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 A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...

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 and g ...

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 ...

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

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, Jeff MacNelly with Mort Walker, 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 syndicated daily and 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. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and inf ...

'') and Patrick McDonnell (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's '' Bizarro'' and Stephan Pastis' ''

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 c ...

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 '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

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'', ''

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 ser ...

'', ''

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 character, ...

'', '' Baby Blues'', and '' Calvin and Hobbes'' (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 tim ...

'', and Darby Conley of '' Get Fuzzy'' 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'', '' The Awkward Yeti'', and ''

Poorly Drawn Lines Poorly Drawn Lines (PDL) is a webcomic created by cartoonist Reza Farazmand. It features mostly standalone comic strips that range from just one frame to many, most of which are satirical or absurdist in tone. The topic of each strip varies, with ...

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

''). *''

'' was drawn by J. C. Duffy (''

The Fusco Brothers ''The Fusco Brothers'' is an American gag-a-day comic strip created by J. C. Duffy which features the four Fusco bachelors — Rölf, Lance, Al, and Lars — along with Lance's girlfriend, Gloria, and Axel, the Fuscos' wolverine The wolver ...

''). *''

'' was drawn by Jerry Van Amerongen ('' Ballard Street''). *'' Ballard Street'' was drawn by Mel Lazarus (''

Momma ''Momma'' is an American comic strip by Mell Lazarus that ran from October 26, 1970, to July 10, 2016. Publication history ''Momma'' was Lazarus' second strip; he had been publishing the syndicated strip ''Miss Peach'' since 1957. Debuting o ...

''). *''

'' 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'' and ''Tank McNamara''.Parks, Louis B"The man behind t ...

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

'' was drawn by Brian Crane ('' Pickles''): Earl joins Thorney on a walk through a neighborhood. *'' Pickles'' 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 James Patrick Toomey (born December 26, 1960) is an American cartoonist famous for his comic ''Sherman's Lagoon''. Toomey received his B.S.E. from Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering in 1983, an M.L.A. from Stanford University in 1995 ...

(''

Sherman's Lagoon ''Sherman's Lagoon'' is a daily comic strip by Jim Toomey that is widely syndicated in newspapers worldwide after its first appearance in the '' Escondido Times-Advocate'' of Escondido, California, on May 13, 1991. The story of Sherman's Lagoo ...

''): Just when you think Sherman makes a cameo, it's Wendy's hair. *''

'' 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 address ...

'' was drawn by Chris Browne (''

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

'' was drawn by Wiley Miller ('' 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'' 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. *'' Bizarro'' 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 daily comic strip '' Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are we having fun yet?" is credited to ...

(''

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, ...

(''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''): The animals Nancy performs for make the same happy expressions as Rose is Rose's characters. *'' Rose Is Rose'' was drawn by Brooke McEldowney (''

''). ;9-way swap *'' Beattie Blvd.'' was drawn by Ted Martin (''Pavlov''). *'' Pavlov'' was drawn by Vic Lee (''I Need Help''). *'' I Need Help'' 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 Scott Brian Stantis (born May 2, 1959) is an American editorial cartoonist. Career Stantis is currently the editorial cartoonist for ''The Chicago Tribune''. He began his career with ''The Chicago Tribune'' on September 1, 2009, following the p ...

(''

The Buckets ''The Buckets'' is a comic strip originally created by Scott Stantis. It has been syndicated since 1990, currently by Andrews McMeel Syndication. The comic centers on a suburban family of five; two parents, two boys, Toby, a moody adolescent and ...

''). *''

'' was drawn by Jan Eliot (''

Stone Soup Stone Soup is a European 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 regarding the value of sharing. In varyin ...

''). *''

'' 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 ''The Duplex'' is a comic strip by Glenn McCoy and now his brother Gary McCoy, syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate/Universal Uclick/Andrews McMeel Syndication since April 1993. ''The Duplex'' has been published as a syndicated daily newspa ...

'' was drawn by Delainey and Rasmussen (''Betty''). *''

Betty Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beat ...

'' 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 Bruce Beattie is an American political cartoonist. His work was nationally syndicated in the United States and also appeared in magazine and books. He drew the syndicated ''Beattie Boulevard'', which was published in several newspapers. He also se ...

(''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'' comic strip, writing and drawing it from 1951 to 1994, when he retired from drawing the daily cartoon and took up painting ...

('' 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 Fred D. Lasswell (July 25, 1916 – March 4, 2001) was an American cartoonist best known for his decades of work on the comic strip ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith''. Life and career Though born in Kennett, Missouri, Lasswell spent most of his ...

(''

''): 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 Jeff MacNelly (''

Shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the 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 cultur ...

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

'' was drawn by Mort Walker (''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. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his hum ...

''):

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 charact ...

'' was drawn by Bil Keane ('' Family Circus''): Billy visits Dilbert's cubicle. **'' Family Circus'' 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''): John and Elly Patterson got 'stuck' with dialogue balloons of the characters of Mother Goose and Grimm. **'' Mother Goose and Grimm'' was drawn by Lynn Johnston ('' For Better or For Worse''): Edgar sneaks away to hang with the Mother Goose & Grimm cast. *''

One Big Happy 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

'' was drawn by Dave Coverly ('' Speed Bump''). **'' Speed Bump'' was drawn by Rick Detorie (''

''): 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