''Sarah's Scribbles'' is a

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...

Sarah Andersen Sarah C. Andersen (born June 15, 1992) is an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for the webcomics '' Sarah's Scribbles'' and ''Fangs''. Currently based in Portland, Oregon, she has collaborated with artists and writers like Andy Weir ...

started in 2011. Andersen initially published the webcomic on

Tumblr Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...

, but has since released it on various services, such as

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

Tapas Tapas () are appetisers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. They can be combined to make a full meal and are served cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as , which are battered, fried baby squid; or , spicy potatoes). In some bars ...

and her own website. ''Sarah's Scribbles'' follows Andersen's experiences as a

millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ...

and focuses on themes such as

adulthood An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...

and maturity. The comic receives millions of views on the Tapas platform and has won multiple Goodreads Choice Awards and a Ringo Award. Andersen has published four print collections of the webcomic: ''Adulthood is a Myth''; ''Big Mushy Happy Lump''; ''Herding Cats''; and ''Oddball''.

Overview

''Sarah's Scribbles'' focuses on adulthood and the maturity of the

millennial generation Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ...

. Andersen described millennials as "liking to laugh at themselves," making common use of self-deprecating humour. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' described ''Sarah's Scribbles'' as "relatable comics capturing the dilemmas of a bug-eyed millennial who feels ill-equipped for grown-up life." The webcomic is semi-autobiographical, following Andersen's experiences as well as those of her friends and pets. Andersen has said that the main character is "technically" called Sarah, as the character is her, but she avoids using her name, saying: "I feel like people project themselves onto her... I feel like calling her Sarah within the panels has this strange effect of making her more of an individual and less relatable." Andersen's webcomic follows the messy-haired protagonist, who has to deal with

social anxiety Social anxiety is the anxiety and fear specifically linked to being in social settings (i.e., interacting with others). Some categories of disorders associated with social anxiety include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, autism spectrum dis ...

body image Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in several disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, psycho ...

issues and

laziness Laziness (also known as indolence or sloth) is emotional disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or to exert oneself. It is often used as a pejorative; terms for a person seen to be lazy include " couch potato" ...

. One comic shows Andersen 'borrowing' a sweater from her boyfriend; other topics include being made to feel inadequate by fitness fanatics, dreading Mondays, considering matching socks an achievement while former school friends raise children. The comic has also been described as a satire of "toxic masculinity" by some sources. Andersen said in 2016 she mainly gains inspiration from her own life and from seeing what people on the internet are thinking and feeling.

Development

Andersen started creating and uploading ''Sarah's Scribbles'' on

in 2013. She was studying at the

Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a Private university, private art school, art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, it is regarded as one of ...

at the time, and after she graduated in 2014 she worked on the webcomic full-time. According to Andersen, the comic was originally called ''Doodle Time'', but

GoComics GoComics is a website launched in 2005 by the digital entertainment provider Uclick. It was originally created as a distribution portal for comic strips on mobile phones. However, in 2006, the site was redesigned and expanded to include online st ...

asked Andersen to change the name when they syndicated it. Andersen has said that publishing ''Sarah's Scribbles'' as a webcomic allows her to observe the reactions of her readership in real time, which she said allows her to do a better job. Andersen's webcomic has a five-panel format, which Andersen developed because it worked well with the scroll display of

and continues to work well on other websites, such as

. In March 2016, Andersen released a print collection of ''Sarah's Scribbles'' comics titled ''Adulthood is a Myth''. The book was published by

Andrews McMeel Publishing Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (formerly Andrews, McMeel and Parker (1975–1986) and Andrews and McMeel (1986–1997)) is a company that publishes books, calendars, and related toys. It is a part of Andrews McMeel Universal, which comprises A ...

. A follow-up was published in March 2017, titled ''Big Mushy Happy Lump,'' and a third volume, ''Herding Cats'' was released in March 2018, all from the same publisher. ''Oddball'' was later released. She has also released a calendar and planner featuring her comics. The first book, ''Adulthood is a Myth'', has been translated into multiple languages, and there are several fan translations of the webcomic. Andersen said that she is often asked what the character of Sarah "would be like all grown up", and has said that "in some ways ''Fangs'' nother comic by Andersenhas the answer."

Reception

''Sarah's Scribbles'' was the second-most read comic on the Tapas platform in 2019, with 46.9 million views and 176,000 subscribers. Every ''Sarah's Scribbles'' book has won the

Goodreads Choice Award The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most books that Good ...

in the "Graphic Novel & Comics" category, winning in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The webcomic won the

Ringo Award The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Ringo Awards, are prizes given for achievement in comic books. They are named in honor of artist Mike Wieringo and they were founded by the Reisterstown, Maryland–based C ...

for Best Comic Strip or Panel in 2018, and was nominated for Best Comic Strip or Panel and for Best Cartoonist in 2020. In 2024 Andersen won the

Reuben Award 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 ...

in the category "Online Comic Short Form". ''The Independent'' has described her first book as "hilarious" and "relatable" and her webcomic as capturing the horrible realization that being a grown-up is pretty awful. ''The Beat'' said of ''Sarah's Scribbles'', "bottom line, people like a short laugh that reflects their live as it is lived."

References

External links

*
''Sarah's Scribbles''
on Tapastic
''Sarah's Scribbles''
on

''Sarah's Scribbles''
on

Webtoon Webtoons () are a type of episodic digital comics that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allo ...

{{Webtoon (platform) 2010s webcomics 2011 webcomic debuts 2016 graphic novels Tapastic webcomics Webtoons