Cathy Guisewite facts for kids

Cathy Lee Guisewite, born on September 5, 1950, is an American cartoonist. She is famous for creating the comic strip Cathy. This popular comic ran for 34 years! It was about a woman dealing with everyday life. She often joked about "the four basic guilt groups": eating, work, relationships, and moms.

Early Life and Education

Cathy Guisewite grew up in Midland, Michigan. Her parents were William and Anne Guisewite. She has two sisters, Mary Anne and Mickey.

Cathy finished Midland High School in 1968. After high school, she went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She studied English there and earned her degree in 1972.

Becoming a Cartoonist

After college, Cathy first worked in advertising. She worked at a company called W.B. Doner & Co. in Detroit. By 1976, she became a vice president there.

Cathy loved to draw funny pictures. She drew them to help her deal with things happening in her life. She would send these drawings to her parents. Her mom kept telling her to send them to a publisher.

How Cathy Began

Cathy finally sent her drawings to a company. She just wanted her mom to stop asking her about it! She was very surprised when the company offered her a contract.

The Cathy comic strip started in 1976. It appeared in 66 newspapers at first. Cathy kept her advertising job during the day. She drew comics at night.

By 1980, the comic strip was in 150 newspapers. Cathy decided to quit her advertising job. She moved to Santa Barbara, California, to work on Cathy full-time.

What Cathy Was About

The comic strip was a way for Cathy to share her thoughts. She said it showed her confusion about being a woman. In those days, women felt they had to be either "liberated" or "traditional."

Cathy felt many women were like her. They were in their 20s and felt caught between two worlds. Her comic strip helped them express these feelings.

Cathy Guisewite even appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson several times. At its most popular, in the mid-1990s, Cathy was in almost 1,400 newspapers!

The End of Cathy

On August 11, 2010, Cathy Guisewite announced that the strip would end. After 34 years, the final Cathy comic strip appeared on October 3, 2010.

Awards and Honors

Cathy Guisewite has won many awards for her work.

• In 1987, she won an Emmy Award. This was for the TV special Cathy. It was named "Outstanding Animated Program."
• In 1993, she received the Reuben Award. This is the highest honor from the National Cartoonists Society. It is given to the "Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year."

She has also received special honorary degrees from several colleges.

Personal Life

Cathy Guisewite adopted her daughter, Ivy, in 1992. In 1997, she married screenwriter Christopher Wilkinson. Christopher had a son named Cooper. Cathy and Christopher divorced in 2010.