"A Will Eisner Publication" it announces on the one and only issue of Kewpies published in 1949. It looks downright charming, painfully so. It was Will Eisner's attempt to take what he did in the military and try to find a marketplace in post-war America. There were just two comics published by Will Eisner's fledgling company (I'll get to the other one tomorrow). Kewpies has a host of different features in it, as it was typical for the time.
In addition to the story about Kewpies in which some trouble-causing bees play havoc with "Kewpieville" we a get a range of other features. A highlight is "Clifford" by Jules Feiffer. "Pito" is a story about a boy in the Amazon by Andre LeBlanc. Each issue was supposed to offer up fiction as well and this one gives the reader a few pages from "Miss Hickory". Clearly Eisner was building a comic for young readers and one which could withstand the stark glare of critics of comics.
(Rose O'Neill)
The Kewpies were first imagined as comic strip characters well over a century ago. The painfully cute critters proved popular and creator Rose O'Neill began to fashion paper doll versions. Eventually bisque dolls were made and when that was successful other materials. The success of the Kewpies made her wealthy and she used that wealth to help the cause of women's suffrage, a cause which is under fire in modern America, if it can be believed. The phrase "Kewpie Dolls" was not uncommon in my boyhood, though I have no recollection of when or if I ever saw one.
To read more about Rose O'Neil's Kewpies go here.
To enjoy Will Eisner's Kewpies comic book for yourself check out this link.
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