Mutts

Last updated

Mutts
Author(s) Patrick McDonnell
Website www.mutts.com
Current status/scheduleRunning
Launch dateSeptember 5, 1994;27 years ago (September 5, 1994)
Syndicate(s) King Features Syndicate
Publisher(s) Andrews McMeel Publishing
Genre(s)Humor

MUTTS is a daily comic strip created by Patrick McDonnell and launched on September 5, 1994. [1] Distributed by King Features Syndicate, it follows the adventures of Earl, a dog, and Mooch, a cat. Earl and Mooch interact with each other, their human owners, as well as the animals around their neighborhood.

Contents

MUTTS has received numerous awards internationally, both for comic strip excellence and for its themes of animal protection. Peanuts creator Charles Schulz praised MUTTS, calling it "one of the best comic strips of all time." [2]

Characters and Story

Earl and Mooch Mutts (Earl and Mooch).png
Earl and Mooch

The friendship of Mooch and Earl focuses on the differences between cats and dogs as human companions and as friends with each other: Earl is friendly, loves the company of his human companion, and likes to play outside; Mooch is often indifferent to his human companions, except when being fed, and prefers to stay inside or is often seen with Earl, his best friend. Both animals frequently express themselves through thought balloons when their owners are present.

Earl

Earl is an innocent black and white Jack Russell terrier who lives with his human companion Ozzie, a bachelor. They love spending time together and taking frequent walks. Earl often howls in loneliness when Ozzie is away from home. Earl spends much of his free time with Mooch, either inside or wandering around town visiting other animals. He loves to eat both human food and his own dog food. It is revealed in a 2011 Valentine's Day strip that Earl was adopted by Ozzie from a shelter. [3] Earl was inspired by Patrick McDonnell's late Jack Russell terrier, also named Earl, who lived with Patrick and his wife for more than 18 years. [4]

Mooch

Mooch is a curious tuxedo cat with a large nose who lives next door to Earl with his human companions Millie (who often calls him "Moochie," "Moo Moo Cakes," or "Shmoochums," and he calls her "Shmillie") and Frank, a goldfish named Sid, and a snail named Little Earl. Mooch can be reclusive, sometimes preferring to stay inside and nap, or play with his Little Pink Sock, [5] rather than go outside with Earl. He has a speech impediment that causes him to insert an sh into words, such as yesh (yes), shmilk (milk) and shmousie (mousie). He frequently snubs (or shnubs) his cat food, much to Millie's chagrin, dislikes car rides, and, like Earl, he eats human food at every opportunity.

Appearances in Other Comics

In 2005, Earl and Mooch appeared as guests in Blondie and Dagwood's 75th anniversary in the comic strip Blondie. In 2004, Pearls Before Swine crossed over with MUTTS. [6] In that strip, Rat goes to Comics Re-education Camp, where Earl and Mooch try to teach Rat to be a Lovable comic strip character. In another strip, Frank and Mooch are hanging out with many old comic strip characters, including but not limited to: Dick Tracy , Peanuts , and Little Nemo .

Other Characters

Humans

Animals

Recurring Storylines

From time to time there are special sets of daily comic strips. Some, such as Shelter Stories (which focus on animals in shelters), [8] serve to remind readers about one of the key beliefs that MUTTS holds dear: compassion for all animals. Others, such as Animal Idol (a parody of American Idol ), are an homage to various pop culture references. One set of strips was a nod to The Big Lebowski , featuring Mooch as the Dude, with different characters quoting lines from other characters from the film.

Other storylines are set around the time of year. Each summer, Earl, Mooch, and their families visit the Jersey Shore, where they are joined by Crabby, Mussels Marinara, and McGarry. Mooch often finds himself hosting the MUTTS Book Club in the fall, where he sits on a rock and reads books to Chippy and Monk. In the winter, Mooch and Earl often try to hibernate for the season. Around holidays such as Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas and during the change from one season to the next, the characters are often featured alongside a famous and poignant quote. On Groundhog Day, Lamont talks to Earl and Mooch about seeing his shadow or not. And during Farm Animal Awareness Week, Earl and Mooch often visit a farm animal sanctuary.

Additionally, there are recurring storylines that are not timebound. For instance, from time to time, Mooch drapes a towel over his head and delivers oracles or answers to the chipmunks' questions as The Shphinx. In other strips, Mooch dons a wizard's hat and performs magic, often including seeing the future or time traveling. Squirrels Bip and Bop embark on their campaign of bonking ground-dwellers' heads with nuts. Mooch can be found playing with his beloved Little Pink Sock. Every so often, the characters will encounter lifelike drawings of animals, often when they travel in their dreams to distant locations. Occasionally, Mooch can be seen driving Doozy's electric car.

Animal Welfare and Animal Rights

Patrick McDonnell, the creator of Mutts Patrick McDonnell.JPG
Patrick McDonnell, the creator of Mutts

On occasion, McDonnell devotes the strip for a week or more to animal welfare issues, especially the adoption of pets from animal shelters. Themes include Farm Animal Awareness Week and Shelter Stories, where pet adoption as well as pet shelter life is the key focus. [9] In the sixth episode of Shelter Me, a PBS series presented by the Petco Foundations, McDonnell visited Animal Care Centers of NYC to inspire a series of Shelter Stories to share with MUTTS readers. [10] McDonnell has also produced several short animated public service announcements advocating animal adoption from shelters. [11] One week included a reference to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. [12]

McDonnell also created artwork for the second generation New Jersey Animal Friendly specialty license plate, first issued in 2001. A portion of the revenue from the plates goes to the New Jersey Department of Health's Animal Population Control Program. [13]

Additionally, McDonnell speaks out (usually using character Shtinky Puddin') about numerous animal rights causes, including seal clubbing, whale hunting, and the cause closest to Shtinky's hearts, saving the tigers. Additionally, McDonnell occasionally features Guard Dog, a tough-looking but tender-hearted dog who is chained in his yard. Supported by many animal welfare groups, Guard Dog serves as a symbol for all chained dogs, to remind people that no dog should have to live that way. However, McDonnell has promised his readers that one day Guard Dog will be freed from his chains in the comic strip, though he already runs free in McDonnell's sketchbooks. [14]

Many strips over the years have been devoted to Dr. Jane Goodall and her numerous contributions to animal conservancy throughout her lifetime. Some feature quotes from Dr. Goodall, while others feature Shtinky and other MUTTS characters on their quest to meet, observe, and learn from Dr. Goodall.

Sunday Title Panels

Sunday strips are in color and their title panels are sometimes a tribute to a famous comic strip, a work of art, or another subject, including Flash #1, Dalí's The Persistence of Memory, Elvis Presley, Trout Mask Replica, and Magritte's Golconda . [15]

Setting

MUTTS is set in New Jersey, where McDonnell grew up and still resides. [16] The characters go down to the Jersey Shore each summer for vacation.

MUTTS books

Annual collections

Black-and-white reproductions of full year's strips (until 2005).

  1. MUTTS (July 1996) ISBN   978-0-8362-1025-5
  2. Cats & Dogs (October 1997) ISBN   978-0-8362-3732-0
  3. More Shtuff (September 1998) ISBN   978-0-8362-6823-2
  4. Yesh! (April 1999) ISBN   978-0-8362-8286-3
  5. OurMUTTS (August 2000) ISBN   978-0-7407-0456-7
  6. A Little Look-See (April 2001) ISBN   978-0-7407-1394-1
  7. What Now (September 2002) ISBN   978-0-7407-2321-6
  8. I Want to Be the Kitty! (April 2003) ISBN   978-0-7407-6197-3
  9. Dog-Eared (September 2004) ISBN   978-0-7407-4740-3
  10. Who Let the Cat Out? (April 2005) ISBN   978-0-7407-5006-9

Sundays collections

Large-format color reproductions of Sunday strips (until 2005).

  1. MUTTS Sundays (September 1999) ISBN   978-0-7407-0010-1
  2. Sunday Mornings (August 2001) ISBN   978-0-7407-1853-3
  3. Sunday Afternoons (April 2004) ISBN   978-0-7407-4141-8
  4. Sunday Evenings (September 2005) ISBN   978-0-7407-5535-4

Treasury collections

Large-format, dailies in black-and-white, Sunday in color (after 2005).

  1. Everyday MUTTS: A Comic Strip Treasury (2006) ISBN   978-0-7407-6197-3
  2. Animal Friendly: A MUTTS Treasury (2007) ISBN   978-0-7407-6556-8
  3. Call of the Wild: A MUTTS Treasury (2008) ISBN   978-0-7407-7099-9
  4. Stop and Smell the Roses (2009) ISBN   978-0-7407-8146-9
  5. Earl and Mooch (2010) ISBN   978-0-7407-9768-2
  6. Our Little Kat King (2011) ISBN   978-1-4494-0800-8
  7. BONK!: A MUTTS Treasury (2012) ISBN   978-1-4494-2308-7
  8. Cat Crazy: A MUTTS Treasury (2013) ISBN   978-1-4494-3725-1
  9. Living the Dream: A MUTTS Treasury (2014) ISBN   978-1-4494-5869-0
  10. Playtime: A MUTTS Treasury (2015) ISBN   978-1-4494-6302-1
  11. Year of Yesh: A MUTTS Treasury (2016) ISBN   978-1-4494-8010-3
  12. #LoveMutts: A MUTTS Treasury (2017) ISBN   978-1-4494-8513-9
  13. You Have Those Wild Eyes Again, Mooch: A New MUTTS Treasury (2018) ISBN   978-1-4494-9524-4
  14. Hot Dogs, Hot Cats: A New MUTTS Treasury (2020) ISBN   978-1-5248-5228-3
  15. MUTTS Moments (2021) ISBN   978-1524869786

Miscellaneous

  1. MUTTS Little Big Book (1998) ISBN   978-0-8362-6980-2
  2. MUTTS: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell (2003) ISBN   978-0-8109-4616-3 (retrospective)
  3. The Gift of Nothing (2005) ISBN   978-0-316-11488-2
  4. MUTTS: Just Like Heaven (2005) ISBN   978-0-316-11493-6
  5. Hug Time (2007) ISBN   978-0-316-11494-3
  6. The Best of MUTTS (2007) ISBN   978-0-7407-6844-6
  7. Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed. (2008) ISBN   978-1449483203
  8. South (2008) ISBN   978-0316005098
  9. A Shtinky Little Christmas ISBN   978-1449423070
  10. Wag! (2009) ISBN   978-0316045483
  11. Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle, illustrated by Patrick McDonnell (2009) ISBN   978-1608681198
  12. The MUTTS Diaries (2014) ISBN   978-1449458706
  13. The MUTTS Winter Diaries (2015) ISBN   978-1449470777
  14. The MUTTS Autumn Diaries (2016) ISBN   978-1449480110
  15. The Little Gift of Nothing (2016) ISBN   978-0316394734
  16. Darling, I Love You: Poems from the Hearts of Our Glorious Mutts and All Our Animal Friends by Daniel Ladinsky, illustrated by Patrick McDonnell (2017) ISBN   978-0143128267
  17. The MUTTS Spring Diaries (2018) ISBN   978-1449485146
  18. The MUTTS Summer Diaries (2019) ISBN   978-1449470777
  19. The Art of Nothing: 25 Years of MUTTS and the Art of Patrick McDonnell (2019) ISBN   978-1419736766
  20. MUTTS Go Green (2021) ISBN   978-1524866945

MUTTS in other languages

The Gift of Nothing

Patrick McDonnell's beloved picture book, The Gift of Nothing, features MUTTS characters Mooch, the cat, as he seeks the perfect gift for his dear friend Earl, the dog. Released in October 2005, the book quickly became a New York Times bestseller. [17] In 2014, it was adapted as a musical for the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., where it won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Play or Musical Adaptation. [18] Then in 2016, it was adapted into a board book called The Little Gift of Nothing. The book also inspired The Gift of Nothing Day, a holiday that was first celebrated in December 2017 and is recognized yearly, around the world, on or around December 15. On Gift of Nothing Day, participants are encouraged to gift someone the experience of spending quality time together and sharing love with one another. [19]

Guardians of Being: Spiritual Teachings from Our Dogs and Cats

In 2009, the book Guardians of Being: Spiritual Teachings From Our Dogs and Cats was released, written by Eckhart Tolle and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell. The book features images of MUTTS characters joined with quotes and insights from Eckhart Tolle. The book aims to teach readers to find inner peace by living in the now, just as our companion animals do, to transform our consciousness and arise as more enlightened versions of ourselves. It highlights that while we humans our lost in our thoughts and the busy nature of everyday life, our pets become the key to the present moment — our guardians of being. [20]

Darling, I Love You: Poems from the Hearts of Our Glorious Mutts and All Our Animal Friends

The book Darling, I Love You: Poems from the Hearts of Our Glorious Mutts and All Our Animal Friends is a collection of poetry from Daniel Ladinsky paired with illustrations from Patrick McDonnell. This book, released in 2017 honors the special bond between animals and their human companions. McDonnell happened upon Ladinsky's work in a bookstore and was inspired to illustrate a selection of poems. McDonnell sent some examples to Ladinsky and the pair decided to collaborate on the book, in which Ladinsky wrote new poems based on the MUTTS characters in addition to his other works. [21]

Cancelled film

In July 2011, it was reported that 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios [22] were developing a feature-length animated film based on the MUTTS comic. Patrick McDonnell and his brother Robert McDonnell were hired to write the script, while Patrick would also executive produce. [23] In late 2014, Patrick delivered the final draft of the film script, which was then, according to him, on a drawing board. [24] [25] Blue Sky was closed in April 2021, ending development on the film. [26]

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References

  1. ↑ Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 282. ISBN   9780472117567.
  2. ↑ "About Patrick McDonnell". MUTTS.com. March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  3. ↑ "February 14 2011, Daily Comic Strip". MUTTS. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Our Story: All About the MUTTS Comic Strip". MUTTS. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  5. ↑ "The MUTTS Comic Strip Archive: Little Pink Sock". MUTTS. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  6. ↑ Pastis, Stephan. "Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis, April 26, 2004 Via @GoComics". GoComics.com. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ "A Note From Patrick: June 2020". MUTTS. June 12, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  8. ↑ "MUTTS Shelter Stories". MUTTS. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  9. ↑ "MUTTS Shelter Stories". MUTTS. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Hearts & Paws". ShelterMe.tv. May 19, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Reigning Cat and Dog: An Interview with MUTTS Creator Patrick McDonnell". Cartoonician.com. January 20, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Sea Shepherd Featured in MUTTS Comic Strip". Seashepherd.org. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  13. ↑ "State of New Jersey Animal Friendly License Plate" . Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  14. ↑ "On Guard Dog". MUTTS. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Title Panel Tribute Coloring Pages" . Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  16. ↑ "His Name is Earl". New Jersey Monthly. February 6, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  17. ↑ "CHILDRENS'S BEST SELLERS: January 15, 2006". The New York Times. January 15, 2006. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  18. ↑ Cavna, Michael (April 7, 2015). "'Mutts': Patrick McDonnell 'Grateful' for 'Gift of Nothing's New Helen Hayes Award". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  19. ↑ "The Gift of Nothing". MUTTS. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Guardians of Being: A Collaboration Between Patrick & Eckhart Tolle". MUTTS. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Darling, I Love You: Poems for Animal Lovers". MUTTS. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  22. ↑ "'MUTTS' Comic Strip Headed to Big Screen from 20th Century Fox (Exclusive)". Facebook. July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  23. ↑ Kit, Borys (July 22, 2011). "'Mutts' Comic Strip Headed to Big Screen From 20th Century Fox (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  24. ↑ Cavna, Michael (November 22, 2014). "Mutts ADO ABOUT 'NOTHING': Patrick McDonnell gives the gift of warmth in wonderful 'Mutts' musical's Kennedy Center world premiere". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 2, 2015. Just a month earlier, McDonnell says, he handed in a final draft of a film script to Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios – the same companies that are teaming for the "Peanuts" movie due out next November. "Mutts," as a film, is literally on the drawing board. "As a matter of fact, I’m going [to Connecticut] Tuesday to Blue Sky to look at some art … ," McDonnell says.
  25. ↑ Fiamma, Andrea (September 5, 2014). "20 anni di Mutts. Intervista a Patrick McDonnell". Fumettologica.it (in Italian). Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  26. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 9, 2021). "Disney Closing Blue Sky Studios, Fox's Once-Dominant Animation House Behind 'Ice Age' Franchise". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
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