| The Katzenjammer Kids | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Hans Katzenjammer |
|
First Appearance |
The Katzenjammer Kids (December 12, 1897) |
|
Original Publisher |
King Features Syndicate |
|
Created by |
Rudolph Dirks |
Origin[]
Hans and Fritz Katzenjammer are twin boys who rebel against authority, whether it be their parents, Mama and Papa Katzenjammer, their sailor uncle Heinie, his boss Der Captain, and the long-bearded school official der Inspector. Papa was eventually dropped from the strip without explanation, with der Captain taking over his function as a surrogate father.
Hans and Fritz frequently miss school and make the lives of the Captain and Inspector difficult by creating elaborate schemes and contraptions from ordinary objects found on their tropical island home. They seem impervious to pain or damage but often have to drop their hijinks to deal with pirates, hostile natives, and even an invasion from outer space on occasion.
Hans is brunette while Fritz is blond. The immediate Katzenjammer family typically spoke stereotypical German-accented English. During World Wars I and II, when the United States was at war with Germany, the Katzenjammer family were temporarily presented as Dutch.
Public Domain Appearances[]
Public Domain Comic Strip Appearances[]
- The Katzenjammer Kids (1897-1949)
- The Captain and the Kids (1914-1940)
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- All the Funny Folks (1926)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- The Katzenjammer Kids in School (1898)
- The Katzenjammer Kids in Love (1900)
- Policy and Pie (1918)
- The Heathen Benefit (1918)
Public Domain Comic Book Appearances[]
- Okay Comics #1
- Comics on Parade #4-56
- Sparkler Comics #1-120
- Tip Top Comics #6-187
- Four Color #881
- Captain and the Kids #16-32
- The Captain and the Kids Special
- The Captain and the Kids 50th Anniversary Edition
Notes[]
- Hans and Fritz were heavily inspired by the German children's book Max and Moritz: A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks, published in 1860.