Wee Pals facts for kids

Wee Pals is a famous American comic strip created by Morrie Turner. It's special because it was the first comic strip in the United States to show a group of friends from many different backgrounds. This group of diverse children is often called the "Rainbow Gang."

The Story Behind Wee Pals

The creator, Morrie Turner, wondered why there weren't any characters from minority groups in comic strips. His friend and mentor, Charles M. Schulz, who drew Peanuts, suggested that Morrie should create his own strip.

Morrie's first idea was a comic called Dinky Fellas, which only featured Black characters. It was only published in one newspaper. So, Morrie decided to include characters from all different backgrounds. He renamed his comic Wee Pals. On February 15, 1965, it became the first American comic strip to feature a diverse group of characters.

At first, only a few newspapers wanted to publish Wee Pals because it had Black characters. But after the sad event of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, many more newspapers started to carry the strip. This helped Wee Pals become much more popular.

As the comic grew, Morrie Turner added even more characters. He included children from different ethnic groups and even a child who used a wheelchair. He also added a special weekly part called "Soul Corner." This section shared stories about important African Americans from history. Later on, the strip was shared by Creators Syndicate.

Meet the Wee Pals Characters

The "Rainbow Gang" is a group of friends who show how people from different backgrounds can get along. Here are some of the main characters:

• Nipper — An African-American boy who always wears a blue or gray Civil War hat. He has a dog named General Lee. Morrie Turner based Nipper on himself when he was a child.
• Ralph — A white boy who isn't very nice and sometimes says mean things about others because of their background.
• Connie — An athletic white girl who often argues with Ralph about his unfair views. She's a strong member of the "Girls' Lib" group, which is like a kids' version of the Women's Liberation Movement.
• Sybil — An African-American girl who is also part of the Girls' Lib group. She is very kind and respectful and gets along well with Connie.
• Oliver — A chubby, smart white boy who wears glasses and loves to read.
• Diz — An African-American boy who always wears sunglasses and a special hat called a beret. He plays the trumpet, just like the famous musician Dizzy Gillespie.
• Charlotte — A white girl with glasses who uses a wheelchair. She has a pet parrot named Polly Esther.
• Randy — An African-American boy who is a leader in the Rainbow Club. He is good friends with Oliver and tries to be friends with Ralph, even though Ralph isn't always nice back.
• Pablo — A happy, carefree Mexican-American boy. He is good friends with Randy and Jerry and often tries to keep the peace.
• Mikki — A young African-American girl, about four years old, with a big imagination. She is often seen with Jerry and Trinh.
• Rocky — A kind and respectful Native American boy. He is very proud of his heritage and is good friends with Randy and Nipper.
• George — A quiet Chinese-American boy with a vivid imagination. He often shares old Chinese stories. He has good relationships with Oliver, Nipper, and Jerry.
• Jerry — An upbeat, loyal Jewish boy with a very kind heart. He is good friends with Nipper, Oliver, Diz, Randy, and Trinh. He might have a crush on Sybil.
• Trinh — A kind-hearted Vietnamese boy who is very good friends with Mikki.
• Sally — A respectful young girl who is deaf-mute. She appears in the later comic strips.
• Wellington — A cool young boy who is mainly seen with Diz. He wears glasses hidden by his long bangs.

Kid Power: The Animated Series

The Wee Pals comic strip became an animated TV show called Kid Power. It was made by Rankin/Bass and aired on ABC television on Saturday mornings during the 1972–73 school year.

All of Morrie Turner's characters were in the show. They worked together as a team called "Rainbow Power." This show was important because it was one of the first animated TV programs for children that truly showed the different kinds of people in America.

A total of 17 episodes were made. Most of them aired from September 1972 to January 1973. A few new episodes were shown later in 1974.

Kid Power Staff

• Producers/Directors: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
• Writer: William J. Keenan
• Music: Perry Botkin Jr.
• Songs: Jules Bass, Perry Botkin Jr.

Kid Power Voices

• Donald Fullilove (Diz and Randy)
• Michelle Johnson (Sybil)
• Charles Kennedy (Nipper)
• Gary Shapiro (Jerry and Wellington)
• Jay Silverheels Jr. (Rocky)
• Greg Thomas (Oliver)
• Jeff Thomas (Ralph)
• April Winchell (Connie)
• Carey Wong (George)

Wee Pals on the Go: The Live-Action Show

Around the same time as the animated series (1972–73), another show called Wee Pals on the Go aired. This was a live-action show, meaning it used real child actors instead of cartoons. It was shown on Sunday mornings by KGO-TV in the San Francisco Bay Area. The show featured child actors playing the main characters from the comic strip, like Nipper, Randy, Sybil, Connie, and Oliver.