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Krazy Kat
cartoon of brick hitting kit kat in back of head from 1937
Ignatz hurls a brick at Krazy Kat, who misinterprets it as an expression of love
Author(s) George Herriman
Launch date October 28, 1913 (1913-10-28)
End date June 25, 1944 (1944-06-25)
Syndicate(s) King Features Syndicate
Genre(s) Gag-a-day, Funny animal, Romance comics, Self-reflexive comics, Experimental comics.

Krazy Kat (also known as Krazy & Ignatz in some reprints) is an American newspaper comic strip by cartoonist George Herriman, which ran from 1913 to 1944. It first appeared in the New York Evening Journal.

The phrase "Krazy Kat" is said by the mouse by way of describing the cat. Set in a dreamlike portrayal of Herriman's vacation home of Coconino County, Arizona, Krazy Kat's mixture of offbeat surrealism, innocent playfulness and poetic language has made it a favorite of comic and art critics for more than 80 years.

The strip focuses on the curious relationship between a carefree, simple-minded cat named Krazy and a short-tempered mouse named Ignatz. Krazy has unreturned love for the mouse. However, Ignatz despises Krazy and constantly schemes to throw bricks at Krazy's head, which Krazy see's as a sign of affection. A third principal character, Officer Bull Pupp, often appears and tries to "protect" Krazy by stopping Ignatz' attempts and imprisoning him. Later on, Officer Pupp falls in love with Krazy.

Despite the simplicity of the stories, the detailed characterization, combined with Herriman's visual and verbal creativity, made Krazy Kat one of the first comics to be widely praised by intellectuals and treated as "serious" art.

Art critic Gilbert Seldes wrote to the strip in 1924, calling it "the most amusing and fantastic and satisfactory work of art produced in America today." Poet E. E. Cummings, another Herriman admirer, wrote the introduction to the first collection of the strip in book form. These critical appraisals by Seldes and Cummings were influential in establishing Krazy Kat's reputation as a work of genius. Though Krazy Kat was only a modest success during its initial run, in more recent years, many modern cartoonists have cited the strip as a major influence.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Krazy Kat para niños

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