Hägar the Horrible facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hägar the Horrible |
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Hägar the Horrible
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| Author(s) | Dik Browne (1973–88) Chris Browne (1989–2023) |
| Current status/schedule | Running |
| Launch date | February 4, 1973 |
| Syndicate(s) | King Features Syndicate |
| Genre(s) | Humor, Gag-a-day |
Hägar the Horrible is a popular American comic strip created by cartoonist Dik Browne. It first appeared in newspapers on February 4, 1973, and quickly became a big hit!
After Dik Browne retired in 1988, his son Chris Browne continued drawing the strip until his death in 2023. As of 2010, Hägar was published in 1,900 newspapers in 56 countries and translated into 12 languages. The comic strip uses a funny, exaggerated look at Viking Age life in Scandinavia to comment on modern life in the United States.
Contents
About the Comic Strip
The name "Hägar the Horrible" came from a nickname Dik Browne's sons gave him: "Hagar the Terrible." Browne changed it to "Hägar the Horrible" because it sounded catchy. After Dik Browne passed away, his sons changed the comic's title to Dik Browne's Hägar the Horrible to honor him. The name Hägar is pronounced Hay-gar.
Hägar is a big, shaggy, red-bearded Viking. He often goes on raids to England and sometimes France. Even though he looks like a tough Viking, Hägar also has a soft side that makes him a lovable character.
Where and When It's Set
The comic strip takes place in the Middle Ages in a small village by the sea in Norway. Hägar's Norwegian background was mentioned in a comic strip on July 18, 1984. His son Hamlet asks if they can tell people they're Norwegian, and Hägar jokes that it's not needed because "It might sound like bragging."
The comic usually shows one funny joke or situation each day. On Sundays, there's a longer, colorful story. Much of the humor comes from Hägar's adventures with his crew, especially his friend "Lucky Eddie," when they are sailing or raiding. Sometimes the jokes happen at the tavern with other Vikings, or when Hägar is dealing with his family. His family is quite different from typical Vikings!
The Art Style
Hägar the Horrible uses a simple, clear drawing style. There isn't a lot of background detail or shading. This style likely came from Dik Browne's past work as an illustrator. Before Hägar, Browne was also known for helping create another comic strip called Hi and Lois.
Meet the Characters!
Dik Browne based many of the characters on his own family. His son Chris said that his dad was a big man, "three hundred pounds and six feet two and had a flaming red beard," just like Hägar!
- Hägar the Horrible: He's the main character, a messy, big Viking warrior. Hägar is a fierce fighter, but he's also a family man who deals with everyday problems, much like people today. One funny ongoing joke is how bad his personal hygiene is. His yearly bath (on July 14) is a big celebration! Another funny part of Hägar's character is how simple and childlike he can be. When he does act grown-up, like helping Helga or controlling his huge appetite, everyone is surprised.
- Helga: Hägar's strong and bossy wife. She wears blonde braids and a helmet, looking a bit like a Valkyrie. Helga is a very protective and sometimes overbearing mother figure. She often argues with Hägar about his bad habits, like not washing his hands after raiding or not wiping his feet before coming inside. She tries to teach her daughter Honi traditional values, but Honi doesn't always get it.
- Lucky Eddie: Hägar's first mate and best friend on Viking raids. Unlike strong Vikings, Eddie is short, skinny, and a bit clumsy and innocent. He's called "Lucky" Eddie, but he's actually very unlucky! He wears a funnel on his head instead of a helmet because he's scared of squirrels. Eddie can read and speak other languages, which is unusual for a Viking. For a long time, no one knew his real name. Later, it was revealed that his true name is "Fortuitous Eduardo"!
- Hamlet: Hägar and Helga's smart, clean, and studious young son. He's almost always reading a book. Hamlet doesn't want to be a Viking; he wants to be a dentist! This makes Hägar ashamed, but Helga and Honi are more supportive of his education. Even when Hägar tries to make him practice Viking skills, Hamlet is terrible at them. He is often the target of Hernia's crush, which he doesn't return.
- Honi: Hägar and Helga's beautiful, sweet, and cheerful 16-year-old daughter. She dresses like a young Valkyrie with a winged helmet and a metal breastplate. Honi is a Viking warrior, just like her father, and uses a spear and shield. However, she's not good at traditional "girly" tasks and can be very dramatic. Helga is always trying to get her married, as Honi is considered an "old maid" in their community. She has been dating Lute the bard for a long time and is the only one who can stand his terrible singing.
- Lute: Honi's boyfriend, who is a terrible bard (a singer and musician). He can't play, sing in tune, or rhyme properly, but he thinks he's very talented! He and Honi are always engaged but never seem to get married. His name comes from the musical instrument he often plays badly.
- Hernia: A young, tomboyish girl who has a big crush on Hamlet. Her love is not returned, which often leads to funny, dramatic moments for her.
- Snert: Hägar's dog. Snert is supposed to be a hunting dog, but he often doesn't feel like working. He understands everything Hägar says but usually refuses to obey. Snert wears a tiny Viking helmet, just like the rest of Hägar's family and pets. He even barks with a Viking accent, saying "voof"!
- Kvack: The family's German duck. Kvack is Helga's friend and confidante. She often spies on Hägar and quacks loudly when he does something he shouldn't, like drinking too much "Glögg" or "Wiffleberry wine." Hägar doesn't like Kvack at all and wishes he could get rid of her. Kvack "quacks" with an accent.
- Dr. Zook: A doctor who wears a hood that hides his face, except for his long nose. He gives health and mental advice, but he's known for giving bad or fake advice.
- Helga's Father: An old Viking with a very long beard that reaches the floor. He likes young women.
- Helga's Mother: Helga's mother, who is a typical nagging mother-in-law. She wears antlers on her helmet.
Here's a funny example of Hägar's good intentions but cluelessness: Hägar comes home from raiding Paris with a present for Helga. He tells her it's a faucet he took from a palace bathtub. He turns it on and excitedly tells her to watch. When nothing happens, Hägar says, "That's funny, when I turned it on in the palace, water came out."
Hägar in Pop Culture
Hägar the Horrible has appeared in many places outside of the comic strip:
- In the 1970s, there was a soda called "Sunday Funnies Cola" that had Hägar strips on the cans.
- From 1989 to 1991, Hägar was used in radio and TV ads for Mug root beer, which was very successful. These ads were often adapted from commercials for Skol Lager beer in the UK.
- In the UK, Hägar and other characters were used in ads for Skol Lager beer. These popular TV commercials aired in the late 1980s.
- From 1981 to the mid-1990s, Hägar was the mascot for the Cleveland State University Vikings sports teams.
- In the early 1990s, Hägar appeared in print ads for IBM computers.
TV Shows and Movies
- Hägar first appeared in animation in a short sketch on a CBS special called The Fantastic Funnies in 1980.
- In 1989, an animated TV special called Hägar the Horrible: Hägar Knows Best was made by Hanna-Barbera and aired on CBS. It was based on the very first story from the comic strip. In the special, Hägar returns home after two years of battle to find his son Hamlet has quit Viking school, and his daughter Honi is dating a minstrel named Lute. Hägar tries to change things, but after seeing how unhappy his kids are, he finds his own way to make things right.
- In 2003, there were plans to make a live-action movie based on the comic strip. In 2014, Chris Browne confirmed that Sony Pictures was working on a film.
- On November 10, 2020, it was announced that a new computer-animated TV series is being made by King Features and The Jim Henson Company.
Video Games
A scrolling platform game called Hägar the Horrible was released for the Amiga computer in 1991. It was also made for the Commodore 64 in Germany.
Book Collections
Many books have been published that collect the Hägar the Horrible comic strips. Here are some of them:
- Hägar the Horrible #1 (1974)
- Hägar the Horrible: The Big Bands Are Back! (1975)
- The Wit and Wisdom of Hägar the Horrible (1975)
- Hägar the Horrible: The Brutish Are Coming (1976)
- Hägar the Horrible: Sack Time (1976)
- Hägar the Horrible: Hägar's Night Out (1977)
- Hägar the Horrible: Born Leader (1978)
- Hägar the Horrible: Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back! (1980)
- Hägar the Horrible: Animal Haus! (1981)
- The Best of Hägar the Horrible (1981)
- Hägar the Horrible: Midnight Munchies (1982)
- Hägar the Horrible: Vikings Are Fun (1982)
- Hägar the Horrible: Sacking Paris on a Budget (1982)
- Hägar the Horrible: Happy Hour (1983)
- Hägar the Horrible: Helga's Revenge (1983)
- Hägar the Horrible: The Simple Life (1984)
- Hägar the Horrible: Horns of Plenty (1984)
- Hägar the Horrible: Hägar at Work (1985)
- Hägar the Horrible: Roman Holiday (1985)
- Hägar the Horrible's Very Nearly Complete Viking Handbook (1985)
- Hägar the Horrible: Pillage ... (1986)
- Hägar the Horrible: The Nord Star (1987)
- Hägar the Horrible: Spring Cleaning (1988)
- Hägar the Horrible and the Golden Maiden (1989)
- Hägar the Horrible: Sack Time (1989)
- Hägar the Horrible: Norse Code (1989)
- Hägar the Horrible: Silly Sailing (1990)
- Hägar the Horrible: Start the Invasion Without Me! (1990)
- Dik Browne's Hägar the Horrible: We're Doing Lunch (1991)
- Hägar the Horrible: I See London, I See France... (1991)
- Hägar the Horrible: Fish Fly (1991)
- Hägar the Horrible: Special Delivery (1992)
- Hägar the Horrible: Motley Crew (1992)
- Dik Browne's Hägar the Horrible: Another Fish Story (1992)
- Dik Browne's Hägar the Huggable (1993)
- Dik Browne's Hägar the Horrible: That Dreaded... Bed Head (1993)
- Dik Browne's Hägar the Horrible: Feeling "Fortune"-ate? (1994)
- Hägar the Horrible: The Epic Chronicles: Dailies 1973–1974 (2010)
Theme Park
Hägar the Horrible is also featured at the Universal Studios Florida theme park Islands of Adventure. You can see Hägar on a boat on top of the Toon Extra area in Toon Lagoon!
See also
In Spanish: Olafo el vikingo para niños
