| Beetle Bailey | |
|---|---|
 ' | |
|
Real Name |
Carl James Bailey |
|
First Appearance |
Beetle Bailey (September 4, 1950) |
|
Original Publisher |
King Features Syndicate |
|
Created by |
Mort Walker |
Origin[]
Beetle Bailey is a feckless, shirking, perpetual goof-off and straggler known for his chronic laziness and generally insubordinate attitude. Slack, hapless, lanky and freckled, Beetle's eyes are always concealed, whether by headgear or, in the rare instance of not wearing any (e.g., in the shower), by his hair.
Beetle was originally a college student at Rockview University, as of September 4, 1950. Although he was as lazy in college as he would be in the service, he did have a broken down jalopy and was the star of the track team (apparently on a scholarship). He had four friends: Bitter Bill; Diamond Jim; Freshman and Sweatsock. He also smoked a pipe. The characters in that early strip were modeled after Walker's Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers at the University of Missouri. On March 13, 1951, during the strip's first year, Beetle quit school and enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he has remained ever since. His reason for enlisting was because he was running away after being nearly trapped by both his angry jealous first girlfriend "Buzz" and a second girl who was chasing him.
Public Domain Comic Strip Appearances[]
- Beetle Bailey (September 4, 1950)
- Select comic strips from 1950-1963 (see Copyright Records)
Notes[]
- The First Beetle Bailey strips from September 4, 1950 have not been renewed in 1977 or 1978.
- King Features Syndicate owns the trademark for the name Beetle Bailey, so his name can only appear in the interior of any story.