Katzenjammer Kids is probably the world's second oldest comic strip (after The Yellow Kid, which ran from 1895-98) and the oldest one still in syndication. Created by the German immigrant Rudolph Dirks, it debuted on December 12, 1897 in the American Humorist, a Sunday supplement of the New York Journal owned by newspaper king William Randolph Hearst. It is now distributed by King Features Syndicate.

It was inspired by "Max and Moritz", a famous children's story of the 1860s by the German Wilhelm Busch. The Katzenjammer Kids (three brothers in the first strip, but soon reduced to two) featured Hans and Fritz, twins who rebelled against authority, particularly in the form of their mother, Mama; der Captain, a shipwrecked sailor who acted as a surrogate father; and der Inspector, an official from the school system. Several of the characters spoke in stereotypical German-accented English. Katzenjammer means "severe hangover" in German.

The comic strip was turned into a stage play in 1903, inspired several animated cartoons, and was one of 20 strips included in the Comic Strip Classics series of commemorative postage stamps.

It was so popular that it became two competing comic strips and the subject of a lawsuit. This happened because Dirks wanted to take a break after about 15 years but the Hearst newspaper syndicate wouldn't allow it. Dirks left anyway and the strip was taken over by Harold Knerr . Dirks sued, and after a long legal battle the Hearst papers were allowed to continue The Katzenjammer Kids and Dirks was allowed to syndicate an almost identical strip, called The Captain and the Kids after 1918, for the rival Pulitzer newspapers. Both strips ran in competing newspapers for half a century, and fans still debate which was better.

Following Knerr's death, The Katzenjammer Kids was taken over by Charles H. Winner from 1949-1956, Joe Musial from 1956-1976, Mike Senisch from 1976-1981, and Angelo DeCesare from 1981-1986.

The feature is currently drawn by Hy Eisman and distributed to about 50 newspapers and magazines around the world.

External links

• King Features
• Toonopedia article