The Little King

"The Little King" was a comic strip created by Otto Soglow, famously telling its stories in a style using images and very few words, a pantomime comic strip.

Publication history

It first appeared in 1931 in "The New Yorker" and soon showed signs of becoming a successful strip. "The Little King" began publications in comic book issues from 1933, was licensed for a series of animated cartoons by Van Beuren Studios produced in 1933-34, and featured in an advertising campaign for Standard Oil.Cite web|last= Gardner|first= Jared, "The Comics Journal"|title=Otto Soglow and The Ambassador (excerpt) |url= http://www.tcj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=720&Itemid=48 |date=October 29, 2007 from "The Comics Journal" #286]

It early became evident that William Randolph Hearst was determined to add "The Little King" among his King Features Syndicate newspaper strips, but was hindered by Soglow's contractual obligations with "The New Yorker". While seeing out the final period of the contract, Soglow produced a placeholder strip for King Features, "The Ambassador".Cite web|last="Time Magazine"|title=Old King, New Kingdom|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,747960,00.html|date=September 17, 1934] Only the following week after the final publication in "The New Yorker", "The Little King" resumed as a King Features Sunday strip, on September 9, 1934.

The strip continued a successful run, with several more animated cartoon appearances and advertising campaigns [ [http://graphic-design.tjs-labs.com/gallery-view?keyword=THE%20%LITTLE%20KING Gallery of classic graphic design featuring The Little King as spokesman for Royal Gelatine and Pudding] ] , and Soglow was awarded the 1966 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award for the strip.Cite web|last=National Cartoonists Society|title=The Reuben|url=http://www.reuben.org/ncs/awards2.asp] "The Little King" ran until Soglow's death in 1975.

Format

The strip is notable for having virtually no dialogue. In fact, the title character never speaks. Its placeholder strip, "The Ambassador" was nearly identical in format, and the strips' main characters of extreme similarity. When "The Ambassador" gave way for "The Little King" in 1934, the reader could not be certain if it was the Little King who had arrived into Hearst syndication, or the Ambassador who had removed some disguise.

Theatrical shorts

All cartoon shorts were produced by Van Beuren Studios except where otherwise noted.

1933
*"A.M. To P.M." (Part of Aesop's Fables Series)
*"A Dizzy Day" (Part of Aesop's Fables Series)
*"The Fatal Note"
*"Marching Along"
*"On The Pan"
*"Pals (aka Christmas Night)"1934
*"Jest Of Honor"
*"Jolly Good Felons"
*"Sultan Pepper"
*"A Royal Good Time"
*"Art For Art's Sake"
*"Cactus King"1936
*"Betty Boop and The Little King" (Produced by Fleischer Studio)

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