The Enduring Love of Blondie and Dagwood

Dagwood and Blondie (née Boopadoop) Bumstead are celebrating 81 years of marital bliss (the anniversary date is Feb 17, 1933).

"Blondie" remains among the longest-running  newspaper comics of all time at 80+ years and counting.

Creator, Chic Young (January 1901 – March 1973) explained in an interview (1960s) with writer William Zinnser why "Blondie" possessed such staying power:

“It’s simple. I keep Dagwood in a world that people are used to. He never does anything as special as playing golf, and the people who come to the door are just the people an average family has to deal with. The only regular neighbors are Herb and Tootsie Woodley. If a new neighbor came over with his problem, nobody would be interested.” (After Chic Young's death, his son Dean Young kept the comic strip going along with various illustrators.)

Dagwood Bumstead renounced family wealth and status (his father was a railroad baron) to marry the sassy working-class blond who makes incredible sandwiches. Since his family objected to the marriage, Dagwood settled for an ordinary life of working for J.C. Dithers & Company and running into the
mailman as he scrambled, late, out the door for work.
And Blondie's big sandwiches.

Visit Blondie's blog.

Blondie, The Bumstead Family History (Thomas Nelson, 2007)  "The lives of Blondie and Dagwood and their interactions with their children Alexander and Cookie, their neighbors Herb and Tootsie Woodley, the family dog Daisy, Dagwood's boss Mr. Dithers, the mailman Mr. Beasley, and the neighborhood kid Elmo Tuttle. Included are Blondie and Dagwood's courtship, their early beaus, their wedding, Dagwood at work, Blondie's catering business."

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