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The Family Circus (Comic Strip)

 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
type
TVTItem
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
label
The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
page
TheFamilyCircus
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
comment
Bil Keane's The Family Circus (originally The Family Circle) is a long running (since 1960) Newspaper Comic about the innocent childhood adventures of young siblings Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, and infant P.J. Occasionally, parents Bil and Thel will contribute some insightful comment about the children's exploits, like when they all were imitating Wayne's World and Bil says: "Makes sense to me. NOT!"Other characters include random neighbor children, pets, extended family members (many of whom are dead), and various ghosts representing childhood excuses. A standard Family Circus trope is for a parent to ask the children who broke something, only for them all to say "Not me"... just as a ghost named "Not Me" flees the scene, damning evidence of the crime in hand.Family Circus Sunday strips are notable for generally sticking to the single-panel format of the weekday version, albeit far more elaborately drawn. Some of these Sunday strips have a gimmick where, through the usage of a dotted line arrow, you can see the path taken by Billy or another of the Keane children, through a heavily detailed map of a neighborhood, usually done to show how kids can get distracted while running simple errands. The 1990's added another set of themed strips ("It's Apparent You're a Parent"), which expands the Sunday strip to multi panel (or in this case, circle) format to showcase how parenthood, through Bil and Thel, affects their everyday lives when dealing with their fellow adults.Occassionally, the strip will go on a week long "hiatus" as Bil Keane allowed his then young son, and later his grandson, to contribute rather crudely drawn "fill-in" strips when their father and grandfather needs to take a breather from work.Besides little kids, the sincere fanbase for the comic consists of parents and grandparents who love the domestic slice-of-life humor of writers like the late Erma Bombeck; in fact, she and Keane were friends. One of Keane's sons, Glen, became a top animator at Disney (where he was the lead character animator for Ariel, the Beast, Pocahontas, and John Silver, among others). Another son, Jeff, began assisting his dad with the comic in the 2000's, and has taken over following Bil's death in November 2011.While it's ostensibly a humorous comic strip with a wide circulation, The Family Circus has been more popular as the butt of jokes at least since The '90s.The early days of the Web (1995-99) saw a Web Original feature called Dysfunctional Family Circus. Family Circus strips were posted without the original caption, inviting readers to submit alternate interpretations of the scene. Hilarity ensued. Dysfunctional Family Circus's creator said: "A number of people have told me they don't like The Family Circus because they don't think it applied to them — they never experienced anything remotely like it." One newspaper called the Dysfunctional Family Circus a "twisted Rorschach test." Perhaps this explains why Todd Gaines, the cynical drug dealer from the 1999 film Go, was compelled to read Family Circus every day.For all the abuse it gets, it's clear that The Family Circus speaks to a lot of people. As another newspaper observed at the height of the Dysfunctional Family Circus controversy, no one would bother making a Web site called The Dysfunctional Fusco Brothers. In addition, The Far Side was often paired with The Family Circus in many newspapers, providing a surreal Foil to the Circus domesticity.A Live-Action Adaptation film is planned for the future.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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2024-01-30T19:14:55Z
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Dropped link to BloomCounty: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Dropped link to PearlsBeforeSwine: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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DBTropes
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_1b65dfad
type
The Cameo
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_1b65dfad
comment
The Cameo: Jeff Keane put his friend, fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry, in a comic back in May 2017.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_1b65dfad
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_1ba8eb64
type
Visual Pun
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_1ba8eb64
comment
Visual Pun: "Billy's" Sunday strips consist of illustrated puns. "Dolly is Ruthless", for example, is illustrated with her losing a doll named Ruth when she pulls the wagon too fast on which it's seated.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_2227f5c8
type
Menace Decay
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_2227f5c8
comment
Menace Decay: Back in The '60s, the kids were the typical comic portrayal of overexcited tots; since their behavior hasn't kept in step with the times, it's hard to see this family as a metaphorical wacky circus.
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type
Lampshade Hanging
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_2a090d00
comment
Lampshade Hanging: This comic's punchline seems to only exist to lampshade the fact that they've been kids for 50 years.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_31ae6183
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Got Me Doing It
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_31ae6183
comment
Got Me Doing It: Of course, the kids all address Thel as "Mommy." In one strip, Bil introduces her to someone by saying, "I'd like you to meet my mommy — MY WIFE!"
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_336e891
type
Present Peeking
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_336e891
comment
Present Peeking: The children frequently manage to find their hidden Christmas presents. Needless to say, their parents are not happy when it happens.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_34e1ef45
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Unnamed Parent
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_34e1ef45
comment
Unnamed Parent: Averted with Bil and Thel who have referred to each other by their first names.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4192763e
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Malaproper
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4192763e
comment
Malaproper: The kids: e.g, "This is the dawning of the age of asparagus", "A washed pot never boils", etc.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4192763e
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4348c929
type
Early Installment Character-Design Difference
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4348c929
comment
Early Installment Character-Design Difference: The dad was originally a gruff, overweight, slouched-over, balding buffoon who usually wore a hat and trenchcoat and smoked cigarettes. PJ was originally completely bald instead of short-haired.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4348c929
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_479f9ad0
type
Characterization Marches On
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_479f9ad0
comment
Characterization Marches On: In the earliest years, the dad was more buffoonish and deadbeat — he was overweight, wore a hat, drank, smoke, pounded on the table when Thel tried to nag him, etc. About 10 years in, he was overhauled as the trimmer, more competent and sympathetic dad he is today.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4cecb933
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Signs of Disrepair
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4cecb933
comment
Signs of Disrepair: A variation on this occurs when Thel puts up a sign for the family's garage sale; someone adds a letter during the night to make it say "Garbage Sale."
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4cecb933
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4f4372e9
type
Early-Installment Weirdness
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4f4372e9
comment
Early-Installment Weirdness: The art used to be a lot less "round", the dad had a radically different design and personality, and PJ didn't exist until several years in.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_4f4372e9
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_5076ccdb
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You Say Tomato
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_5076ccdb
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You Say Tomato: The children, most often Jeffy, pronounce some words in a nonstandard way.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_5076ccdb
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_5f9fbd83
type
Not Allowed to Grow Up
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_5f9fbd83
comment
Not Allowed to Grow Up: None of the characters have ever aged, though they are occasionally shown celebrating each others' birthdays.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_5f9fbd83
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_64d8b71f
type
Sequential Art
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_64d8b71f
comment
Sequential Art: Unlike many other newspaper comics, The Family Circus is not really sequential, at best sometimes using the Dotted Line Path mentioned above.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_6d00503a
type
Rain Dance
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_6d00503a
comment
Rain Dance: The family goes on a beach vacation and it rains. Dolly claims that this is Billy and Jeffy's fault because "they were doing their Indian rain dance."
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_6da90c4d
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Full-Name Ultimatum
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_6da90c4d
comment
Full-Name Ultimatum: Dolly overhears Thel giving a lecture to Billy and Jeffy:
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_7236d837
type
Remix Comic
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_7236d837
comment
Remix Comic:
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_7236d837
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_7b74adb2
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Grandfather Clause
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_7b74adb2
comment
Grandfather Clause: There have been a lot of suggestions that newspapers only continue to run the comic because of how old it is.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_7b74adb2
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_967b9ebe
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How Can Santa Deliver All Those Toys?
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_967b9ebe
comment
How Can Santa Deliver All Those Toys?: This is discussed in the Christmas Special (Billy chalks it up to Santa having a time-stopping watch).
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_967b9ebe
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_973d220f
type
Never My Fault
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_973d220f
comment
Never My Fault: The kids have been known to blame inanimate objects for their misbehavior. Jeffy hits PJ with a stuffed monkey, PJ cries, Thel gets mad, and Jeffy says, "My monkey did it." Billy's explanation for how a flower bed got flattened is, "My bike did something dumb."
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a58e5ad7
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Naked People Are Funny
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a58e5ad7
comment
Naked People Are Funny: In one strip, Jeffy answers the door naked and suggests that the visitor come back later because "Mommy's tryin' to give me a bath."
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The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a58e5ad7
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a68421bb
type
Animated Adaptation
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a68421bb
comment
Animated Adaptation: Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter specials were made in the late 1970s and early '80s.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a68421bb
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a8a5e4ed
type
Christianity Is Catholic
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a8a5e4ed
comment
Christianity is Catholic: Many of the strips contain religious subject matter, implied to be of the Catholic variety. Bil Keane was Catholic himself, so it may have been on purpose, or it may have simply been what he was familiar with.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a8a5e4ed
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a8c50563
type
Bathtub Scene
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_a8c50563
comment
Bathtub Scene: Thel gets these sometimes. At least one has her laying in the tub with cleavage visible.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_aeb88a57
type
Kids Prefer Boxes
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_aeb88a57
comment
Kids Prefer Boxes: One strip shows the living room filled with new toys on Christmas morning and Jeffy asking Thel if he and PJ can go outside and play with the boxes.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_aeb88a57
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_b032e4ed
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Ms. Fanservice
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_b032e4ed
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Ms. Fanservice: Thel. In some of the older book collections, check out some of the two-piece bikinis and tight-fitting clothes she wears!
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Peeve Goblins
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_b2f58d22
comment
Peeve Goblins: There's an intangible creature called "Not Me" who lives to sabotage the grownups' day to make the kids look bad.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_b707726f
type
Hypocritical Humor
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_b707726f
comment
Hypocritical Humor: One early strip has Thel scolding the children for not wearing their slippers at night. Around the corner, the dad is shown about to walk through, without his own slippers, and immediately turning around.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: On Halloween 2012, this strip ran a comic that made a reference to Warhammer 40,000. No really. It did. Bill Keane's son Glen — the model for Billy — went on to become one of the most respected animators alive today, working at Walt Disney Animation Studios from 1974 to 2012. He got a nod from dear old Dad in the July 5, 1999 strip, when Billy marches out into the yard in nothing but a loincloth◊, imagining himself as Tarzan. Back in the mid-90s, the kids, at one point wonder if their grandpa plays with the Patterson's old dog who had recently died while in heaven. Cut to him in heaven doing just that.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_c9597a03
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Self-Deprecation
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_c9597a03
comment
Self-Deprecation: The official Family-Circus/Dilbert Crossover note  during an April Fools event where multiple cartoonists switched comics for a day in which Billy annoys Dilbert to the point of calling security on the kid! (See All Just a Dream above for the counterpart.)
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_d34cbda2
type
Implausible Deniability
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_d34cbda2
comment
Implausible Deniability: Thel finds PJ hiding in a closet devouring a bag of stolen cookies. PJ cries, "I not here! I with Daddy!"
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_d34cbda2
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_d53ad027
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Cheerful Child
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_d53ad027
comment
Cheerful Child: All the kids are very happy most of the time.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_e132a621
type
Fluffy Cloud Heaven
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_e132a621
comment
Fluffy Cloud Heaven: Always played straight when Grandad is shown in heaven, although apart from the clouds and angelic robes, it generally seems like a friendly seniors' community.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_e43c66bd
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Art Evolution
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_e43c66bd
comment
Art Evolution: Though most is explained in Early-Installment Weirdness below, up through the mid-1990s Mommy had puffy Olive Oyl-ish hair and a completely round face like the kids, as opposed to the short hair and very broad chin she has now. (Though her mother still has the hair)
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_e99cc683
type
Innocent Swearing
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_e99cc683
comment
Innocent Swearing: In at least one early strip, Jeffy does this, and gets spanked for it. In more recent strips, both due to the kids' Menace Decay and due to changing views on Corporal Punishment, this would obviously never happen.
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 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_ea85d6ea
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All Just a Dream
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_ea85d6ea
comment
All Just a Dream: As part of a 1997 April Fools' Day project in which many newspaper comic writers/artists swapped strips for the day, Dilbert's Scott Adams did that day's Family Circus, with Mom in the role of Pointy-Haired Boss encouraging Billy to "work cuter, not harder." (See Self-Deprecation below for the counterpart comic.) The following day's Family Circus explained this as one of the kids having a nightmare.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_ea85d6ea
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The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_ea85d6ea
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_efd11fe3
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A Dog Named "Dog"
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_efd11fe3
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A Dog Named "Dog": The family cat is named Kittycat.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_efd11fe3
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The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_efd11fe3
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_f51c5f3c
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Never Say "Die"
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_f51c5f3c
comment
Never Say "Die": Averted in the Christmas special. Thel tells the kids that her father-in-law is in Heaven, and Billy explains to Jeffy that this means he's dead.
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The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_f51c5f3c
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_f63e468f
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Terrible Artist
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_f63e468f
comment
Terrible Artist: Billy occasionally fills in for his dad, who is a cartoonist, with the expected results.
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_f63e468f
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The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_f63e468f
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_f9f2c33
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Running Gag
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip) / int_f9f2c33
comment
Running Gag: Excuse ghosts. A form of Visual Pun, with one for every childhood excuse under the sun. The kid says it, a ghost with that name is seen fleeing the scene of the crime. "Not Me" is the best known, but "Ida Know", "Nobody" and "O. Yeah!", among others, have also made appearances. (While this may not have been Keane's intention, it could be argued that the ghosts actually exist in the universe of the strip even if they can't be seen, which would also make them a variation of Not-So-Imaginary Friend.) Billy's infamous Dotted Line is the perfect representation of at least a walking one.
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The Family Circus (Comic Strip)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
hasFeature
A Dog Named "Dog" / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Age-Stereotypical Food / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Black Bead Eyes / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Censorship by Spelling / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Characterization Marches On / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Children's Comics / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Christian Fiction / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Crossover Punchline / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Daddy's Girl / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Dead Person Conversation / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Died During Production / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Dog Walks You / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Dreaded Kids' Table / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Early Installment Character-Design Difference / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Easter Special / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Facial Scruff / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Father, I Want to Marry My Brother / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Frame Break / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Go to Your Room! / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Horrible Camping Trip / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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How Can Santa Deliver All Those Toys? / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Hurricane of Puns / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Innocent Swearing / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Invisible Jerkass / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Loud of War / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Malaproper / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Memetic Psychopath / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Menace Decay / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Mondegreen Gag / int_3f4c0009
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Most Writers Are Writers / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Mundane Ghost Story / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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New Media Are Evil / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Not-So-Imaginary Friend / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Odd-Shaped Panel / int_3f4c0009
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Opaque Lenses / int_3f4c0009
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Orwellian Retcon / int_3f4c0009
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Outlived Its Creator / int_3f4c0009
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Peeve Goblins / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Periphery Hatedom / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Pink Girl, Blue Boy / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Pint-Sized Kid / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Playing Sick / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Post-Release Retitle / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Present Peeking / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Saving Christmas / int_3f4c0009
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Self-Deprecation / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Spirit Advisor / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Stock "Yuck!" / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Terrible Artist / int_3f4c0009
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The '60s / int_3f4c0009
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The Artifact / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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The End Is Nigh / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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The Immune / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Thinker Pose / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Title Confusion / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Too Smart for Strangers / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Two Decades Behind / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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White Void Room / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Who's on First? / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Yes, Virginia / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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You Say Tomato / int_3f4c0009
 The Family Circus (Comic Strip)
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Sequential Artist / int_3f4c0009