Our Strips

Hägar the Horrible broke all records when it was launched on February 4, 1973, becoming the fastest-growing comic strip ever.

The strip was created by Hi and Lois artist Dik Browne in his basement art studio/laundry room in Connecticut. The strip’s title was the family nickname for Dik Browne, and the characters were loosely based on Dik’s family and friends.

The little red-bearded Viking has appeared in advertisements for IBM, Mug Root Beer, Skol Ale and in the opening titles for the TV show “Caroline in the City,” which starred actress Lea Thompson as a successful female cartoonist. Hägar has appeared on his own CBS special and is featured in Universal’s Islands of Adventure: Toon Lagoon theme park.

The strip now appears in about 1,900 newspapers around the world, in 56 countries, and is translated into 12 languages.

Hi and Lois was created in 1954 by Mort Walker and Dik Browne, two of the most successful cartoonists in comic history.

Provoking a strong emotional response from readers right from the beginning, it grew steadily in popularity, passing the 1,000-newspaper mark in 1982.

For over two decades, the strip was continued by their sons, writers Brian and Greg Walker and artist Chance Browne. Whether it’s busy parents juggling jobs and raising a family, a teen coping with his self-image, sibling rivalry among the youngsters, or a toddler learning about the world and her place in it, Hi and Lois has kept pace with mainstream life and found the gentle humor in familiar situations.

Awards and Distinctions:

Hi and Lois was voted best humor strip by the National Cartoonists Society in 1959 and 1960.

Dik Browne won the Reuben Award as “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year” in 1962.