Ziggy (comic strip)

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title: "Ziggy (comic strip)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-comic-strips", "comics-characters-introduced-in-1968", "gag-a-day-comics", "american-comics-characters", "1968-comics-debuts"] description: "American comic strip by Tom Wilson" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggy_(comic_strip)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American comic strip by Tom Wilson ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox comic strip"]

Field	Value
title	Ziggy
image	Ziggy-cartoon.jpg
caption	Ziggy and his dog Fuzz
author	Tom Wilson (1971–1987)
Tom Wilson II (1987–present)
url
status	Current daily strip
first	1968
(syndication)
syndicate	Universal Press Syndicate/Universal Uclick/Andrews McMeel Syndication
publisher	Andrews McMeel Publishing
genre	Humor, gag cartoon, gag-a-day
::

|title = Ziggy |image = Ziggy-cartoon.jpg |caption = Ziggy and his dog Fuzz |author = Tom Wilson (1971–1987) Tom Wilson II (1987–present) |url = |status = Current daily strip |first = 1968 (syndication) |syndicate = Universal Press Syndicate/Universal Uclick/Andrews McMeel Syndication |publisher = Andrews McMeel Publishing |genre = Humor, gag cartoon, gag-a-day Ziggy is an American cartoon series about an eponymous character who suffers an endless stream of misfortunes and sad but sympathetic daily events. It was created by Tom Wilson, a former American Greetings executive, and distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication. In 1987, his son Tom Wilson II took over writing and drawing the comic strip.

History

Ziggy, nameless at his conception, has been visible in some form or another since the mid-1960s. Greeting card writer Tom Wilson first drew a Ziggy-like character as an elevator operator offering political commentary in editorial cartoons, but no one would syndicate it. Ziggy eventually appeared in an American Greetings gift book, When You're Not Around (1968) which caught the eye of Kathleen Andrews, a founder of the fledgling startup Universal Press Syndicate, which badly needed a popular comic to keep it afloat. A deal was struck, the name was given, and Ziggy was born. The strip began in 15 newspapers in June 1971, and that number eventually grew to over 600 publications. A Sunday strip premiered on April 1, 1973.

In 1987, after years of preparation, the strip was taken over by Tom Wilson's son, Tom Wilson II.

Tom Wilson I died on September 16, 2011, at the age of 80. As of 2026, his son continues to produce the strip.

Ziggy's traits

Ziggy, the constantly unfortunate but sympathetic protagonist, is a diminutive, bald, barefoot, almost featureless character (save for his large nose). He is often drawn in just his shirt with no pants on, though the lower half of his torso is never seen. He lives in a simple house with a garden, and he is often seen working at an office job, at which his foibles often reflect the absurdities that many readers encounter on a daily basis.

On the name Ziggy, Tom Wilson II noted:

Ziggy is seen throughout the years as an animal lover, and he is the owner of a number of pets, including a dog (Fuzz), a cat (Sid), a parrot (Josh), and a duck (Wack) all of whom seem to possess some anthropomorphic qualities. For example, in a strip written in the 2000s, his pet fish Goldie

One of the great appeals of the comic strip is how Ziggy himself deals with the endless stream of misfortunes which befall him on a daily basis. The character is frequently depicted in surreal or arbitrary situations that allow the reader to relate to Ziggy's misfortunes and his take on life. For comedic effect, the strip often mines typical comic strip pop culture territory, such as computers, dating, office relationships, pet ownership, customer service, and many of the other perils of modern life. Since the strip has been in existence for 50 years, Ziggy has experienced the waves of societal and technological change that have swept through our culture in the last five decades. For instance, early strips show him using rotary phones, while strips put out in recent years displays Ziggy's adoption of modern technology like cell phones and flat screen TVs.

In other media

In 1982, Ziggy's Gift, an animated Christmas television special, aired on ABC. The special was directed by Richard Williams, and contained the song "Give, Love, Joy" by Harry Nilsson. It won the 1983 Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program, and was re-released on DVD in 2005. The following year, Williams also created a series of short vignettes featuring Ziggy. Ziggy, who was silent in Ziggy's Gift, was voiced by Will Ryan in the vignettes.

In 2002, Ziggy became the official spokescharacter for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

References

References

1. (2011-06-16). "Celebrating Ziggy".
2. "Pellegrino v. American Greetings Corp., 592 F. Supp. 459 (D.S.D. 1984)".
3. "Hürriyet Daily News – Archive news detail". [[Hürriyet Daily News]].
4. Shaw, Kurt. [https://triblive.com/aande/1012189-74/ziggy-wilson-art-institute "Ziggy: Celebrating the 'Hug Life'"], ''[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. TribLive]]'' (April 13, 2012).
5. (2012). "American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide". [[University of Michigan Press]].
6. The Associated Press [https://www.today.com/popculture/ziggy-creator-dies-comic-strip-lives-1C9016871 "Ziggy creator dies, but comic strip lives on"], ''[[Today (American TV program). Today]]'' show website (Oct. 14, 2016).
7. "December 15, 2019 Ziggy strip".
8. Martin, Douglas. (September 21, 2011). "Tom Wilson, Cartoonist Behind 'Ziggy', Dies at 80". [[The New York Times]].
9. (December 25, 2012). ""Ziggy's Gift" by Richard Williams". [[Cartoon Brew]].
10. "Animation Anecdotes #142". Cartoon Research.
11. "Ziggy Creator Tom Wilson Sr. Dies at Age 80". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].

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