Marmaduke

Marmaduke
A Marmaduke cartoon from September 13, 2006
Author(s)	Brad Anderson Paul Anderson
Current status / schedule	Active
Launch date	1954
Syndicate(s)	United Media

Marmaduke is a newspaper comic strip drawn by Brad Anderson from 1954 to 2015. The strip was created by Anderson, with help from Phil Leeming (1955–1962) and later Dorothy Leeming (1963–1969), and (since August 2, 2004) Paul Anderson. The strip revolves around the Winslow family and their Great Dane, Marmaduke. The strip on Sundays also has a side feature called "Dog Gone Funny", in which one or more panels are devoted to dog anecdotes submitted by the fans. Anderson, who said he drew on Laurel and Hardy routines for his ideas, received the National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for the strip in 1978. Anderson died on August 30, 2015, leaving the long-term fate of the strip unknown; strips co-drawn with the help of his son, Paul Anderson, continue to be syndicated.

Brad Anderson won the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award for Newspaper Panel Cartoon in 1978, and the George Arents Pioneer Medal for Syracuse University alumni in 1999.

As of 2015, Marmaduke continues to be widely syndicated, and is popular with readers. Attempts to cancel Marmaduke have drawn protest, such as those by readers of The Toronto Star in 1999, of the Sarasota Herald Tribune in 2007, and of the Chicago Sun-Times in 1986.

Brad Anderson died on August 30, 2015 at the age of 91.

The strip's longevity and perceived monotony have been noted by satirical publications such as The Onion and have made it the butt of jokes. It has become "a hot source of retro-ironic-subversive humor." For example, a blog called "Joe Mathlete Explains Today's Marmaduke"deconstructs the strip to offer an alternative explanation for what's happening in the drawing. Another blog called "Marmaduke Can Vote" gives each panel a political slant,while another called "Poignant Marmaduke" changes all the captions to make the comics sad. Additionally, "The Marmaduke Project" re-imagines Marmaduke in other forms.