DOUG WRIGHT’S FAMILY

DOUG WRIGHT’S FAMILY/NIPPER

“Nipper” began as a nameless strip inspired by Doug Wright’s chance look at a gag cartoon about a youngster in Punch magazine, and an editor’s note suggesting more cartoons about kids would be desirable. Wright, at home that night, created a throw away cartoon about a youngster. It was published, March 12 1949 as a filler in the Standard. The response, prompted the editors to request Wright to do one every other week, and then due to its popularity to once a week.

The strangest part of this cartoon was that Wright was still a bachelor. He would not marry Phyllis Sanford, till September 4, 1952, but when they did, Phyllis and their three sons all became subjects of the strips. Later in life Ken who became a police officer donated four of the strips to the Peel Regional Police department where they now reside. The new feature needed a name and so the editors, without consulting Wright came up with “Nipper”. Wright didn’t like the name but was forced to accept. This was a bad choice on the part of the editors as it turned out this was the name for a British cartoon strip. The editors chose to pay royalties on the name rather than change it.

The strip was distinguished by its vertical presentation and that it had no dialogue, which made it ideal for the Standard’s sister francophone magazine Perspectives, where it was introduced in 1959. “Fiston” as it was called also became a popular feature.

The Standard facing stiff completion from the Star Weekly in 1951 changed its format from weekly magazine to a magazine supplement called Weekend inserted into other major newspapers. “Nipper” survived this transition and reached an even larger audience.

In June 1966, Wright moved to Burlington Ontario. On 7 January 1967, “Nipper” appeared in a new and weekend supplement The Canadian, under a new name “Doug Wright’s Family”. With this periodical the strip reached its most extensive audience. “Doug Wright’s Family” ended in 1980 when Doug Wright suffered a stroke.

The strip had run as “Nipper” for seventeen years and ran as “Doug Wright’s Family” for thirteen.

MEDIUM:

BOOK GRAPHIC COLLECTION:

Content strip cartoon & Cover book front:

Doug Wright’s Family.: Illus., Dou Wright. Canadian Homes Service, 1971.

Doug Wright’s Family, v. 2. Illus., Dou Wright. The Canadian Magazine Readers Service, Oct. 1975.

Nipper 1963-1964. Car., Doug Wright. Intro., Brad MacKay. Drawn & Quarterly, 2010.

Nipper 1965-1966. Car., Doug Wright. Intro., Brad MacKay. Drawn & Quarterly, 2011.

Nipper 1967-1968. Car., Doug Wright. Intro., Brad MacKay. Drawn & Quarterly, 2012.

BOOK TEXT & GRAPHIC COLLECTION:

Content strip cartoon & Cover book front:

The Collected Doug Wright. Ed., Seth (Gregory Gallant) & Brad MacKay. Drawn & Quarterly, April 2009.

PERIODICAL TEXT ANTHOLOGY:

Content strip:

Weekend,…: …: “Nipper”. Car., Doug Wright ….
3-25, 28 June 1953: 33.

7-11, 17 March 1957: 54.

9-16, 18 April 1959: 67.

9-22, 30 May 1959: 43.

10-9, 1960: 38.

12-2, 1962: 26

47, 1966: 62.

23-26, 30 June 1973: no cartoon.

28-41, 14 Oct. 1978: no cartoon.

28-43, 28 Oct. 1978: no cartoon.

29-6, 10 Feb. 1979: no cartoon.

29-33, 18 Aug. 1979: no cartoon.

Canadian Magazine, …: “Doug Wright’s Family.” Car., Doug Wright:
1979, 10 November 1979: 18.

SOURCE:

Article periodical:

Now and Then Times,1-1, Summer 1972: “Doug Wright.” Writ., Dave Sim: 17+.

Article newspaper:

Hamilton Spectator, 12 December 1992: “Nipper shares the Wright stuff”. Writ., Paul Wilson: B1.

GALLERY:

A black and white drawing of people sitting in chairs Description automatically generatedCanadian Magazine, 10 November 1979: 18.