5th May: Cartoonists’ Day

So on May 5, celebrate Cartoonists’ Day, in honor of the people who create your favorite cartoons.

The National Cartoonist Society started the day in 1999. The date of May 5 honors the day the very first color newspaper cartoon was published, May 5, 1895.

American comic strip writer and artist, Richard Outcault (January 14, 1863 – September 25, 1928) is considered the inventor of the modern comic strip.  At 15 years of age, he studied for three years at the McMicken University’s School of Design in Cincinnati. Outcault created the comic strips The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown.

The Yellow Kid is a bare-foot boy with a shaved head. He wears a yellow, hand-me-down nightshirt and his thoughts are printed on that shirt. The character had appeared in previous black-and-white cartoons.

Much like in advertising today, the popular cartoon character quickly appeared on billboards, postcards, cigarette packs, and other products.