| Blizzard | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real name |
Blizzard |
|
First appearance |
The Thimble Theatre Comic Strip (September 12, 1923) |
|
Original publisher |
King Features Syndicate |
|
Created by |
E. C. Segar |
Origin[]
Blizzard, a fighting cockerel owned by Castor Oyl, is a Thimble Theatre character created by E. C. Segar. Initially sent to Castor from South America by Ben Zene Oyl .
Blizzard debuted on-panel on September 12, 1923 (a day following his arrival at the Oyl household) and rapidly became a regular character over the following weeks. Despite his ostensibly scrawny appearance and laconic, wall-eyed demeanor (often accompanied by his signature onomatopeia, "wockle"), Blizzard is depicted as an immensely powerful fighter, capable of easily defeating (or, in several cases, devouring whole) significantly larger and more muscular opponents, inclusive of the monstrous rooster "Pedro" and an ostrich backed by Ham Gravy. His dynamic with Castor, constituting that of a (apparently, in Blizzard's case) physically unremarkable sporting animal and their ambitious, short-statured owner, satirically mirrors that of Barney Google and Spark Plug of the strip of the same name, then an extremely popular contemporary to Thimble Theatre.
While Blizzard dominated much of the strip from his introduction to the end of 1924, he notably vanished shortly following the end of the Alaska storyline early in January 1925. Following years of absence (and corresponding fan demand), Blizzard re-appeared on March 22, 1928 (following a cliffhanger the previous day), now aged and potbellied, and briefly resumed his position as a regular (in a similar narrative role to his previous appearances). Upon re-obtaining his title as a champion fighting cockerel, however, Blizzard is revealed to be the father of a brood under a local farmer, thus prompting Castor to part ways with him for the final time on May 31, 1928, a mere eight months before the introduction of Popeye.
Public Domain Comic Strip Appearances[]
- Thimble Theater (September 12 1923– January 1925; March 22, 1928-May 31, 1928)