Katzenjammer Kids is probably the world's second oldest comic strip (after The Yellow Kid, which ran from 1895-98) and the oldest one still in syndication. Created by the German immigrant Rudolph Dirks, it debuted on December 12, 1897 in the American Humorist, a Sunday supplement of the New York Journal owned by newspaper king William Randolph Hearst. It is now distributed by King Features Syndicate. Katzenjammer Kids This image is a postage stamp produced by the United States Postal Service after 1978. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... The Yellow Kid Mickey Dugan, better known as The Yellow Kid, was the lead fictional character in Hogans Alley, one of the first comic strips and one of the very first to be printed in color. ... Print Syndication is a form of syndication in which news articles, columns, or comic strips are made available to newspapers and magazines. ... Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... Rudolph Dirks ( February 26, 1877 – April 20, 1968) was one of the earliest and most successful comic strip artists. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The New York Journal American was a newspaper purchased by William Randolph Hearst in 1895 (at the time called the New York Morning Journal, then the New York Journal). ... William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate, born in San Francisco, California. ... King Features Syndicate is a syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation; it distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to thousands of newspapers around the world. ...

It was inspired by "Max and Moritz", a famous children's story of the 1860s by the German Wilhelm Busch. The Katzenjammer Kids (three brothers in the first strip, but soon reduced to two) featured Hans and Fritz, twins who rebelled against authority, particularly in the form of their mother, Mama; der Captain, a shipwrecked sailor who acted as a surrogate father; and der Inspector, an official from the school system. Several of the characters spoke in stereotypical German-accented English. Katzenjammer means "severe hangover" in German. Max and Moritz Max and Moritz (A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks) was a German language illustrated story in verse. ... Works (with the year of publication) 1864 Bilderpossen 1865 Max and Moritz 1866 Schnaken und Schnurren 1867 Hans Huckebein der Unglücksrabe 1868 Schnaken und Schnurren, part II 1869 Schnurrdiburr oder die Bienen Braun 1870 Der heilige Antonius von Padua 1872 Schnaken und Schnurren, part III 1872 Die fromme Helene... A sailor is a member of the crew of a ship or boat. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A hangover or veisalgia is the disagreeable physical effects following heavy consumption of alcohol or the use of drugs. ...

The comic strip was turned into a stage play in 1903, inspired several animated cartoons, and was one of 20 strips included in the Comic Strip Classics series of commemorative postage stamps. 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... An animated cartoon is a moving picture generated by photographing drawings frame-by-frame, as opposed to a normal movie, which is produced by shooting 24 frames a second of actual moving persons or objects. ... The Comic Strip Classics series of commemorative postage stamps was issued by the US Postal Service in 1995 to honor the centennial of the newspaper comic strip. ... This 1974 stamp from Japan depicts a Class 8620 steam locomotive. ...

It was so popular that it became two competing comic strips and the subject of a lawsuit. This happened because Dirks wanted to take a break after about 15 years but the Hearst newspaper syndicate wouldn't allow it. Dirks left anyway and the strip was taken over by Harold Knerr. Dirks sued, and after a long legal battle the Hearst papers were allowed to continue The Katzenjammer Kids and Dirks was allowed to syndicate an almost identical strip, called The Captain and the Kids after 1918, for the rival Pulitzer newspapers. Both strips ran in competing newspapers for half a century, and fans still debate which was better. A lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in which the party commencing the action, the plaintiff, seeks a legal remedy. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

Following Knerr's death, The Katzenjammer Kids was taken over by Charles H. Winner from 1949-1956, Joe Musial from 1956-1976, Mike Senisch from 1976-1981, and Angelo DeCesare from 1981-1986.

The feature is currently drawn by Hy Eisman and distributed to about 50 newspapers and magazines around the world. Hy Eisman (born March 27, 1927) is an American cartoonist. ...

There also a Deathrock band in France, know as Katzenjammer Kabarett, named in honour of the comic strip Death Rock (also sometimes known as Deathrock or Death Punk) is a term used to distinguish conventional Gothic rock from the more punk influenced scene that sprang up on the American West Coast in the early 1980s. ...

External links

• King Features
• Toonopedia article
• Fan site