Footrot Flats is a comic strip by New Zealand cartoonist Murray Ball. It ran from 1976 to 1994 in newspapers, though unpublished strips continued to appear in book form until 2000. Altogether there are 27 numbered books (collecting the newspaper strips, with additional material), a further 8 books collecting the Sunday newspaper strips, and 5 smaller ‘pocket’ books of original material, plus various related publications. There was also a stage musical, an animated feature film called Footrot Flats: the Dog’s Tail Tale, and even a theme park in Auckland, New Zealand. The strip reached its peak of popularity in the mid-1980s, with the books selling millions of copies in Australasia.
The comic’s protagonist is a border collie sheepdog, called “Dog”, owned by Wal Footrot, who runs a sheep and cattle farm called Footrot Flats near the fictional rural town of Raupo in New Zealand. The comic depicts the trials and tribulations of Wal, the Dog and other characters, human and animal, that come into their lives. The Dog’s thoughts are voiced in thought bubbles, though he is clearly “just a dog”, unlike the heavily anthropomorphised creatures of some other comics or animation. The humour draws on the foibles of the characters, which many farmers found easy to recognise around them. There was much “humour in adversity”, making fun of the daily struggle that permeates farming life. The depictions of the animals are quite realistic and detailed, with a dose of comic anthropomorphism superimposed without spoiling the farming realism.
Footrot Flats was initially rejected for syndication by both The New Zealand Herald and The Auckland Star. It was first accepted in 1976 by Mike Robson, editor of Wellington’s The Evening Post. The strip appeared in hundreds of newspapers in Australasia and also gained an international following, especially in Denmark.
The strip’s leading human character, Wal Footrot, is based on Murray Ball’s cousin Arthur Waugh, who was a sheep shearer around the time of the strip’s inception and went on to own a 2,100-hectare farm situated east of Pahiatua in the southeastern North Island of New Zealand.
Ball cited different reasons for quitting the strip, including the death of his own dog, and his displeasure with the direction of New Zealand politics.
Among the strip’s fans were Peanuts creator Charles Schulz and Garfield creator Jim Davis.
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 01
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 02
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 03
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 04
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 05
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 06
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 07
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 08
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 09
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 10
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 11
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 12
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 13
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 14
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 15
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 16
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 17
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 18
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 19
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 20
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 21
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 22
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 23
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 24
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 25
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 26
Footrot Flats by Murray Ball 27
Newspaper Comic Strips 
Gracias nuevamente por su oportunidad, ojala muchos lectores de todo el mundo puedan tener acceso a las tiras cómicas, dibujos de excelente calidad y contenido, partes de la cultura mundial.
LikeLike
De nada.
LikeLike
Nice. Who knew? Thank you.
LikeLike
You are welcome.
LikeLike