The comic strip switcheroo (also known as the Great Comics Switcheroonie or the Great April Fools' Day Comics Switcheroonie) was a massive practical joke in which several comic strip writers and artists (

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...

s), without the foreknowledge of their editors, traded strips for a day on

April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may b ...

1997. The Switcheroo was masterminded by comic strip creators Rick Kirkman and

Jerry Scott Jerry Scott (born May 2, 1955) is an American cartoonist and writer. He is known for co-creating the comic strips ''Baby Blues'' and ''Zits (comics), Zits''. He is one of only four cartoonists to have multiple strips appearing in over 1,000 ne ...

, creators of the '' Baby Blues'' daily newspaper comic strip.

Overview

According to Brian Walker's book ''The Comics: Since 1945'', forty-six syndicated artists participated. Some of these switches were one for one ( Mike Peters trading with

Lynn Johnston Lynn Johnston (born May 28, 1947) is a Canadian cartoonist and author, best known for her newspaper comic strip '' For Better or For Worse''. She was the first woman and first Canadian to win the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award. Ea ...

Scott Adams Scott Raymond Adams (born June 8, 1957) is an American author and cartoonist. He is the creator of the syndicated ''Dilbert'' comic strip, and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, and business. ''Dilbert'' gained natio ...

with

Bil Keane William Aloysius "Bil" Keane (October 5, 1922 – November 8, 2011) was an American cartoonist most notable for his work on the newspaper comic ''The Family Circus''. It began in 1960 and continues in syndication, drawn by his son Jeff Kean ...

Jeff MacNelly Jeffrey Kenneth "Jeff" MacNelly (September 17, 1947 – June 8, 2000) was an American editorial cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Shoe''. After ''Shoe'' had been established in papers, MacNelly created the single-panel strip ''Plug ...

with

Mort Walker Addison Morton Walker (September 3, 1923 – January 27, 2018) was an American comic strip writer, best known for creating the newspaper comic strips ''Beetle Bailey'' in 1950 and '' Hi and Lois'' in 1954. He signed Addison to some of his strip ...

, etc.), while several comics did a multiple swap (including a thirteen-way swap). Also, one artist ( Kevin Fagan) just swapped hands for the day, while the writer & artist for ''

Sally Forth Sally Forth may refer to: * ''Sally Forth'' (Greg Howard comic strip) (from 1982) * ''Sally Forth'' (Wally Wood comic strip) (1968–74) * "Sally Forth", an episode of ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (season 4) See salso * Sally port A sally p ...

'' swapped roles for the day. Charles M. Schulz (creator of ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...

'') and

Patrick McDonnell Patrick McDonnell (born March 17, 1956) is a cartoonist, author, and playwright. He is the creator of the daily comic strip '' Mutts'', which follows the adventures of a dog and a cat, that has been syndicated since 1994. Prior to creating ''Mu ...

(creator of '' Mutts'') were slated to do each other's strips, but backed out because one of them didn't think it was a good idea. Each artist was permitted to do what they wanted. The one-day experiment proved to be a success, garnering some publicity and being a harmless yet amusing prank played on the newspapers, the readers, and the comic syndicates. While characters making guest appearances in other comic strips is not an unusual occurrence (

Dan Piraro Daniel Charles Piraro (born 1958) is a painter, illustrator, and cartoonist best known for his syndicated cartoon panel ''Bizarro''. Piraro's cartoons have been reprinted in 16 book collections (as of 2012). He has also written three books of pro ...

's ''

Bizarro Bizarro () is a supervillain/anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in '' Superboy'' #68 ( ...

'' and

Stephan Pastis Stephan Thomas Pastis (; born January 16, 1968) is an American cartoonist and former lawyer who is the creator of the comic strip ''Pearls Before Swine''. He also writes children's chapter books, commencing with the release of ''Timmy Failure: ...

' ''

Pearls Before Swine A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

'' do it often), this was the most ambitious in scale. As of 2005, the phenomenon persists in

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be ...

s, where

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a ''internetworking, network of networks'' that consists ...

cartoonists occasionally switch places with one another. Guest character tributes have also appeared since 1997, notably on May 27, 2000 and on October 30, 2005, both tributes to Charles M. Schulz and ''

''.

Subsequent similar events

On April 1, 1998, Jimmy Johnson published an '' Arlo and Janis'' strip in which the first two panels were blank, with the last two panel having Arlo imply that they were going to swap with Dagwood but there was a misunderstanding. On April 1, 2001, a few years after the 1997 Switcheroo, Bill Amend (FoxTrot) made a Sunday strip in which Jason Fox, Andy Fox, Roger Fox, and Peter Fox exchanged looks. The referenced strips: ''

Cathy ''Cathy'' is an American gag-a-day comic strip, drawn by Cathy Guisewite from 1976 until 2010. The comic follows Cathy, a woman who struggles through the "four basic guilt groups" of life—food, love, family, and work. The strip gently pokes ...

'', ''

Hägar the Horrible ''Hägar the Horrible'' is the title and main character of an American comic strip created by cartoonist Dik Browne and syndicated by King Features Syndicate. It first appeared in February 1973 and was an immediate success. Since Browne's retirem ...

'', ''

The Boondocks Boondocks are remote, usually brushy areas. Boondocks may also refer to: * The Boondocks (band), an Estonian rock band * ''The Boondocks'' (comic strip), a comic strip by Aaron McGruder ** ''The Boondocks'' (2005 TV series), the television seri ...

'', ''

Doonesbury ''Doonesbury'' is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title characte ...

'', '' Baby Blues'', and ''

Calvin and Hobbes ''Calvin and Hobbes'' is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly cited as "the last great newspaper comic", ''Calvin and Hobbes'' has enjoyed b ...

'' (which had ended roughly 15 months before the original Switcheroonie). On April 1, 2005, Stephan Pastis of ''

'', Bill Amend of ''

FoxTrot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a ti ...

'', and Darby Conley of ''

Get Fuzzy ''Get Fuzzy'' is an American gag-a-day comic strip written and drawn by Darby Conley. It features Boston advertising executive Rob Wilco and his two anthropomorphic pets, a dog, Satchel Pooch, and a cat, Bucky Katt. While there have been no new c ...

'' all ran extremely similar comic dialogue in their respective strips, but with their own core characters saying the lines. On April 1, 2016, at least fifty webcomics, including ''

Cyanide & Happiness ''Cyanide & Happiness'' (''C&H'') is a webcomic created by Rob DenBleyker, Kris Wilson, Dave McElfatrick and Matt Melvin. The comic has been running since 2005 and is published on the website explosm.net along with animated shorts in the same st ...

'', ''

The Awkward Yeti ''The Awkward Yeti'' is an ongoing gag-a-day webcomic by Nick Seluk. Starting in 2012, the comic follows the daily life of the blue yeti Lars. Seluk posts ''The Awkward Yeti'' comics on his personal website, as well as on Tapas. Seluk has star ...

'', and '' Poorly Drawn Lines'' all ran the same comic dialogue in their respective strips, akin to April 1, 2005. On April 1, 2021, Olivia Jaimes of '' Nancy'' and Steenz of '' Heart of the City'' swapped strips for the day.

Strips and creators involved

The comics of April 1, 1997, were swapped as follows: ;13-way swap *'' Baby Blues'' was drawn by Stephen Bentley (''

Herb and Jamaal ''Herb and Jamaal'' is a comic strip by Stephen Bentley syndicated by Creators Syndicate Creators Syndicate (also known as Creators) is an American independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns to daily newspapers, websites ...

''): The characters have the same skin color as Herb and Jamaal's stars. *''

'' was drawn by Russel Myers (''

Broom-Hilda ''Broom-Hilda'' is an American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Russell Myers. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, it depicts the misadventures of a man-crazy, cigar-smoking, beer-guzzling, 1,500-year-old witch and her motley cr ...

''). *''

'' was drawn by Bud Grace (''

Ernie Ernie is a masculine given name, frequently a short form (hypocorism) of Ernest, Ernald, Ernesto, or Verner. It may refer to: People * Ernie Accorsi (born 1941), American football executive * Ernie Adams (disambiguation) * Ernie Afaganis (bor ...

''). *''

'' was drawn by J. C. Duffy ('' The Fusco Brothers''). *'' The Fusco Brothers'' was drawn by Jerry Van Amerongen (''

Ballard Street ''Ballard Street'' was an American comic panel created by Jerry Van Amerongen and distributed by Creators Syndicate that ran between 1991 and 2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots a ...

''). *''

'' was drawn by Mel Lazarus ('' Momma''). *'' Momma'' was drawn by

Jeff Millar Jeffery Lynn Millar (July 10, 1942 – November 30, 2012) was an American comic strip writer and film critic best known for creating the '' Tank McNamara'' comic strip with illustrator Bill Hinds.Gerber, Marisa (December 9, 2012)Jeff Millar dies ...

and

Bill Hinds Bill Hinds (born April 21, 1950, in Houston, Texas) is an American sports cartoonist, whose work includes the sports cartoon feature ''Buzz Beamer'', and the syndicated comic strips ''Cleats (comic strip), Cleats'' and ''Tank McNamara''.Parks, Lo ...

(

Tank McNamara ''Tank McNamara'' is a daily syndicated comic strip written and illustrated by Bill Hinds. The strip debuted on August 5, 1974, with Jeff Millar as writer and Hinds as illustrator. Hinds took over writing after the death of Millar in late Novem ...

): Marylou introduces Momma to Tank as her new boyfriend. *''

'' was drawn by Chip Sansom (''The Born Loser''). *''

The Born Loser ''The Born Loser'' is a newspaper comic strip created by Art Sansom in 1965. His son, Chip Sansom, who started assisting on the strip in 1989, is the current artist. The strip is distributed by Newspaper Enterprise Association. The Sansoms won t ...

'' was drawn by Brian Crane (''

Pickles Pickles may refer to: Dogs * Pickles (dog) (died 1967), a dog that found the stolen World Cup trophy in 1966 * Pickles (pickleball), a dog often cited as the name origin for the sport of pickleball * Mr. Pickles, the titular demonic dog in a ...

''): Earl joins Thorney on a walk through a neighborhood. *''

'' was drawn by Michael Jantze ('' The Norm''): Earl is really Norm in a costume. *'' The Norm'' was drawn by Bill Holbrook (''On the Fastrack''): Wendy is at Norm's workplace. *''

On the Fastrack ''On the Fastrack'' is a comic strip drawn by Bill Holbrook about the curious characters employed at the fictional data storage firm Fastrack, Inc. Launched March 19, 1984, it was initially distributed by King Features Syndicate to 50 newspapers ...

'' was drawn by Jim Toomey ('' Sherman's Lagoon''): Just when you think Sherman makes a cameo, it's Wendy's hair. *'' Sherman's Lagoon'' was drawn by Kirkman and Scott (''Baby Blues''): Fish versions of the MacPhersons visit Sherman & Megan. ;11-way swap *''

9 Chickweed Lane ''9 Chickweed Lane'' is an American comic strip written and drawn by Brooke McEldowney for over 25 years, which follows the fortunes of the women of three generations of the Burber family: Edna, Juliette, and Edda. 9 Chickweed Lane is the addres ...

'' was drawn by Chris Browne (''

''): Lucky Eddie was one of Amos' Ancestors. *''

'' was drawn by

Wiley Miller David Wiley Miller (born April 15, 1951, Burbank, California) is an American cartoonist whose work is characterized by wry wit and trenchant social satire, is best known for his comic strip '' Non Sequitur'', which he signs Wiley. ''Non Sequitur' ...

('' Non Sequitur''): Hägar is visited by a systems analyst. *'' Non Sequitur'' was drawn by Robb Armstrong (''Jump Start''). *'' Jump Start'' was drawn by Walker and Browne (''Hi and Lois''): Joe and Marcy see themselves like Hi and Lois. *''

Hi and Lois ''Hi and Lois'' is an American comic strip about a suburban family. Created by Mort Walker and illustrated by Dik Browne, both of whose offspring currently work on the strip, it debuted on October 18, 1954, distributed by King Features Syndicate.Ro ...

'' was drawn by Greg Evans (''Luann''): Luann is Trixie's babysitter. *'' Luann'' was drawn by Dan Piraro (''Bizarro''): Luann sees a cartoon chihuahua named Squeeky in her mirror. The shock slowly turns her into a bug. *''

'' was drawn by

Bill Griffith William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal comedy, surreal daily comic strip ''Zippy the Pinhead, Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are w ...

(''

Zippy the Pinhead Zippy the Pinhead is a fictional character who is the protagonist of ''Zippy'', an American comic strip created by Bill Griffith. Zippy's most famous quotation, "Are we having fun yet?", appears in ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'' and became a ...

''): One of the women shown is played by Zippy. *''

'' was drawn by

Bill Amend William J. C. Amend III (; born September 20, 1962) is an American cartoonist. He is known for his comic strip ''FoxTrot''. Early life Amend was born in Massachusetts and raised in Northern California. He attended high school in Burlingame, Ca ...

(''FoxTrot''): Zippy and Griffy have Jason and Peter's respective faces and are accompanied by Quincy the Iguana. *''

'' was drawn by Brad and Guy Gilchrist (''Nancy''): Jason (as Luke Skywalker) is fighting Darth Vader who reveals himself to be Nancy. *'' Nancy'' was drawn by Pat Brady (''

Rose Is Rose ''Rose Is Rose'' is a syndicated comic strip, written by Pat Brady since its launch on April 16, 1984, and drawn since March 2004 by Don Wimmer. The strip revolves around Rose and Jimbo Gumbo, their son Pasquale, and the family cat Peekaboo. ...

''): The animals Nancy performs for make the same happy expressions as Rose is Rose's characters. *''

'' was drawn by Brooke McEldowney (''

''). ;9-way swap *''

Beattie Blvd. Beattie may refer to: People * Beattie (surname) * Beattie Feathers (1909–1979), American football player * Beatrice Bellman ("Beattie"), a fictional Jewish mother played by Maureen Lipman, featured in a British Telecom advertising campaign P ...

'' was drawn by Ted Martin (''Pavlov''). *'' Pavlov'' was drawn by Vic Lee (''I Need Help''). *''

I Need Help I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

'' was drawn by Lincoln Peirce (''

Big Nate ''Big Nate'' (stylized as ''big NATE'' in the comic collections and ''BiG NATE'' in the books) is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Lincoln Peirce, syndicated since January 7, 1991. The strip follows sixth-grader Nate Wrigh ...

''). *''

'' was drawn by Scott Stantis ('' The Buckets''). *'' The Buckets'' was drawn by

Jan Eliot Jan Eliot (born 1950 in San Jose, California) is an American cartoonist. Life and career Before becoming a full-time cartoonist, Jan worked as a waitress, car salesperson, bookmobile driver, advertising copywriter, graphic designer, and greetin ...

(''

Stone Soup Stone Soup is a European Folklore, folk story in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys, and exists as a Moral#In moral tales, moral regarding ...

''). *''

'' was drawn by Glenn McCoy (''The Duplex''): Val and Joan discuss their comic being drawn by a man instead of the usual woman. *'' The Duplex'' was drawn by Delainey and Rasmussen (''Betty''). *'' Betty'' was drawn by

Dave Whamond Dave Whamond is a Canadian cartoonist and children's book author/illustrator who draws the newspaper comic strip ''Reality Check'', which has been published daily since 1995. As of 2010, ''Reality Check'' was being distributed by United Feature S ...

('' Reality Check''). *'' Reality Check'' was drawn by Bruce Beattie (''Beattie Blvd''). ;2-way swaps *''

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'', originally ''Take Barney Google, F'rinstance'', is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Billy DeBeck. Since its debut on June 17, 1919, the strip has gained a large international readership, appearin ...

'' was drawn by

Hank Ketcham Henry King Ketcham (March 14, 1920 – June 1, 2001) was an American cartoonist who created the ''Dennis the Menace (U.S. comics), Dennis the Menace'' comic strip, writing and drawing it from 1951 to 1994, when he retired from drawing the dai ...

('' Dennis the Menace''): Dennis helps Jughaid with a "kick me" sign. Plus, Elviney and Lowezey resemble Alice and Mrs. Wilson. **'' Dennis the Menace'' was drawn by Fred Lasswell (''

''): Dennis' characters dress like Snuffy Smith's for a group photo. *''

Beetle Bailey ''Beetle Bailey'' is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Mort Walker, published since September 4, 1950. It is set on a fictional United States Army post. In the years just before Walker's death in 2018 (at age 94), it was among the old ...

'' was drawn by

(''

Shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the Foot, human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from cult ...

''): Skyler got stuck at Camp Swampy. **''

'' was drawn by

(''Beetle Bailey''): Shoe beats up Cosmo like Sgt. Snorkel would Beetle. *'' Blondie'' was drawn by Jim Davis (''

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the t ...

''):

steals one of

Dagwood Bumstead Dagwood Bumstead is a main character in cartoonist Chic Young's long-running comic strip '' Blondie''. He debuted in the first strip on September 8, 1930. He was originally heir to the Bumstead Locomotive fortune, but was disowned when he married ...

's famous sandwiches. **''

'' was drawn by Young and Drake (''Blondie''):

Jon Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned". *''

Dilbert ''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title cha ...

'' was drawn by

(''

Family Circus ''The Family Circus'' (originally ''The Family Circle'', also ''Family-Go-Round'') is a syndicated comic strip created by cartoonist Bil Keane and, since Bil's death in 2011, is currently written, inked, and rendered (colored) by his son, Jeff ...

''): Billy visits Dilbert's cubicle. **''

'' was drawn by

(''

''): Thel sports a PHB-esque hairdo and Dogbert is her consultant. *'' For Better or For Worse'' was drawn by Mike Peters (''

Mother Goose and Grimm ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestat ...

''): John and Elly Patterson got 'stuck' with dialogue balloons of the characters of

. **''

'' was drawn by

('' For Better or For Worse''): Edgar sneaks away to hang with the Mother Goose & Grimm cast. *'' One Big Happy (comic strip), One Big Happy'' was drawn by Dave Coverly (''

Speed Bump Speed bumps (also called traffic thresholds, speed breakers or sleeping policemen) are the common name for a class of traffic calming devices that use vertical deflection to slow motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve safety conditions. Varia ...

''). **''

'' was drawn by Rick Detorie ('' One Big Happy (comic strip), One Big Happy''): Ruthie and her family are in the background. Other notes: * Kevin Fagan drew his creation ''

Drabble A drabble is a short work of fiction of precisely one hundred words in length."Winners ...

'' using his left hand instead of his right. *The artist and writer behind ''

'' switched roles for a day.

References

External links

* * List of webcomics participating in the April 1, 2016 switcheroo. {{DEFAULTSORT:Comic Strip Switcheroo April Fools' Day jokes * Crossover comics 1997 in comics Comics terminology

Overview

Subsequent similar events

Strips and creators involved

See also

References

Further reading

External links