''Silly Philly'' was the first comic strip by

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 Kea ...

, most noted for the long-running comic ''

The 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, Jef ...

''. ''Silly Philly'' ran from April 27, 1947, to September 3, 1961. In 1947, Keane created the Sunday strip while working for the '' Philadelphia Bulletin''.Bil Keane Cartoons 1954-1966
Syracuse University, 21 Jul 2009, Retrieved 11/30/2010 The main character was a goofy, juvenile

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

, who had somehow jumped down from his 37' statue on the tower of City Hall in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and become something of a scamp. The cartoon often featured jokes submitted by readers.Bil Keane Cartoons 1954-1966
Syracuse University, 21 Jul 2009, Retrieved 11/30/2010 The Sunday strip sometimes included ''Mirthquakers'', a puzzle and joke feature. Keane, a native Philadelphian, has occasionally brought the city into reminiscences in ''

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, Jef ...

'', which began in 1960.

References

External links

Bil Keane Cartoons 1954–1966
at Syracuse University (original ''Silly Philly'' artwork) American comic strips 1947 comics debuts 1961 comics endings Comics characters introduced in 1947 American comics characters Gag-a-day comics Fictional American people {{comic-strip-stub