Friday Night Fights: Dogfight Tonight!

Long before these guys


or these guys

...there was another all-the-rage clan of domesticated pets who caught the nation's fancy and became beloved icons of man's best friend in the funny papers: Daisy (faithful dog of Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead) and her pups. What, you say you don't even remember seeing Daisy have pups in the Blondie comic strip? Well, Daisy's still in residence, but the pups haven't been around for many years. I like to assume they all went to fine homes like Herb and Tootsie Woodley, Elmo Tuttle, Mr. Beasley (one of my Top Ten Fictional Mailmen)...but not, we hope, to slave-driver Julius Dithers, who would no doubt work those hounds to death. Boo, Mister Dithers!

How popular were the pups? So popular that a lengthy sequence of the strip was based around their birth (you kids today with your worrying over who Elizabeth Patterson will ultimately choose would do well to check it out), toys were created of them, they got their own movie, and oh yeah, their own comic book from Harvey. (Beat that, Andy, Olaf, and Marbles!)

But what's this got to do with Friday Night Fights? Why, open your eyes wide and behold the sheer spectacle and splendor that is dogs fighting in a boxing ring:



POW! * Why, that's almost a punch of Kirbyian proportions there! Does Elmer triumph? Are the orphans saved? Is there a happy ending to Daisy and Her Pups #7? Well, I don't have the comic book in question in my collection, but knowin' comics, at least of that time, I'm gonna venture: yes, there's a happy ending. Do you really need to ask? Because when dogs put on boxing gloves, we are all winners.

Who let the dogs out? Bahlactus let the dogs out! (And I hope he got his iPhone, too!)