History ComicStrip / BabyBlues

[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/51kav5zrtdl_sx258_bo1204203200.jpg]][[caption-width-right:260:Indeed it will...]]A mainstream comic about parenting, created by artist Rick Kirkman and writer Jerry Scott. Features the typical "nuclear family" set-up, but treats it with a much more realistic tone than most. Usually gag-a-day type four-panel strip with a few running jokes. Jerry Scott is also the co-creator of ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'' with artist Jim Borgman.

* InelegantBlubbering: Of course happens with the kids (especially when Zoe and Hammie were infants) but the parents aren't immue to this either, one commic has Wanda blowing out a bunch of candles on a birthday cake of her's and right after she's done, she burst into a massive baby bawl (she doesn't like the thought of getting old) which leads Darryl to say "Maybe we should just have [[{{Main/Manchild}} one candle]] instead next year".

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Some background characters have shiny, dark blue hair.

* InvisibleToAdults: Played backwards and forwards in this series. Instead of the kids, it's the [=MacPhersons=] that can see things that the other adults can't see, since it is told by the family's perspective. Since it's ONLY the [=MacPhersons=] who can see their children (except Wren) as animals or creatures, the adults (sometimes children) rarely see Zoe (mostly) or Hammie in unusual form. An example is this comic: [[http://babyblues.com/comics/june-29-1997/]]

* BurpingContest: Wren and Hammie did this once in a comic [[http://babyblues.com/comics/march-23-2018/]]. Wren rips a big one and wins.

*** Their strip for the March For Our Lives protests doesn’t verbalize it, but you see it in Wanda’s and Darryl’s eyes. [[http://comicskingdom.com/shared_comics/7fca7a1e-e036-43eb-9673-24f18924bf6d/]]

** [[BlackBestFriend Keesha]] is a good example. Yolanda gave birth to her when Zoe was one year old (they had a past strip that refers to Zoe as "a one year old"), so Keesha would be a year younger than Zoe throughout the strip, right? Nope! When Zoe was about three, they stopped mentioning Keesha being younger, and when Zoe was about seven years old, Keesha was no longer shorter than Zoe. Over time, they made it easy to forget Keesha is a year younger, and even hint in present strips that Keesha is in Zoe's class.

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Zoe once declares herself [[http://http://babyblues.com/comics/march-13-1998/ Princess High N' Mighty Big Shot Told-You-So Boss of the World]].

** Zoe goes missing in a department store when Wanda looks away for one second. Thankfully she's found but Wanda (and later Darryl when he's told the story) are both in tears.

* ArtifactTitle: Zoe was always the primary focus, and she is no longer a baby. Even Hammie is grade-school age now. But Wren, the third child, was a baby, and is now a toddler. So new fans would probably assume Wren was the reason for the title.
* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: It's even in the name, so of course Baby Blues has babies. Started with Zoe, and later Hammie and Wren. Somewhat subverted, in that while Darryl and Wanda are clearly happy having children, the strip doesn't shy away from how incredibly ''hard'' it is taking care of kids.
* BabyTalk: So far it's Wren, since she's now a toddler.
** Hammie used a little more BabyTalk than Zoe, which was mostly the third example mentioned by pronouncing "r" with "w" ("twuck")

* BabyLanguage: Used frequently in the series.

* GreenEyes: It's impossible to tell the character's eye color in the drawings, since the drawings just show their eyes as dots. But one strip mentions Zoe and Hammie have green eyes (see "Green-eyed Redhead").

*** Their strip for the March For Our Lives protests doesn’t verbalize it, but you see it in Wanda’s and Darryl’s eyes. [[http://babyblues.com/comics/march-24-2018/]]

*** Their strip for the March For Our Lives protests doesn’t verbalize it, but you see it in Wanda’s and Darryl’s eyes.

* ArtEvolution: The strip was much looser and more sketchy in the first few years, looking more like pencil work than inking. Over time, it became much more streamlined.

* TheFaceLess: Many one-time characters have this feature such as Jessica, Zoe's classmate, or a Phoenix Suns player. One example is The Burnettes' cat. Its face is never seen, only half of its body is shown as it is running away from Darryl. It can be seen [[http://babyblues.com/comics/november-7-2015/ here.]]

* ParentalAbandonment: Spoofed in one strip as the family tries to find a kids movie to rent. "Do you have any family movies that have families in them?" Trent. We never see his mom in the strip, although in one strip, she "appeared" off-panel.

** Since Wren's "memorable quotes" are decreasing, only the reader and her family can understand her via facial expressions, gestures and actions.
** Darryl's dad, Mac, was described as this in his first appearance, with Darryl and Wanda surprised that he was willing to greet them with a "H'lo" when he and his wife came for a visit. Being able to dote on his grandchildren seemed to help him come out of his shell. In the TV series, Mac was completely silent, but he did open up his mouth sometimes. Now, he's completely silent and sometimes talks.

** The most common one is Rhonda, Wanda's little sister. Her parents are always complaining about how she doesn't have kids or a husband.

%%** [[http://babyblues.com/comics/January-6-2009/ This strip]] as well as [[http://babyblues.com/comics/May-28-2005/ this one]].

* WildlifeCommentarySpoof: Averted. One arc had Wanda, Darryl, and Zoe watching a Wildlife Documentary about a family of Meerkats, only to see the Meerkats eaten one by one by Hyenas, a snake, and even a hawk.

* InvisibleToAdults: Played backwards and forwards in this series. Instead of the kids, it's the MacPhersons that can see things that the other adults can't see, since it is told by the family's perspective. Since it's ONLY the MacPhersons who can see their children (except Wren) as animals or creatures, the adults (sometimes children) rarely see Zoe (mostly) or Hammie in unusual form. An example is this comic: [[http://babyblues.com/comics/june-29-1997/]]

* HypocriticalHumor: Back when Wanda was still nursing Hammie, two different strips had a similar punchline relating to this. In one instance, a male passenger sitting next to Wanda on an airplane protested to her feeding Hammie in public, calling it "disgusting"... while he's clearly looking at [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar a Playboy centerfold]]. In another series, a male lifeguard tried to kick Wanda out of a public pool, claiming her breastfeeding Hammie violated decency standards... only to stop ''mid-sentence'' in order to ogle at a nearby woman in a [[MsFanservice barely-there bikini]]. In a Sunday comic, Zoe complains about Hammie needing his diaper changed, eating something off the floor, his shirt messy and his hands and face being sticky. After Darryl takes Hammie to the changing table, Zoe starts picking her nose, burping loudly and saying, aside:

[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/51kav5zrtdl_sx258_bo1204203200.jpg]][[caption-width-right:260:Indeed it will...]]A mainstream comic about parenting shown in many newspapers. Features the typical "nuclear family" set-up, but treats it with a much more realistic tone than most. Usually gag-a-day type four-panel strip with a few running jokes. The same creators made ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}''.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Wanda(tomboy) and her twin sister Rhonda (girly girl)

%%* YouDidntAsk: This can happen sometimes. Here's [[http://babyblues.com/comics/August-25-2000/ one of them from when Hammie was being potty-trained as "Yew didn't ask."]] and a later one with [[http://babyblues.com/comics/January-18-2004/ Zoe and Hammie on a walk with Darryl and Wren.]]

%%* YouthfulFreckles: Hammie.

%%* LargeHamAnnouncer: Zoe, for a lot of examples. [[http://babyblues.com/comics/July-26-1999/ Here's an old one.]]

* {{Tomboy}}: Wren is a tomboy, due to spending too much time with Hammie.

A mainstream comic about parenting shown in many newspapers. Features the typical "nuclear family" set-up, but treats it with a much more realistic tone than most. Usually gag-a-day type four-panel strip with a few running jokes. The same creators made ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}''.

* BigEater: Darryl. One comic had Darryl [[http://http://babyblues.com/comics/march-21-2007/ eat two jelly donuts, a cruller, a big lunch and a slice of a friend's retirement cake... all in one day!]] In another comic, Darryl had eaten [[http://babyblues.com/comics/january-30-2009/ six creme-filled donuts.]] Wren has been known to be this, but this stopped in her modern years.

* {{Tombo}}y: Wren is a tomboy, due to spending too much time with Hammie.

* Tomboy: Wren is a tomboy, due to spending too much time with Hammie.