''Broom-Hilda'' is an American newspaper

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

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 ...

Russell Myers Russell Kommer Myers (born October 9, 1938) is an Americans, American cartoonist best known for his newspaper comic strip ''Broom-Hilda''. Born in Pittsburg, Kansas, Myers was raised in Oklahoma where his father taught at the University of Tulsa ...

. Distributed by

Tribune Content Agency Tribune Content Agency (TCA) is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (CTNYNS), Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media S ...

, it depicts the misadventures of a man-crazy, cigar-smoking, beer-guzzling, 1,500-year-old

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

and her

motley crew Motley is the traditional costume of the court jester, the motley fool, or the arlecchino character in '' commedia dell'arte''. The harlequin wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds that is still a fashion motif. The word ''motley'' ...

of friends. The original idea for ''Broom-Hilda'' came from Elliot Caplin, brother of ''

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbilly, hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written a ...

'' cartoonist Al Capp. He described the main character to Myers, who responded with a sketch of the witch and several samples. Caplin, acting as Myers' business manager, submitted these to the

Chicago Tribune Syndicate Tribune Content Agency (TCA) is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (CTNYNS), Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media S ...

. Introduced on April 19, 1970, it became an immediate success. ''Broom-Hilda'' was reprinted in several collections during the 1970s and 1980s.

Characters and story

Although events mostly take place during the present in an unidentified forest, the setting changes. Locales change drastically from day to day—and background details can change from panel to panel within the same strip, while the characters remain stationary (much like the backgrounds in '' Krazy Kat''). Broom-Hilda is capable of

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

, reappearing in various centuries throughout history to chat with (burlesque versions of) diverse historical figures. * Broom-Hilda (a pun on

Brünnhilde Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( non, Brynhildr , gmh, Brünhilt, german: Brünhild , label= Modern German or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess Brunhilda ...

) is a witch with green skin, long, stringy hair, and a wart on the end of her nose. She wears a black dress, black shoes, striped stockings (one perpetually drooping) and a black hat with a daisy on top. According to the strip's official site, Broom-Hilda is

Attila the Hun Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and Ea ...

's ex-wife. She is perpetually looking for a new husband, but, due to her abrasive nature, the quest has thus far been unsuccessful. Early in the strip's run, she gave up cigar smoking and beer. She served in the United States Marine Corps for two days and was discharged for unnecessary roughness (glimpses of her underpants reveal a

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

label). A hint to her rough-hewn side occurs in one strip where she is buying underwear. The clerk suggests a set of underwear, each one bearing the days of the week. She asks if she can get a set with the months of the year. * Irwin Troll has much hair, but little intelligence. Perpetually innocent and naïve to the point of imbecility, he is a simple-minded, sweet-natured, nature-loving character — very unlike Broom-Hilda. * Gaylord Buzzard is a neurotic intellectual who wears thick, horn-rimmed glasses, spats and (sometimes) a

fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

for reading. Worldly, egotistical and sarcastic, he enjoys playing

practical joke A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

s on the other characters, particularly Broom-Hilda. Gaylord is a vegetarian. He bears the scar of a youth spent in movie theaters: He's hopelessly addicted to popcorn. * Nerwin Troll is Irwin's smart-aleck nephew, attaining the name from a newspaper contest as a blend of "nerd" and "Irwin". Irwin broke the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

to address readers. Nerwin is often drawn wearing a

propeller beanie In the United States, a beanie is a head-hugging brimless cap, sometimes made from triangular panels of material joined by a button at the crown and seamed together around the sides. Beanies may be made of cloth, felt, wool, leather, or silk. In ...

, giving him the look of a stereotypical comic strip representation of a bratty

juvenile delinquent Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...

, and he has also been known to frequently behave as such. * Grelber is never seen except for his eyes and perpetually grinning teeth, always peering out from a hollow log perched on the edge of a cliff. Mysterious and openly malevolent, he dispenses "Free insults", as a sign at the entrance of his log proclaims. * Wolfie is Broom-Hilda's small, timid pet wolf. Though an animal who never speaks, he is capable of intelligent thought, ''à la''

Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...

. * Big Lump, a large dinosaur-like creature, appeared in the strip's early years.

Animation

''Broom-Hilda'' was adapted twice for animated television series. The first was part of ''

Archie's TV Funnies ''Archie's TV Funnies'' is a Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation which appeared on CBS from September 11, 1971, to September 1, 1973. The series starred Bob Montana's Archie characters, including Archie Andrews, Betty C ...

'' (1971), an animated series set in a television station run by

Archie Andrews Archibald "Archie" Andrews, created in 1941 by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom,

and his friends. ''Broom-Hilda'' was one of the comic strips featured on their show, along with ''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

'', ''

Moon Mullins ''Moon Mullins'' is an American comic strip which had a run as both a daily and Sunday feature from June 19, 1923 to June 2, 1991. Syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/New York News Syndicate, the strip depicts the lives of diverse lowbrow characte ...

'', ''

Emmy Lou Marty Links (September 5, 1917 – January 6, 2008) was an People of the United States, American cartoonist best known for her syndicated comic strip ''Emmy Lou''. Biography Born Martha B. Links in Oakland, California, she moved with her family ...

'', ''

The Captain and the Kids ''The Katzenjammer Kids'' is an American comic strip created by Rudolph Dirks in 1897 and later drawn by Harold Knerr for 35 years (1914 to 1949).The Dropouts Howard "Howie" Post (November 2, 1926 – May 21, 2010) Alternate source: "'Dropouts' cartoonist Howard Post dies in NJ at 83", Associated Press via ''The Washington Post'', May 24, 2010 was an American animator, cartoonist, and comic strip an ...

'', '' Nancy'' and '' Smokey Stover''. The series was produced by

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...

Associates. Broom-Hilda's voice was provided by

Jane Webb Jane Webb Karyl, (August 13, 1925 – March 30, 2010) best known as Jane Webb, was an American film, radio, and voice actress, best known for her work on Filmation's cartoons. Early years Webb's mother was Estelle Sigrid Webb, a Swedish immigran ...

(also the voice of

Betty Cooper Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper is one of the main characters appearing in American comic books published by Archie Comics. She is the lead guitarist, percussionist and one of the three singers of The Archies. The character was created by Bob Montana an ...

and

Veronica Lodge Veronica Cecilia Lodge is one of the main characters in the Archie Comics franchise, and is the keyboardist and one of the three vocalists of rock band The Archies. She is from New York but currently resides in the town of Riverdale, with her ...

). ''Broom-Hilda'' returned in another Filmation series, ''

Fabulous Funnies ''Fabulous Funnies'' is a 1978–1979 American animated children's show produced for Saturday morning television by Filmation. The show aired for one season from September 9, 1978, to December 1, 1978, on NBC, airing 13 episodes. The show was a ...

'' (1978). Thirteen episodes were produced, and the series ran for one season on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. The show featured animated versions of several famous comic strips, including ''

Tumbleweeds A tumbleweed is a kind of plant habit or structure. Tumbleweed, tumble-weed or tumble weed may also refer to: Films * ''Tumbleweeds'' (1925 film), William S. Hart film * ''Tumbling Tumbleweeds'' (1935 film), Gene Autry film * ''Tumbleweed'' (1 ...

'', ''

Alley Oop ''Alley Oop'' is a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association. Hamlin introduced a cast of colorful characters an ...

'' and ''Nancy''. Voices were provided by

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...

(Broom-Hilda), Bob Holt (Gaylord) and

Alan Oppenheimer Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930) is an American actor. He has performed numerous roles on live action television since the 1960s, and he has had an active career doing voice work since the 1970s. Early life Oppenheimer was born in New Yor ...

(Irwin and Grelber). The character also made a brief animated appearance in ''The Fantastic Funnies'' (1980), a TV special that aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

showcasing newspaper cartoonists. The animation sequence was produced by

Bill Melendez Productions Melendez Films (formerly Bill Melendez Productions and Melendez Features, Inc.) is a film animation studio. It was founded in 1962 by Steven C. Melendez, the son of ''Peanuts'' animator Bill Melendez. The studio produced the ambitious animated ...

. June Foray was brought back to voice the character.

Other media

A live-action ''Broom-Hilda'' sketch was included in the special ''Mother's Day Sunday Funnies'' broadcast May 8, 1983, on

. In 2004, it was announced that there would be a

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

based on the comic strip characters, written by

Martin Charnin Martin Charnin (November 24, 1934 – July 6, 2019) was an American lyricist, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director, and lyricist of the musical '' Annie.'' Life and career Charnin was born in New York ...

(''

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

'') and

Kurt Andersen Kurt Andersen (born August 22, 1954) is an American writer and was the host of the Peabody-winning public radio program ''Studio 360'', a production of Public Radio International, ''Slate'', and WNYC. Early life and education Andersen was bo ...

( ''Spy'' magazine). The music was composed by

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ) (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as ...

. There was discussion of casting with Andersen suggesting

Catherine Zeta-Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed C ...

for the title role, but the show was not produced. Grelber also appeared as a computer program on old

Unix Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...

systems. Typing the command "Grelber" would cause the computer to insult the user.

Awards

Myers won the

National Cartoonists Society The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

's Humor Comic Strip Award for 1975 for his work on the strip. Caplin died in 2000. Myers continues to write and draw the strip, compiling a large backlog of strips in the event poor health were to prevent him from meeting his syndication requirements.news from me – ARCHIVES

Russell Myers collections

*''Broom-Hilda'' (1971) Lancer Books *''I Love You, Broom-Hilda'' (1973) Tempo Books *''Broom-Hilda Rides Again!'' (1975) Tempo *''Ugly Is as Ugly Does: The Broom-Hilda Story'' (1976) Tempo *''Flying Low with Broom-Hilda'' (1976) Tempo *''Broom-Hilda Presents: Mother Nature's Personal Friend, Irwin Troll'' (1976) Tempo *''Losing Control with Broom-Hilda'' (1976) Tempo *''Popcorn Sandwiches! A Broom-Hilda Book'' (1977) Tempo *''Broom-Hilda: Baying at the Moon and Other Tales of Unrequited Love'' (1977) Tempo *''Boo! Broom-Hilda'' (1977) Tempo *''X-Rated X-Rays: A Broom-Hilda Book'' (1978) Tempo *''Broom-Hilda: Growing Old Gracelessly and Other Indignities'' (1978) Tempo *''Broom-Hilda: Never Stilt-Walk in Gopher Country'' (1978) Ace Books *''Broom-Hilda: Life Begins at 1500'' (1981) Fawcett *''Open at You Own Risk!! A Broom-Hilda Book'' (1981) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: (Comic) Strip Tease'' (1982) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: Sneaky Volcanos'' (1982) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: Doing What I Do Best'' (1984) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: Never Trust Short Green People!'' (1984) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: I Always Get My Mountie!'' (1985) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: Lookin' Good!'' (1985) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: Space Junk'' (1986) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: One Rotten Apple'' (1986) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: Sore Loser'' (1987) Fawcett *''Broom-Hilda: The Backward Heimlich'' (1987) Fawcett

Theme park

Universal's Islands of Adventure Universal's Islands of Adventure (also known as Islands of Adventure or IOA), originally called Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened on May 28, 1999, along with CityWalk, as part of an ...

, in Toon Lagoon, Broom-Hilda can be seen in front of the entrance of Comic Strip Cafe.

Notes

External links

Official site
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
from the original on February 22, 2018.
Voices of Oklahoma interview.
First person interview conducted on April 20, 2020 with Russell Myers. {{Portal bar, Comics 1970 comics debuts American comics characters Comics about magic Comics about women Comics adapted into animated series Comics adapted into television series Comics characters who use magic Comic strips syndicated by Tribune Content Agency Female characters in comics Fictional witches Gag-a-day comics