Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal are fictional,

talking animal A talking animal or speaking animal is any non-human animal that can produce sounds or gestures resembling those of a human language. Several species or groups of animals have developed forms of communication which superficially resemble verbal ...

comic-book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...

characters created by

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 ...

Al Jaffee Allan Jaffee (born Abraham Jaffee; March 13, 1921) is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine '' Mad'', including his trademark feature, the ''Mad'' Fold-in. Jaffee was a regular contributor to the magazine ...

for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

' 1940s predecessor,

Timely Comics Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...

, during the period fans and historians call the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known char ...

. Initially appearing as individual stars of solo features in the

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

'' Krazy Komics'' #1 (

cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d July 1942), they were soon teamed to become, along with Super Rabbit, the most prominent stars of what Timely called its "animation" comics. With such ''Krazy Komics'' cohorts as Toughy Cat, the

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

duo are among the first talking-animal characters created specifically for the fledgling

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

of comic books, rather than adapted from

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

comic strips 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 ...

, or other media. Some stories used the logo Silly Seal and Ziggy Pig, and at least one used simply Silly and Ziggy.

Publication history

Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal were created by

for

, a predecessor of

, in the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

'' Krazy Komics'' #1 (

d July 1942). Jaffee recalled in a 2004 interview, Aside from Jaffee, artists associated with the feature include Joe Calcagno,

Harvey Eisenberg Harvey Eisenberg (February 11, 1911 – April 22, 1965) was an American animator and comic book artist. Best known for his work with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio and later at their own Hanna-Barbera ...

Al Fago AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

Al Genet, and

Mike Sekowsky Michael Sekowsky (; November 19, 1923 – March 30, 1989) was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' ''Justice League of America'' during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on ''Wonder Woman'' during t ...

. Following their individual debuts, Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal were teamed and became stars of

' children's-comedy line. They first appeared together on a cover with ''Krazy Komics'' #5 (Jan. 1943), and continued as the cover feature through #24 (Sept. 1946), generally with their regular

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

, Toughy Cat; they also appeared on the ensemble cover of the final issue, #26 (Fall 1946). Ziggy and Silly became the cover stars of all eight issues of ''Animated Funny Comic-Tunes'' (#16-23, Summer 1944 - Fall 1946; Silly not on cover of #18), all seven issues of ''Silly Tunes'' (Fall 1945 - April 1947; as part of ensemble on last issue), on issues of ''Ideal Comics'', and elsewhere. They appear on the Super Rabbit-dominated ensemble covers on all but issues #10 & 12 of the dozen-issue ''All Surprise Comics'' (Fall 1943 - Winter 1946), and in both the ensemble covers and their own covers on all six issues of ''Comic Capers'' (Fall 1944 - Fall 1946). Ziggy and Silly headlined their own six-issue ''Ziggy Pig-Silly Seal Comics'' (Jan. 1944 - Sept. 1946). ''Silly Tunes'' #7 (April 1947) marked their final

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...

appearance. After this era, they reappeared in the

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

3-D comic book, ''Animal Fun 3-D'' (Dec. 1953), from Premier Magazines. Ziggy and Silly also appeared in issues of the unauthorized reprint titles ''Billy And Buggy Bear'', ''Wacky Duck'', ''Super Rabbit'', and ''Ziggy Pig'' from Israel Waldman's

I. W. Publications I.W. Publications (also known as Super Comics) was a short-lived comic book publisher in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The company was part of I.W. Enterprises, and named for the company's owner, Israel Waldman. I.W. Publications was notable fo ...

/ Super Comics, for a short time beginning in 1958. Ziggy and Silly appear, along with other Timely animals, in a 2009 issue of ''

Marvel Adventures Marvel Adventures, formerly Marvel Age, was an imprint of Marvel Comics intended for younger audiences, including small children. Unlike the standard comics published by Marvel, which often take place in story arcs spanning several issues, each Marv ...

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...

'' titled "A Timely Family Appearance". Previously Ziggy had appeared in a non-canonical Marvel novelty humor comic ''Marvel Fumetti Book'' #1 (April 1984), alongside artist Terry Austin in the two-page story "Inker-Dinker-Doo" by writer

Mike Carlin Michael Carlin (born October 6, 1958) is an American comic book writer, editor, and executive. He has worked principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics since the 1970s. Early life Carlin attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, ...

, photographer

Vince Colletta Vincenzo CollettaColletta, Vince, in (October 15, 1923 – June 3, 1991) was an American comic book artist and art director best known as one of Jack Kirby's frequent inkers during the 1950s-1960s period called the Silver Age of comic books. Thi ...

, and

penciller A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...

inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. The penciller creates a drawing, the inker outlines, interprets, finalizes, retraces this drawing by using a pencil ...

Austin. In 2018, Ziggy (via a photo) and Silly appear in Deadpool (2018) #8 in a story where Silly hires Deadpool.Deadpool (2018) #8
/ref> In 2019, Marvel released a ''Ziggy Pig–Silly Seal'' one-shot. In this issue, it's revealed that Deadpool was actually hired by Willy Seal, Silly's lookalike cousin.Exclusive Preview: ZIGGY PIG SILLY SEAL COMICS #1
at Freaksugar.comHow Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal Made Their Big Return to the Marvel Universe
at Marvel.com On August 19, 2022 Marvel released “Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal Infinity Comic” 8 issue series exclusively on the Marvel Unlimited app. The series follows the events from the 2019 Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal One-Shot.

Fictional character biographies

Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal are a type of traditional comedy duo, the

straight man The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the ...

and the stooge. Ziggy, who wears a blue hat and a black and yellow sweater with a red "Z", is the slightly smarter of the two, with Silly, a white seal with a toboggan cap and a scarf, the bumbling but occasionally triumphant sidekick whose "help" results in humorous complications. The two often find themselves united on comic book covers against

Toughy Cat.

In other media

The

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' is a 1989 American science fiction film, science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson (screenwriter), Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the Bill & T ...

'' features a scene in an

ice cream parlor Ice cream parlors (American English) or ice cream parlours (British English) are places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed or hard s ...

in which French

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, snatched through time, is challenged to eat a massive

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

concoction called a "Ziggy Pig". The crowd eggs him on with the chant, "Eat the Pig! / Eat the Pig! / Ziggy, Ziggy, Ziggy Zig!" After he does so, Napoleon receives a badge depicting the

character. Ziggy Pig is unrelated to the title character of the

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

''Ziggy Piggy and the Three Little Pigs'', by

Frank Asch Frank Asch (August 6, 1946 in Somerville, New Jersey – 2022) was an American children's book writer, best known for his Moonbear picture books. In 1968, Asch published his first picture book, '' George's Store''. The following year, he gr ...

(Kids Can Press, Ltd., 2001, , ), and to the piggy Ziggy in the children's book ''A Pig Tale'' by

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

, Brian Seth Hurst, and Sal Murdocca (

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

Children's Publishing, 1993, , ).

References

External links

Ziggy Pig
an
Silly Seal
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
at

Archived
from the original on November 25, 2009 *{{cite web, author-link=Scott Shaw (artist), last=Shaw, first= Scott, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041225172907/http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/oddball/index.cgi?date=2000-05-15 , archive-date=December 25, 2004, title=''Ziggy Pig - Silly Seal Comics'' Issue: Vol. 1, No. 6, publisher=Oddball Comics (column), ComicBookResources.com, date =May 15, 2000, url=http://www.oddballcomics.com/article.php?story=archive2000-05-15 , url-status=dead Timely Comics characters Golden Age comics titles Fictional pigs Fictional pinnipeds Anthropomorphic animal characters Comic strip duos 1942 comics debuts 1947 comics endings Comics characters introduced in 1942 Humor comics Fantasy comics Fictional duos Marvel Comics male characters Male characters in comics Comics about animals