Dagwood Bumstead

Dagwood Bumstead
Dagwood Bumstead, and his invention, the 'Dagwood Sandwich'
Publication information
Publisher	King Features Syndicate
First appearance	Prior to February 17, 1933
Created by	Chic Young

Dagwood Bumstead is a main character in the long-running comic strip Blondie. He first appeared sometime prior to February 17, 1933.

He was originally heir to the Bumstead Locomotive fortune but was disowned when he married a flapper (originally known as Blondie Boopadoop) whom his family saw as below his class. He has since worked hard at J.C. Dithers & Company (currently as the construction company's office manager) to support his family. The Bumsteads' first baby, Alexander, was originally referred to as "Baby Dumpling". His younger sister Cookie's name was chosen by readers, via a national contest. The family circle is rounded out by Daisy, the dog.^[1]

His favorite things in life include his wife Blondie, his kids, naps on the sofa, long, uninterrupted baths, and food. Dagwood was famous for concocting tall, multi-layered sandwiches topped with an olive on a toothpick as between- meal snacks. The term "Dagwood sandwich" has entered American English. He frequently has problems with door-to-door salesmen, rude telemarketers and store salespeople, crashing into the mailman (Mr. Beasley) as he rushes from home, getting ready before the carpool leaves without him, getting to work on time, and his boss, Mr. J.C. Dithers. Other characters in his universe include Elmo Tuttle, a pesky little neighborhood kid who wanders in and out of the Bumstead house, next-door neighbors Herb and Tootsie Woodley, Lou, the sarcastic cook in a local diner, and Mr. Dithers' domineering wife, Cora.

Appearances in other media

Over the years, Dagwood has appeared not only in daily newspapers but in comic books, Big Little Books, Whitman novels for children, and other print materials as well as radio, film, and television. Arthur Lake played Dagwood Bumstead in the Blondie film series from 1938-1950, and Will Hutchins played Dagwood in a TV version in 1968-1969. He makes several cameo appearances in Garfield Gets Real, alongside Grimmy from Mother Goose and Grimm and several characters from made-up comics.

References