Art Nugent

Arthur William Nugent (; 1891 - March 25, 1975), better known as Art Nugent, was an American cartoonist notable for his long-running syndicated puzzle feature, ''Funland'' (aka ''Uncle Art's Funland''), which he drew for four decades. He sometimes used the signature A. W. Nugent.

Biography

Early life

Born in Wallingford, Connecticut, he began his career as an acrobat. From 1911 to 1918, he was the National AAU Tumbling Champion. In 1916, he made the Olympic team, but the event was canceled.

He joined the U.S. Navy during World War I and began doing artwork while in the service.

Nugent was friends with illusionist Harry Houdini, and the pair would play cards regularly.

''Puzzlers'' and ''Uncle Art's Funland''

Returning after World War I, Nugent worked as the ''New York Worlds puzzle cartoonist for eight years."Arthur Nugent, 84, Who Drew 'Funland' Puzzle Page, Is Dead,"
''The New York Times'' (March 27, 1975). For the ''World'', Nugent created a feature called ''Puzzlers'' in 1927, which was syndicated until c. 1931 by the ''World'''s Press Publishing Co.

''Puzzlers'' featured the same games, riddles, connect-the-dots art, crossword puzzles and anagrams that characterized ''Uncle Art's Funland'' (alternately known as ''Uncle Nugent's Funland''), launched in 1933. This feature introduced his autobiographical character, Uncle Nugent (aka Uncle Art).

From 1934 to around 1955, Nugent created a variety of single-page puzzle and game features — essentially the same concept as ''Uncle Art's Funland'' — for many Golden Age comics:
* ''Famous Funnies'' #1–162 (Eastern Color Printing, 1934–1948) — as ''Funland'' and occasionally ''Funland Everybody's Playmate''
* ''Popular Comics'' #1–35 (Dell Comics, 1936–1938) — as ''Nugent's Originals'' or ''Real Magic''
* ''The Comics'' (Dell Comics, 1938) — as ''Comics Puzzles'' or ''A Page for Little Artists''
* ''The Funnies'' #1-27 (Dell Comics, 1936–1938) — as ''Home Magic'' or ''Everybody's Playmate''
* All-American Comics #1–24 (All-American Publications, 1939–1941) — as ''Real Magic to Mystify Your Friends'' or ''Nugent's Original Puzzles, Games, Tricks & Comics''
* ''Champ Comics'' (Harvey Comics, 1940–1943) — as ''Champ Puzzlers''
* ''Victory Puzzles'' ran in ''All-American Comics'', ''Sensation Comics'', and ''Wonder Woman'' (1943–1944)
* ''Detective Puzzles'' ran in ''All-Flash'', ''All-American Comics'', and ''Detective Comics'' (1943–1945)
* ''Sparkling Stars'' #13–33 ( Holyoke Publishing, 1946–1948) — as ''Puzzle Page''
* ''Felix the Cat'' (Toby Press, 1953–1955) — as ''Play Fun'' or ''Puzzle Page''

Beginning in 1950, ''Uncle Nugent's Funland'' was regularly syndicated.Nugent entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Accessed Jan. 1, 2019. Originally with the Bell-McClure Syndicate, it became part of United Feature Syndicate in 1972. Nugent's son Art Nugent, Jr. took over ''Uncle Art's Funland'' in the early 1970s with occasional contributions by the elder Nugent until 1974.

''Uncle Art's Funland'' ended in 1991 but was revived circa 2009 by United Media. It is now produced by N.A. Nugent (hypothesized by some to be "Not A Nugent"). and distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication under the United Features brand.

Comic books

In the 1940s, Nugent created talking animal stories for ''Popular Comics'' and other comic books, including "Pint-Size Pete" for '' The Big All-American Comics'' (1944).

From 1945 to 1947, Nugent operated the A.W. Nugent Publishing Company, which only published two titles, both of which featured his signature puzzle pages:
* ''Cavalier Comics'' (2 issues, 1945)
* ''Circus of Fun Comics'' (3 issues, 1945–1947)

Later life

Living in Newark, New Jersey, Nugent was a member of the Society of Illustrators.

The senior Nugent was 84 when he died at St. Mary's Hospital in Orange, New Jersey in 1975.

Art Nugent, Jr.

Arthur William Nugent, Jr. (February 6, 1926 - November 23, 1997) studied at Syracuse University and the Newark School of Art. Beginning as his father's assistant, Art Nugent, Jr. was partnering with his father as early as 1953."Connect the Dots by A. W. Nugent and A. W. Nugent, Jr.,"
''Catalog of Copyright Entries Third Series: 1953: July–December'' (Copyright Office, Library of Congress, 1954), p. 474.

The junior Nugent was 71 when he died in 1997.

Books

''Funland: Super-packed with Puzzles, Jokes, Amazing Facts and Lots more Exciting Fun!'', by Art Nugent and Leo White, is a 132-page paperback collection published by Playmore in 1982.

References

External links

Uncle Art's Funland''
at GoComics
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nugent, Art
American comic strip cartoonists
American comics artists
20th-century American illustrators
1891 births
1975 deaths
People from Wallingford, Connecticut
Military personnel from Connecticut