and has a family of two, a son, The Boy Sloper, and his daughter Tootsie Sloper. Their friends include the Hon. Billy, Lord Bobs, Dook Snook, Uncle Boffin, Aunt Geeser, Lardi Longsox and Nellie Hickiks.
Amongst other ventures, Sloper opened a marriage bureau, the only potential client of which was his own wife, and invented instant photography which did not give the sitter time to sit.
Notes[]
Ally Sloper's Half Holiday (1884).
- Ally Sloper appeared in Judy magazine for years, and also later in his own title, Ally Sloper's Half Holiday. He debuted in Britain almost thirty years before the Yellow Kid first appeared in America, and is a strong contender for being the first continuing comic strip character.
- The Ally Sloper Awards was an annual awards ceremony recognising veteran British comic creators, initiated by the comics historian Denis Gifford in 1976.