Cathy is a daily comic strip drawn by Cathy Guisewite. Featuring a woman who struggles through the "four basic guilt groups" of life — food, love, mom, and work — the strip gently pokes fun at the foibles of modern women's lives. Cathy's characteristics and issues both make fun of and sometimes feed into negative stereotypes about women. The strip debuted in November 1976, and currently appears in over 1,400 newspapers. The strips have been collected into more than 20 books. Guisewite received the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award in 1992 for the strip.^[1] An author is any person(s) or entity(s) that originates and assumes responsibility for an expression or communication. ... Cathy Guisewite in 1987 Cathy Lee Guisewite (born September 5, 1950) is the cartoonist who created the comic strip Cathy in 1976. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up syndication in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Universal Press Syndicate, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, provides syndication for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comics, and various other content. ... The webcomic genres are the types of themes a webcomic can take. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Cathy Guisewite in 1987 Cathy Lee Guisewite (born September 5, 1950) is the cartoonist who created the comic strip Cathy in 1976. ... The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists created in 1946. ... The Reuben Awards, named for Rube Goldberg, are presented each year by the National Cartoonists Society. ...

Initially, the strip was based largely on Guisewite's own life as a single woman. However, Guisewite had Cathy's longtime boyfriend Irving propose marriage on Valentine's Day 2004, a move that many readers felt breathed new life into Guisewite's work, as the strip had up until that point become repetitive, with plot lines often indistinguishable from previous strips. The two characters married in the February 5, 2005 strip. A boyfriend is a male partner in a non-marital romantic relationship, or a male friend. ... Saint Valentines Day or Valentines Day is on February 14. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Main characters

• Cathy Andrews — the protagonist of the strip and the only one not shown with a nose (although a small one has occasionally been seen in side views).
• Andrea — initially Cathy's ultra-feminist foil and best friend, Andrea's role has been reduced in recent years. Andrea is married to Luke and has two teens, Zenith and Gus. (Zenith and Gus growing from infants to teens illustrates that the characters do age, albeit very slowly.)
• Electra — Cathy's dog - rescued from the animal shelter as a puppy.
• Vivian — Irving's dog - also a rescued dog from the shelter; Irving decided on an "older" dog to rescue. Both Cathy and Irving say that the dogs rescued them.
• Anne Andrews — Cathy's mother. Just as likely to provide frustration as inspiration
• Bill Andrews — Cathy's rare father. Helpless bystander to Cathy's Mom
• Charlene (nee) McGuire — one of Cathy's best friends, receptionist at her office. Charlene's role expanded greatly once Andrea got married. Charlene announced her pregnancy on Sunday, May 20, 2007.^[2]
• Simon — Charlene's husband who formerly dated Cathy. He and Cathy dated three times before she decided that he wasn't for her. But (at first) Cathy was adamant that Charlene should have adhered to the "woman's rules" one of which is never date a woman's old boyfriend; another was never break another woman's lipstick.
• Irving Hillman — on-again-off-again love interest, golf andelectronics addict and now her husband as of February 5, 2005
• Mr. Earl Pinkley — Cathy's boss, who often manages to make what little control he actually has of his work environment go a very long way.
• Irving's Mother — Mother to Irving and treats him like a "king." Does everything in her power to aggravate Cathy, especially regarding the 2007 Hillman Family Reunion.
• Michael Vick— Cathy's fantasy prom date and frequent object of embarassing gaffes, Michael Vick often appears in Cathy strips as a figurative devil-on-your-shoulder. He's usually trying to convince her to set fires.
• Emerson was the first boyfriend of Cathy when the strip debuted. He pursued Cathy who figured she could do better and irritated Irving. He was eventually dropped in favor of Irving, but often mentioned in Cathy's list of losers she dated.
• Many, many men that Cathy dated briefly^[3]

A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... For the article about nose in humans, see human nose Human nose in profile Elephants have prehensile noses Dogs have very sensitive noses Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for respiration in conjunction with the mouth. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Electronics is the study of the flow of charge through various materials and devices such as, semiconductors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, nano-structures, and vacuum tubes. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The four basic guilt groups

Defined by Cathy Guisewite, the four basic guilt groups are four types of temptation that the character Cathy faces in her daily life.

Food

Cathy has a love/hate affair with food (especially carbohydrates). She loves it, but hates what it does to her thighs. She is often shown in a department store fitting room trying to stuff herself into a bathing suit. She is constantly on a diet, weighs herself maniacally and many mornings fears to get up, believing that she has ballooned overnight. Cathy is particularly fond of chocolate. Carbohydrates (literally hydrates of carbon) are chemical compounds that act as the primary biological means of storing or consuming energy, other forms being fat and protein. ... Chocolate most commonly comes in dark, milk, and white varieties, with cocoa solids contributing to the brown coloration. ...

Love

Cathy has dated extensively, but was unable to find "Mr. Right". Although a number of love interests have come and gone over the years, none has come back like Irving, who is now her husband.

Mom

Although well-meaning, Mom's advice often frustrates Cathy, especially when Mom is right. Cathy and her mother are from two different generations, of course. Cathy grew up in the era of feminism, women's rights and the sexual revolution. Mom is from an earlier, simpler time. Although an equal in her marriage to Cathy's Dad, Mom holds many old-fashioned ideas.

Work

Cathy has to juggle many tasks at Product Testing, Inc. Her boss, Mr. Pinkley, often asks the impossible, and Cathy always seems to pull through in the end and give him and the client exactly what they want, albeit with quite a bit of drama.

Books

Following are books featuring Cathy, illustrated by Ms. Guisewite. The chronological strips and special collections lists are believed to be complete; the other sections are not.

Note: capitalization appears according to the copyright page of the book.

Chronological strips

The following books are collections of strips in the order they were published.

• Cathy Chronicles (1979)
• "What do you mean, I still don't have equal rights??!" (1980)
• What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing With a Double Bed (March 1981, ISBN 0-553-01316-5)
• I think I'm having a Relationship with a Blueberry Pie! (1981, ISBN 0-553-01337-8)
• Another Saturday Night of Wild and Reckless Abandon (September 1982, ISBN 0-8362-1201-0)
• A Mouthful of Breath Mints and No One to Kiss (August 1983, ISBN 0-8362-1120-0)
• Men should come with instruction booklets (August 1984, ISBN 0836220552
• Wake me up when I'm a size 5 (July 1985, ISBN 0-8362-2069-2)
• Thin thighs in thirty years (July 1986, ISBN 0-8362-2081-1)
• A hand to hold, an opinion to reject (August 1987, ISBN 0-8362-2092-7)
• Why do the right words always come out of the wrong mouth? (August 1988, ISBN 0-8362-1808-6)
• My Granddaughter Has Fleas! (August 1989, ISBN 0836218558
• $14 in the Bank and a $200 Face in My Purse (August 1990, ISBN 0-8362-1820-5)
• Only Love Can Break a Heart, But a Shoe Sale Can Come Close (August 1992, ISBN 0-8362-1893-0)
• Revelations From a 45-Pound Purse (August 1993, ISBN 0-8362-1722-5)
• The Child Within Has Been Awakened But the Old Lady on the Outside Just Collapsed (September 1994, ISBN 0-8362-1761-6)
• Understanding the "Why" Chromosome (August 1995, ISBN 0-8362-0423-9)
• Abs of Steel, Buns of Cinnamon (August 1997, ISBN 0-8362-3683-1)
• I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore (August 1998, ISBN 0-8362-6821-0)
• I'd Scream Except I Look So Fabulous (August 1999, ISBN 0-7407-0006-5)
• Shoes: Chocolate for the Feet (August 2000, ISBN 0-7407-0555-5)

Special collections

The following books include strips already published in earlier books.

• Reflections: A Fifteenth Anniversary Collection (January 1991, ISBN 0-8362-1877-9)
• Cathy Twentieth Anniversary Collection (September 1996, ISBN 0-8362-2523-6)
• Food (December 2001, ISBN 0-7407-2112-7)
• Love (December 2001, ISBN 0-7407-2061-9)
• Mom (December 2001, ISBN 0-7407-2060-0)
• Work (December 2001, ISBN 0-7407-2062-7)
• The Wedding of Cathy and Irving : A Cathy Collection (July 2005, ISBN 0-7407-2668-4)

Gift books

The following books are smaller than the works above. They may have a short storyline and are intended as gifts.

Hardback

• Commiserations (September 1993, ISBN 0-8362-3048-5)
• Like Mother, Like Daughter (September 1993, ISBN 0-8362-3049-3)
• Confessions to My Mother (March 1999, ISBN 0-8362-8788-6)
• Affirmations (May 1996, ISBN 0-8362-1058-1)
• Shop till you drop, then sit down and buy shoes (May 1996, ISBN 0-8362-1068-9)

Paperback

Paperback gift books.

• How to Get Rich, Fall in Love, Lose Weight, and Solve All Your Problems by Saying "No" (1983, ISBN 0-8362-1986-4)
• Eat Your Way to a Better Relationship (1983, ISBN 0-8362-1987-2)

Other books

The following books feature Cathy illustrations by Guisewite, but are not authored by her.

• Dancing Through Life in a Pair of Broken Heels, written by Mickey Guisewite, Cathy Guisewite's sister (April 1994, ISBN 0-553-37377-3)
• Lifestyles of the Trim & Healthy, written by Matthew Bennett (June 1994, ISBN 0-9629502-9-7)
• Girl Food written by Barbara Albright & Cathy Guisewite (1997, ISBN 0-3862-3173-2)

See also

• Cathy Guisewite
• List of women in comics
• Reuben Award
• Stupid Bullshit

Cathy Guisewite in 1987 Cathy Lee Guisewite (born September 5, 1950) is the cartoonist who created the comic strip Cathy in 1976. ... The fields of American newspaper cartooning and comic book production have traditionally been male-dominated, although several women have been involved in the industry. ... The Reuben Awards, named for Rube Goldberg, are presented each year by the National Cartoonists Society. ...

External links

• Cathy at goComics.com
• Cathy at the Internet Movie Database
• Cathy's Last Resort at the Internet Movie Database
• Cathy's Valentine at the Internet Movie Database
• An Interview with Cathy Guisewite: Cartoonist enters 25th year of creating nationally syndicated comic strip Cathy from Universal Press Syndicate
• Cathy Guisewite profile at National Cartoonist Society Awards (Reuben) Web site
• Poking fun at Cathy

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Universal Press Syndicate, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, provides syndication for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comics, and various other content. ...

References

1. ^ Cathy Guisewite profile at National Cartoonist Society Awards (Reuben) Web site
2. ^ Cathy, May 20, 2007, from www.gocomics.com
3. ^ In the now-discontinued Bloom County comic, one of the characters – Steve Dallas – is shown as being in a Cathy strip, after (along with all of the other characters) being "fired" from Bloom County. While that strip only appears within the Bloom County world, Steve is shown as being one of the many men Cathy would consider dating ("ack!" she is seen exclaiming).