History ComicStrip / SnuffySmith

The strip has the distinction of having the [[PrintLongRunners longest continuous run]] of any American daily newspaper comic still appearing in print, as ''ComicStrip/TheKatzenjammerKids'' (begun in 1897) has been in reprints since 2006 and was Sunday-only for most of its run, while ''ComicStrip/GasolineAlley'' (begun in 1918) started out as a Sunday-only panel.

The strip has the distinction of having the [[PrintLongRunners longest continuous run]] of any American daily newspaper comic still appearing in print, as ''ComicStrip/TheKatzenjammerKids'' (begun in 1897) has been in reprints since 2006 and ''ComicStrip/GasolineAlley'' (begun in 1918) started out as a Sunday-only panel.

The strip has the distinction of having the [[PrintLongRunners longest continuous run]] of any American daily newspaper comic still appearing in print, as ''ComicStrip/GasolineAlley'' (begun in 1918) started out as a Sunday-only panel.

In response to a gradual decline in readership during the early 1930s, however, [=DeBeck=], aided by his newfound assistant Fred Laswell, introduced the volatile hillbilly Snuffy Smith and his extended family to the strip within a 1934 storyline in which Barney travels to the rural town of "Hootin' Holler" to claim inherited property. While Snuffy's introduction successfully boosted readership, Hootin' Holler became the strip's permanent setting and Barney gradually moved OutOfFocus in favor of the more popular Snuffy (and was written out of the strip entirely, save for rare cameo appearances, around 1954). The official name of the strip remains ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'', even though the former character hasn't been a regular for 60 years.

''Snuffy Smith'' is a long-running American daily comic strip about a hillbilly community.

Created by Billy [=DeBeck=] as ''Take Barney Google, [=F'rinstance=]'' (subsequently shortened to ''Barney Google'') and launched in 1919, the strip originally starred the eponymous character, a diminutive sportsman involved primarily in prize-fighting and horseracing, much to the chagrin of his larger, more imposing wife Lizzie Google (or "the sweet woman"). While initially it was only moderately successful, it reached mainstream popularity early in TheRoaringTwenties with the introduction of Barney's broken-down horse Spark Plug, further fuelling a gradually-mounting cultural interest in continuity-laden comics such as ''Toots and Casper'' and ''Tillie the Toiler'' and making "Sparky" a popular nickname for boys (including future cartoonist [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charles Schulz]]), while a song about Barney and his "goo-goo-googly eyes" became a smash hit in 1923. Lizzie Google [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome vanished]] from the strip shortly afterwards, cementing the now-single Barney's racing ventures (and navigation of 1920s urban society) as its central premise. While the strip would attain immense mainstream popularity through this shift, [=DeBeck=] nonetheless opted to modify the strip's premise further in 1927 by recasting Barney and Spark Plug as intercontinental travellers as opposed to solely denizens of the racing circuit.

Created by Billy [=DeBeck=] as ''Take Barney Google, [=F'rinstance=]'' (subsequently shortened to ''Barney Google'') and launched in 1919, the strip originally starred the eponymous character, a diminutive sportsman involved primarily in prize-fighting and horseracing, much to the chagrin of his larger, more imposing wife Lizzie Google (or "the sweet woman"). While initially only moderately successful, it reached mainstream popularity early in TheRoaringTwenties with the introduction of Barney's broken-down horse Spark Plug, further fuelling a gradually-mounting cultural interest in continuity-laden comics such as ''Toots and Casper'' and ''Tillie the Toiler'' and making "Sparky" a popular nickname for boys (including future cartoonist [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charles Schulz]]), while a song about Barney and his "goo-goo-googly eyes" became a smash hit in 1923. Lizzie Google [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome vanished]] from the strip shortly afterwards, cementing the now-single Barney's racing ventures (and navigation of 1920s urban society) as its central premise. While the strip would attain immense mainstream popularity through this shift, [=DeBeck=] nonetheless opted to modify the strip's premise further in 1927 by recasting Barney and Spark Plug as intercontinental travellers as opposed to solely denizens of the racing circuit.

In response to a gradual decline in readership during the early 1930s, however, [=DeBeck=], aided by his newfound assistant Fred Laswell, introduced the volatile hillbilly Snuffy Smith and his extended family to the strip within a 1934 storyline in which Barney travels to the rural town of "Hootin' Holler" to claim inherited property. While Snuffy's introduction successfully revitalized readership, Hootin' Holler became the strip's permanent setting and Barney gradually moved OutOfFocus and was eventually written out of the strip entirely (save for rare cameo appearances) in favor of the by then more popular Snuffy around 1954. The official name of the strip remains ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'', even though the former character hasn't been a regular for 60 years.

The strip has the distinction of being the [[PrintLongRunners longest-running]] US daily newspaper comic still appearing in print, as ''ComicStrip/GasolineAlley'' (begun in 1918) started out as a Sunday-only panel.

The strip has the distinction of being [[PrintLongRunners the oldest currently-running daily comic in newspaper print in the U.S.]], as ''ComicStrip/TheKatzenjammerKids'' (first launched in 1897) ran only on Sundays by the point of its cancellation in 2006, while the still-running ''ComicStrip/GasolineAlley'' (begun in 1918) ran originally as a Sunday-only panel.

Created by Billy [=DeBeck=] as ''Take Barney Google, [=F'rinstance=]'' (subsequently shortened to ''Barney Google'') and launched in 1919, the strip originally starred the eponymous character, a diminutive sportsman involved primarily in prize-fighting and horseracing, much to the chagrin of his larger, more imposing wife Lizzie Google (or "the sweet woman"). While initially only moderately successful, it reached mainstream popularity early in TheRoaringTwenties with the introduction of Barney's broken-down horse Spark Plug, further fuelling a gradually-mounting cultural interest in continuity-laden comics such as ''Toots and Casper'' and ''Tillie the Toiler'' and making "Sparky" a popular nickname for boys (including future cartoonist [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charles Schulz]]), while a song about Barney and his "goo-goo-googly eyes" became a smash hit in 1923. Lizzie Google [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome vanished]] from the strip shortly afterwards, cementing the now-single Barney's racing ventures (and navigation of 1920s urban society) as its central premise. While the strip would attain immense mainstream popularity through this shift, DeBeck nonetheless opted to modify the strip's premise further in 1927 by recasting Barney and Spark Plug as intercontinental travellers as opposed to solely denizens of the racing circuit.

In response to a gradual decline in readership during the early 1930s, however, DeBeck, aided by his newfound assistant Fred Laswell, introduced the volatile hillbilly Snuffy Smith and his extended family to the strip within a 1934 storyline in which Barney travels to the rural town of "Hootin' Holler" to claim inherited property. While Snuffy's introduction successfully revitalized readership, Hootin' Holler became the strip's permanent setting and Barney gradually moved OutOfFocus and was eventually written out of the strip entirely (save for rare cameo appearances) in favor of the by then more popular Snuffy around 1954. The official name of the strip remains ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'', even though the former character hasn't been a regular for 60 years.

Created by Billy [=DeBeck=] as ''Take Barney Google, [=F'rinstance=]'' (subsequently shortened to ''Barney Google'') and launched in 1919, the strip originally starred the eponymous character, a diminutive sportsman involved primarily in horse races. It reached mainstream popularity in TheRoaringTwenties with the introduction of Barney's broken-down horse Spark Plug, sparking a trend for continuity-laden comics such as ''Toots and Casper'' and ''Tillie the Toiler'' and making "Sparky" a popular nickname for boys (including future cartoonist [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charles Schulz]]), while a song about Barney and his "goo-goo-googly eyes" became a smash hit in 1923.

Once the Smith clan were introduced in the mid-'30s, however, Barney moved OutOfFocus and was eventually written out of the strip entirely (save for rare cameo appearances) in favor of the by then more popular Snuffy around 1954. The official name of the strip remains ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'', even though the former character hasn't been a regular for 60 years.

The strip has the distinction of being [[PrintLongRunners the oldest currently-running daily comic in newspaper print in the U.S.]], as ''ComicStrip/TheKatzenjammerKids'' (first launched in 1897) ran only on Sundays by the point of its cancellation in 2006, while ''ComicStrip/GasolineAlley'' (begun in 1918) ran originally as a Sunday-only panel.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: A lot of characters from its early years have all but disappeared: Barney's wife divorced him shortly after the strip began, and his black jockey/valet Sunshine and his ostrich Rudy were written off after Barney left the big city.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the strip's first year, Barney was taller and he had a wife (the ironically named "Sweet Woman") and a daughter. Both disappeared after a short time, and Mr. Google got more squat.

The strip has the distinction of being [[PrintLongRunners the oldest currently-running daily comic in newspaper print in the U.S.]], as ''ComicStrip/TheKatzenjammerKids'' (first launched in 1897) runs only on Sundays, while ''ComicStrip/GasolineAlley'' (begun in 1918) ran originally as a Sunday-only panel.

Has the distinction of being [[PrintLongRunners the oldest currently-running daily comic in newspaper print in the U.S.]], as ''ComicStrip/TheKatzenjammerKids'' (running from 1897) runs only on Sundays, while ''ComicStrip/GasolineAlley'' (begun in 1918) ran originally as a Sunday-only panel.

Once the Smith clan were introduced in the mid-'30s, however, Barney moved OutOfFocus and was eventually written out of the strip entirely (save for rare cameo appearances) in favor of the more-popular Snuffy around 1954. The official name of the strip remains ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'', even though the former character hasn't been a regular for 60 years.

''Snuffy Smith'' is a long-running newspaper comic about a hillbilly community. It originally began in 1919 as ''Barney Google'', about a diminutive sportsman involved primarily in horse races. The strip reached mainstream popularity in TheRoaringTwenties with the introduction of Barney's horse Spark Plug; The strip sparked a trend for continuity-laden comics such as ''Toots and Casper'' and ''Tillie the Toiler'', while "Sparky" became a popular nickname for boys (including future cartoonist [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charles Schulz]]), and a song about the title character and his "goo-goo-googly eyes" became a smash hit in 1923.

Once the Smith clan was introduced in the mid-1930s, however, Barney moved OutOfFocus and was eventually written out of the strip entirely in favor of the more-popular Smith around 1954. The official name of the strip remains ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'', even though the former character hasn't been a regular for 60 years.

* AnachronismStew: The characters are usually seen listening to 1930's-era "cathedral shaped" radios.

* DeepSouth

* ArtifactTitle: ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'' was all-Snuffy, no-Barney for ''six decades'' before John Rose started to work Barney and his horse Sparkplug back in as recurring characters. While he's second in the full title, Snuffy is definitely still the main character.

* ArtifactTitle: ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'' has been all-Snuffy, no-Barney for ''six decades''.

* Jughaid, the oldest son. Usually seen in a coonskin cap.

* WorldWarTwo: Snuffy was featured serving in the Army during the conflict, which was a turning point in Barney becoming more and more of a secondary character.

'''''Snuffy Smith''''' is a long-running newspaper comic about a hillbilly community. It originally began in 1919 as ''Barney Google'', about a diminutive sportsman involved primarily in horse races. The strip reached mainstream popularity in TheRoaringTwenties with the introduction of Barney's horse Spark Plug; The strip sparked a trend for continuity-laden comics such as ''Toots and Casper'' and ''Tillie the Toiler'', while "Sparky" became a popular nickname for boys (including future cartoonist [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charles Schulz]]), and a song about the title character and his "goo-goo-googly eyes" became a smash hit in 1923.

** A TV series produced by King Features Televisionin 1962 to 1964, paired with animated versions of ''ComicStrip/BeetleBailey'' and ''ComicStrip/KrazyKat'', with animation done by Paramount Cartoon Studios (formerly Famous Studios). In this version, Creator/PaulFrees voiced both Barney and Snuffy.

** A TV Series produced in 1962 to 1964 by King Features Television, with animation done by Paramount Cartoon Studios (formerly Famous Studios). In this version, Creator/PaulFrees voiced both Barney and Snuffy.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: A lot of characters from its early years have all but disappeared: Barney's wife divorced him shortly after the strip began, and his black valet and his ostrich Rudy were written off after Barney left the big city.
* CommutingOnABus: Barney puts in a very occasional reappearance, though. He appeared for a week in 2012, after having not been seen for ''fifteen years''; this was {{lampshade|hanging}}d by the sheriff asking him if he was an Internet entrepreneur.