The comic strip Dilbert as drawn by Family Circus' Bil Keane on April Fool's Day 1997.

The comic strip Family Circus as drawn by Dilbert's Scott Adams on April Fool's Day 1997.

The Comic strip switcheroo (also known as the "Great Comics Switcheroonie" or the "Great April Fools Switcheroonie") was a series of jokes played out between comic strip writers and artists, without the foreknowledge of their editors, on April Fool's Day 1997. The Switcheroo was masterminded by comic strip creators Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott, creators of the Baby Blues daily newspaper comic strip. Image File history File links DilbertSwitch. ... Image File history File links DilbertSwitch. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Family Circus (originally, The Family Circle) is a syndicated comic strip by artist and comedian Bil Keane. ... Bil Keane (1922- ) is an American cartoonist best known for his work on the long-running strip The Family Circus, which began its run in 1960 and is still going strong. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links FamilyCircusSwitch. ... Image File history File links FamilyCircusSwitch. ... The Family Circus (originally, The Family Circle) is a syndicated comic strip by artist and comedian Bil Keane. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Scott Adams (born June 8, 1957) is the creator of the Dilbert comic strip and the author of several business commentaries, social satires, and experimental philosophy books. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rick Kirkman is a cartoonist whose work includes the comic strip Baby Blues. ... Jerry Scott was born in South Bend, Indiana on May 2, 1955. ... Baby Blues title frame from December 8th, 2002 The title frame from 1997, April 20, a Sunday strip Wanda Wizowski-MacPherson pulling Bullwinkle from a hat For the Chinese TV drama series, see Baby Blues (TV series). ...

According to Brian Walker's book The Comics: Since 1945, forty-six different syndicated artists participated. Note that several of these switches were one for one (Mike Peters trading with Lynn Johnston, Scott Adams and Bil Keane, Jeff MacNelly and Mort Walker), while several comics did more of a three-way or multiple swap, and one artist (Kevin Fagan) just swapped hands for the day. However, Charles Schulz (creator of Peanuts) and Patrick McDonnell (creator of Mutts) were slated to do each other's strips (Schulz doing Mutts, McDonnell doing Peanuts) for the Comic strip switcheroo, but backed out because one of them didn't think it was a good idea. There were no "rules" so to speak; each artist was permitted to do what they wanted. Mike Peters photo by Greg Preston Mike Peters is an American cartoonist. ... Lynn Johnston (born May 28, 1947) is a big geek who is most known for her attractive eyes and her comic strip For Better or For Worse, and was the first female cartoonist to win the prestigious Reuben Award. ... Scott Adams (born June 8, 1957) is the creator of the Dilbert comic strip and the author of several business commentaries, social satires, and experimental philosophy books. ... Bil Keane (1922- ) is an American cartoonist best known for his work on the long-running strip The Family Circus, which began its run in 1960 and is still going strong. ... Jeffrey Kenneth MacNelly (1948 - June 8, 2000) was a famous American editorial cartoonist, widely considered to be one of the best editorial cartoonists of the modern era. ... Mort Walker (Addison Morton Walker) (born September 3, 1923) is a U.S. comic artist, best known for creating the newspaper comic strips Beetle Bailey in 1950 and Hi and Lois in 1954. ... Kevin Fagan (born April 25, 1963) is a former American Football defensive end who played seven seasons for the San Francisco 49ers from 1987 to 1993 in the National Football League. ... Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 - February 12, 2000) was a 20th-century American cartoonist best known for his Peanuts comic strip. ... Charlie Brown is the principal character of the Peanuts comic strip. ... Patrick McDonnell Self-Portrait Patrick McDonnell (born March 17, 1956) is the creator of the daily comic strip Mutts. ... Mutts is a daily comic strip started by Patrick McDonnell in 1994, based around the foibles of pets and their owners. ... Mutts is a daily comic strip started by Patrick McDonnell in 1994, based around the foibles of pets and their owners. ... Charlie Brown is the principal character of the Peanuts comic strip. ...

The one-day experiment proved to be a success of sorts, garnering some publicity and being a harmless yet amusing prank played on the newspapers, the readers, and the comic syndicates.

While characters making guest appearances in other comic strips is not a new phenomenon (Dan Piraro's Bizarro does this often, as does Stephan Pastis' Pearls Before Swine), this was the largest of its scale. Dan Piraro is a surrealist painter, illustrator, and cartoonist best-known for his award-winning syndicated panel cartoon Bizarro. ... Bizarro is a single panel cartoon written and drawn by cartoonist Dan Piraro. ... Stephan Pastis is the creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. ... Pig and Rat in Pearls Before Swine Pearls Before Swine is a comic strip written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis, formerly an unhappy lawyer in San Francisco. ...

While this prank has not occurred again with as many participating artists in newspaper comics (as of 2005), it still lives on, in webcomics, where Internet cartoonists occasionally switch places with one another. Guest character tributes have also appeared since 1997, notably in May 2000 and on 30 October 2005, both tributes to Charles M. Schulz and Peanuts. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Web comics are comics that are available on the web. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was a 20th-century American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip. ... Charlie Brown is the principal character of the Peanuts comic strip. ...

Strips and creators involved

The 1 April 1997 comics were swapped as follows:

• Baby Blues was drawn by Stephen Bentley (Herb and Jamaal).
• Barney Google and Snuffy Smith was drawn by Hank Ketcham (Dennis the Menace)
• Beetle Bailey was drawn by Jeff MacNelly (Shoe): Skyler got stuck at Camp Swampy.
• Betty was drawn by Dave Whamond (Reality Check).
• Big Nate was drawn by Scott Stantis (The Buckets).
• Bizarro was drawn by Bill Griffith (Zippy the Pinhead).
• Blondie was drawn by Jim Davis (Garfield): Garfield stole one of Dagwood Bumstead's famous sandwiches.
• The Born Loser was drawn by Brian Crane (Pickles).
• The Buckets was drawn by Jan Eliot (Stone Soup).
• Dennis the Menace was drawn by Fred Lasswell (Barney Google and Snuffy Smith)
• Dilbert was drawn by Bil Keane (Family Circus).
• Drabble was drawn by Kevin Fagan (its creator) using his left hand instead of his right
• The Duplex was drawn by Delainey and Rasmussen (Betty).
• Ernie was drawn by J. C. Duffy (The Fusco Brothers).
• Family Circus was drawn by Scott Adams (Dilbert).
• For Better or For Worse was drawn by Mike Peters (Mother Goose and Grimm): The characters of John and Elly Patterson got 'stuck' with dialogue balloons of the characters of Mother Goose and Grimm.
• FoxTrot was drawn by Brad and Guy Gilchrist (Nancy).
• Garfield was drawn by Young & Drake (Blondie), who had Jon and Garfield visit the Bumsteads.
• Hägar the Horrible was drawn by Wiley Miller (Non Sequitur).
• Hi and Lois was drawn by Greg Evans (Luann)
• I Need Help was drawn by Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate)
• Jump Start was drawn by Walker and Browne (Hi and Lois).
• Luann was drawn by Dan Piraro (Bizarro)
• Nancy was drawn by Pat Brady (Rose Is Rose).
• Non Sequitur was drawn by Robb Armstrong (Jump Start).
• The Norm was drawn by Bill Holbrook (On the Fastrack).
• On the Fastrack was drawn by Jim Toomey (Sherman's Lagoon).
• Pavlov was drawn by V. Lee (I Need Help).
• Pickles was drawn by Michael Jantze (The Norm).
• Reality Check was drawn by Bruce Beattie (Beattie Blvd.)
• Rose Is Rose was drawn by Brooke McEldowney (9 Chickweed Lane)
• Sherman's Lagoon was drawn by Kirkman and Scott (Baby Blues).
• Stone Soup was drawn by Glenn McCoy (The Duplex).
• Tank McNamara was drawn by Chip Sansom (The Born Loser).
• Zippy the Pinhead was drawn by Bill Amend (FoxTrot).
• The artist and writer behind Sally Forth switched roles for a day.

Baby Blues title frame from December 8th, 2002 The title frame from 1997, April 20, a Sunday strip Wanda Wizowski-MacPherson pulling Bullwinkle from a hat For the Chinese TV drama series, see Baby Blues (TV series). ... Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, originally Barney Google, is a long-running American comic strip. ... Henry King Ketcham (1920-2001), commonly known as Hank Ketcham, was an American cartoonist who created the Dennis the Menace comic strip, writing and drawing it from 1951 to 1994. ... Dennis the Menace is a comic strip (single panel on weekdays, full strip on Sundays) originally created by Hank Ketcham. ... Beetle Bailey Beetle Bailey (begun on September 4, 1950) is a comic strip set in the United States Army, created by Mort Walker. ... Jeffrey Kenneth MacNelly (1948 - June 8, 2000) was a famous American editorial cartoonist, widely considered to be one of the best editorial cartoonists of the modern era. ... Shoe is the name of a comic strip which was written and drawn by its creator Jeff MacNelly until his death in 2000. ... The Buckets is a comic strip written by Scott Stantis and illustrated by Greg Cravens. ... Bizarro is a single panel cartoon written and drawn by cartoonist Dan Piraro. ... Bill Griffith (born 1944) is a popular cartoonist best known for his comic strip Zippy the Pinhead. ... Zippy the Pinhead is the main character in the comic strip of the same name, created by Bill Griffith. ... Blondie logo, featuring Dagwood, Blondie, Daisy the dog, son Alexander, and daughter Cookie. ... Jim Davis with Odie the Dog on the left and Garfield the Cat on the right James Robert Davis (born July 28, 1945), is an American cartoonist who created the popular comic strip Garfield in 1978; Garfield is now one of the most popular cartoon characters in the world. ... Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis, featuring the cat Garfield, the pet dog Odie, and their socially inept owner Jon Arbuckle. ... Dagwood Bumstead is a fictional character in the comic strip Blondie, who was introduced prior to February 17, 1933. ... The Born Loser is a comic strip created by Art Sansom in 1965. ... Brian Crane is the cartoonist who created the comic strip Pickles. ... Pickles is a comic strip by Brian Crane focusing on a retired couple in their 70s, Earl and Opal Pickles. ... The Buckets is a comic strip written by Scott Stantis and illustrated by Greg Cravens. ... Jan Eliot is an American cartoonist. ... Stone Soup is a nationally syndicated American comic strip written and illustrated by Jan Elliot. ... Dennis the Menace is one of two cartoon characters. ... Fred Lasswell (July 25, 1916-March 4, 2001) is an American cartoonist best known for his work on the comic strip Barney Google and Snuffy Smith. ... Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, originally Barney Google, is a long-running American comic strip. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Bil Keane (1922- ) is an American cartoonist best known for his work on the long-running strip The Family Circus, which began its run in 1960 and is still going strong. ... The Family Circus (originally, The Family Circle) is a syndicated comic strip by artist and comedian Bil Keane. ... Drabble is a comic strip by Kevin Fagan, launched in 1979. ... Kevin Fagan (born April 25, 1963) is a former American Football defensive end who played seven seasons for the San Francisco 49ers from 1987 to 1993 in the National Football League. ... The Duplex is a comic strip by Glenn McCoy, published by Universal Press from 1993. ... The Piranha Club is the title of a comic strip by Bud Grace, which started under the title Ernie. ... The Family Circus (originally, The Family Circle) is a syndicated comic strip by artist and comedian Bil Keane. ... Scott Adams (born June 8, 1957) is the creator of the Dilbert comic strip and the author of several business commentaries, social satires, and experimental philosophy books. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For Better or For Worse (FBorFW) is a comic strip by Lynn Johnston that began in September 1979. ... Mike Peters photo by Greg Preston Mike Peters is an American cartoonist. ... Mother Goose and Grimm is an internationally-syndicated cartoon strip by Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Mike Peters. ... Mother Goose and Grimm is an internationally-syndicated cartoon strip by Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Mike Peters. ... First panel of FoxTrot Sunday strips as of 1999. ... Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis, featuring the cat Garfield, the pet dog Odie, and their socially inept owner Jon Arbuckle. ... Hägar the Horrible Hägar the Horrible is the title and the name of the main character of a syndicated comic strip by Dik Browne, first seen in February 1973 and distributed to 1,900 newspapers in 58 countries, in 13 languages. ... Wiley Miller (born 1951 in California) is an American cartoonist who brings wry wit, imaginative concepts, superior drawing skills and trenchant social satire to the mainstream syndicated comic strip pages. ... Non Sequitur is a comic strip created by Wiley Miller in 1991 and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate to over 700 newspapers. ... Hi and Lois is a comic strip about a suburban family. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... A jump start is a colloquial term for a method of starting an automobile or other internal combustion engine-powered vehicle having a discharged battery. ... Luann is a syndicated comic strip, distributed in newspapers by United Features Syndicate since March 15, 1987, featuring the ups and downs of life for a typical American teen-aged girl, Luann DeGroot. ... Nancy is an American daily comic strip written and drawn by Ernie Bushmiller. ... Rose Is Rose is a syndicated comic strip portraying a suburban family in which the husband and wife are deeply in love with each other and dotingly fond of their son. ... Non Sequitur is a comic strip created by Wiley Miller in 1991 and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate to over 700 newspapers. ... Robb Armstrong is the creator of the comic strip Jump Start. ... On the Fastrack is a comic strip drawn by Bill Holbrook about the doings of various characters at the fictional Fastrack, Inc. ... Shermans Lagoon is a cartoon strip that is syndicated daily in over 150 newspapers worldwide. ... Pickles is a comic strip by Brian Crane focusing on a retired couple in their 70s, Earl and Opal Pickles. ... The Norm was a CBC radio comedy show than ran between 1986 to 1988. ... Reality Check was a television show about Jack Craft, a man who is stuck in a mainframe. ... Rose Is Rose is a syndicated comic strip portraying a suburban family in which the husband and wife are deeply in love with each other and dotingly fond of their son. ... Brooke McEldowney is the creator of two popular comic strips, Pibgorn and 9 Chickweed Lane. ... Edda goes wading. ... Shermans Lagoon is a cartoon strip that is syndicated daily in over 150 newspapers worldwide. ... Stone Soup is a nationally syndicated American comic strip written and illustrated by Jan Elliot. ... Tank McNamara is a comic strip by Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds. ... Zippy the Pinhead is the main character in the comic strip of the same name, created by Bill Griffith. ... Bill Amend (born 1962 in Northampton, Massachusetts) is an American cartoonist, best known for his comic strip, FoxTrot. ... The December 3, 2005 issue of Sally Forth. ...

External links

• The story behind The Great Cartoon Switcheroonie

References

• Davis, Jim (1998). 20 Years and Still Kicking: Garfield's Twentieth Anniversary Collection. Ballantine Books. 0-345-76657-1.
• Walker, Brian (2002). The Comics: Since 1945. Harry N. Abrams, Inc.. 0-8109-3481-7.