Coconino County is the home of
Krazy Kat, Ignatz Mouse, Offissa Pupp and an assortment of other individuals.
These cartoon characters were created in 1913 by George Herriman,
a cartoonist for Hearst papers. The strip ran until the
mid-1940's. In the cartoon, Krazy Kat, a cat of indeterminate
sex, was in love with Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz, in turn, had a
somewhat antagonistic attitude toward Krazy, which he
demonstrated by tossing bricks at her head. Alas, Krazy took the
hard knocks as a sign that Ignatz truly loved him. Meanwhile,
Offissa Pupp, the local canine constable, also loved Krazy, and
tried to protect her by attempting to catch Ignatz at his various
criminal activities and throw him in jail. The eternal love
triangle, with all the confusion, humor, violence and pathos,
played out against the surrealistic setting of Coconino County,
Arizona, land of the Grand Canyon.
What would you think if somebody threw a brick at your head? Krazy has her reasons for reacting as he does, swooning with love and pride for the mouse that assaulted her. Krazy's answer lies in the distant past, on a desert far from el Desierto Pintada in Coconino County, AZ.
George Herriman created over 20 comic strips during the first three decades of the twentieth century (you can click here to see a partial list). Only three or four featured animals. Krazy Kat's evolution began a few years before his strip started in 1913. Before Krazy Kat, there was Daniel and Pansy and Gooseberry Sprig, characters whose own strips lived short lives, but the principles were later ressurected in Coconino County. Krazy and Ignatz made their official introductions as a side panel to Herriman's popular The Family Upstairs.
While Krazy Kat's unique "heppy Lend" didn't blossom until 1915, the Kat made several earlier appearances. The Evolution of the Kat is here.
Early on, stick-figure Kats and Mice slowly began to take over the strip, about a family with unusually noisy neighbors. By 1913, the "Family" was taking out of town vacations and we were reading about the ancient wars between mice and "Kats". It didn't take much longer for them to give Krazy and Co. their own strip.
Coconino County was peopled (and I use that term loosely!) by
a wild assortment of anthromorphic desert denizens. The list
starts with...
Krazy Kat, Ignatz Mouse, Milton Mouse, Marshall Mouse,
Irving Mouse, Offissa Bull Pupp, Don Kiyote (formerly Daniel
of "Daniel and Pansy"), Joe Stork, Mock Duck,
Kolin Kelly (Maker of Bricks), Walter Cepius Austridge,
Krazy Katbird, Osker Wildcat, Krazy Katfish, Gooseberry
Sprig, J. Turtle, Kristofer Kamel, Joe Bark (the moon hater),
Aunt Tabby and Uncle Tomm Katt, Alec Kat, Sancho Pansy,
Mr. Wough Wuph Wuff (Bone Trust Magnate), Pauline Parrot,
Matilda Mouse, Mrs. Kwak Wak, Mimi, Mr. Kiskidee Kuku,
Kitten Kat, Marmaduke Mouse, Mr. Meeyowl, Anita Gata Blanca,
Terry P. Turtle, Barney Borracho, and Bum Bill Bee
There are lots more. By 1916, Krazy was running on full pages in the arts and entertainment section of Hearst newspapers, nationwide. Comics page editors didn't seem to get Krazy. But Hearst was a big fan, and he intervened personally and forcefully whenever one of his newspapers tried to drop the strip. Krazy had other fans, as well. Here's a partial list:
ee cummings, who's famous essay is attached here , Pablo Picasso, Charlie Chaplin, Gertrude Stein, Walt Disney, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, Kristen Hersh (of the band Throwing Music", whose song "The Key" was inspired by the strip, H. L. Mencken, Umberto Eco, Frank Capra, and Jack Kerouac. Some quotes on Krazy by Kerouac, Eco and others are available here.
Krazy Kat pages created and maintained by Peter Campbell
Krazy Kat and related characters © 2003 King Features Syndicate, Inc. World rights reserved.
