''Old Doc Yak'' is a
comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
by
Sidney Smith that centers on a talking goat. The origin of the character was Buck Nix, a goat Smith drew in 1908 for the ''
Chicago Evening Journal''. For three years, Nix romanced a she-goat called Nanny.
In 1911, Smith moved to the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
''. He introduced a new goat character when ''Old Doc Yak'' began as a
daily strip
A daily strip is a newspaper comic strip format, appearing on weekdays, Monday through Saturday, as contrasted with a Sunday strip, which typically only appears on Sundays. They typically are smaller, 3–4 grids compared to the full page Sunday s ...
on February 19, 1912, with the
Sunday page
Sunday (Latin: ''dies solis'' meaning "day of the sun") is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. Sunday is a day of rest in most Western countries and a part of the weekend. In some Middle Eastern countries, Sunday is a weekday.
F ...
starting a few weeks later on March 3.
Doc Yak was a family man and more mature than Buck Nix. He had a son, Yutch, along with a number of domestic problems. The last daily ''Old Doc Yak'' strip, on February 10, 1917, depicted Yak and his family moving out while wondering who might move into the house next. The last panel showed the empty house. The next day's newspapers, in the space formerly occupied by ''Old Doc Yak'', printed the first strip of Smith's ''
The Gumps
''The Gumps'' is a comic strip about a middle-class family. It was created by Sidney Smith in 1917, launching a 42-year run in newspapers from February 12, 1917, until October 17, 1959.
According to a 1937 issue of ''Life'', ''The Gumps'' was ...
'', showing the Gumps moving into the house formerly occupied by the Yak family.
''Old Doc Yak'' continued as a Sunday strip until June 15, 1919,
[ when Yak was depicted selling his car to Andy Gump so he and Yutch could move away "to start life all over again". ''The Gumps'' likewise took over the Sunday space the following week.
]
Later appearances
On December 7, 1930, ''Old Doc Yak'' was revived as a topper for ''The Gumps'' Sunday page, continuing in that capacity until February 25, 1934.[
In 1998, Old Doc Yak and Yutch appeared in ''Valiant Varmints'', a one-shot ]comic book
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
from Shanda Fantasy Arts. A masked figure called 'Bullethead' arranges for the anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
superheroes of the title, including Fission Chicken, to be distracted battling threats while he goes after a mysterious item; he turns out to be Doc Yak, who just wants his old license plate
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British, Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for ...
back (after losing it decades ago to the Gumps). Upon learning this, the Valiant Varmints decide to leave Yak and Yutch in peace.
In other media
In 1913 and 1914, Doc Yak appeared in a series of animated shorts produced by the Selig Polyscope Company
The Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company that was founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago, Illinois. The company produced hundreds of early, widely distributed commercial moving pictures, including the first films ...
.The Adventures of Kathlyn
''The Adventures of Kathlyn'' (1913) is an American motion picture serial released on December 29, 1913, by the Selig Polyscope Company. An adventure serial filmed in Chicago, Illinois, its thirteen episodes were directed by Francis J. Grand ...
''.
References
External links
''Old Doc Yak''
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archived
from the original on September 7, 2015.
American comic strips
1912 comics debuts
1919 comics endings
1930 comics debuts
1934 comics endings
Gag-a-day comics
Fiction about goats
Anthropomorphic goats
American comics characters
Male characters in comics
American comics adapted into films
Animated films based on American comics
Comics characters introduced in 1912
Comics about anthropomorphic goats
Comics about talking animals
Comic strips started in the 1910s
Comic strips formerly syndicated by Tribune Content Agency
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