Art in the Family: 6/1/20

In 1925, a brother came into Janice's life. She dubbed the little fellow, "The Shrimp", a name which stuck for life, even when he towered over her.

A studio portrait of Janice and Harrison


Janice and Harrison at home

We all know how multi-talented Janice was, having skipped two grades in school and being Valedictorian of her High School class. But here is another talent that was not so well known. She drew comic strips to entertain her younger brother. The protagonists were an owl and a bear, Owla and Boufy. One of the early strips is dated 1935, so she would have been drawing these at the age of 12. I, for one am impressed!

School Again - 1935

Owla and Boufy appear as animals and also in human form. I remember a stuffed bear with a resemblance to Boufy that resided at my grandmother's house. There was a set of stuffed owls, too.

Owla and Boufy in their animal form with Penny, the penguin

I had not seen these until I inherited them from Uncle Harry. There is an envelope containing at least 50 double-sided pages, mostly drawn in pencil. Many of them on thin paper with a keystone shape. I suspect they were originally papers used in packaging men's shirts. My thrifty family must have had a local source for these. I know that every shred of paper was saved and reused in the Campbell household...butcher paper, flattened envelopes, you name it!

First Day of School

In which Boufy Lindberg gets sent to the principal's office, who happens to be named Mr. Sockem. and Owla is reduced to tears on the playground.

Boufy borrows Butch's bike and has an accident when the front wheel goes through the window of a house. He apologizes to Butch, but Butch says he has wrapped Bouf's car around a telephone pole.

Boufy, running the lights for the school graduation, plays a joke on the Valedictorian, and gets in trouble with Mr. Dimlite.

Going fishing

On the picket line


With scissors

Owla and Boufy engaged in all sorts of inappropriate behavior!

Stick Em Up!

Many of the stories had to do with daily life at school and on the playground, but with an astonishing amount of cartoon-type violence!

And then this one with a large unexploded bomb!

Beneath the Sea

Here we have an underwater theme.

In which they open a Junk Store and go ...BROKE

Owla's Birthday

In some of these, Owla and Boufy seem to be brother and sister, in others, husband and wife. Much like the old comic strip of Jiggs and Maggie, "Bringing up Father", Boufy can do nothing right, and Owla frequently goes after him with a rolling pin!

A few were in living color.