The Kin-der-Kids

"The Kin-der-Kids" and "Wee Willie Winkie's World" were early newspaper comics authored by painter Lyonel Feininger, and published by the "Chicago Sunday Tribune" in 1906 and 1907.

Similar in form to "Little Nemo" and the later Sunday editions of "Krazy Kat", most of Feininger's comics occupied a full-page and were rendered in color. "The Kin-der-Kids" began running in Tribune papers from on April 29, 1906. Feininger's second feature, "Wee Willie Winkie's World", ran concurrently with "The Kin-der-Kids" from August 19, 1906 until "The Kin-der-Kids"'s cancellation on November 18, 1906. "Wee Willie Winkie's World" ended three months later, on February 17, 1907. The series' short lives have been attributed to several causes, including an Feininger being unable to produce two strips of finely detailed artwork on a weekly schedule, and personal conflict between Feininger and his publishers. [Markstein, Don. "Lyonel Feininger" at "Toonpedia" http://www.toonopedia.com/feiningr.htm ]

"The Kin-der-Kids"

Much like "The New York Herald's" "Little Nemo", "Tribune" publishers envisioned "The Kin-der-kids" as a highbrow alternative to the comical, and at times violent, antics of "Happy Hooligan" and "The Katzenjammer Kids", strips published in Hearst and Pulitzer-owned papers. [Blackbeard, Bill "Wee Willie Winkie, Tall Uncle Feininger, and the Comic Strip Horrors of 1906: How Auntie Jim-Jam was No Antidote but Genius Triumphed." "The Comic Strip Art of Lionel Feininger" Kitchen Sink Press, Northampton, MA: 1994. 3-4.]

The "Kin-der-Kids" followed an ongoing story about the three Kin-der brothers who, along with their dog and a mechanical boy, set sail in the family's antique bathtub to explore the world. The strips imply that the Kin-ders set sail for a specific reason: early on they receive a note - unseen to the reader - from Mysterious Pete which contains instructions for their trip. These instructions and the purpose of their trip remain indeterminate for the life of the comic.

Characters

The primary cast of "The Kin-der-Kids" were introduced to "Tribune" readers before the commencement of the strip's regular publication. On April 29, 1906 the "Tribune" published a special "All About the Tribune's New Comic Supplement" section. The cover featured a caricature of "Uncle" Feininger suspending the cast marionette-like on strings. The "New Comic Supplement" introduction also included a page of color portraits of the characters, and inside the supplement were prose biographies of the cast.

The cast introduced in this publication are:
*Daniel Webster: The bookish leader of the kids, he is frequently preoccupied with his reading, appealing with "oh, don't disturb me," when the other kids alert him to happenings around them. Daniel's design is notably similar to that of Wee Willie Winkie.
*Pie-Mouth: The second of the kids, a boy with an enormous mouth and an equally enormous appetite.
*Strenuous Teddy: The most physical of the Kin-der kids, frequently demonstrating feats of strength.
*Little Japansky: A clockwork boy fished from the sea by Uncle Kin-der. Described as a "water baby," Japansky is mechanical device lost by a Japanese submarine, not a living child.
*Sherlock Bones: Daniel Webster's dog, a blue dachshund who accompanies the children on their adventures.
*Aunt Jim-Jam and Gussie: Portrayed as over-worrying and concerned for the Kin-ders' safety, Aunt Jim-Jam pursues the Kids in a hot-air balloon to ensure that they receive their doses of Castor oil. She is accompanied by her son, Gussie and their pet cat. Along the way they pick up another traveler, Mr. Buggins, who was not mentioned in the April 29th introduction.
*Mysterious Pete and his hound: Mysterious Pete is a strange visitor wrapped in a large blue cloak and a big hat, with one eye peering out. Pete floats on a cloud, accompanied by his dog, to deliver messages to the rest of the cast, and occasionally to rescue them from trouble. He is described by other characters as some kind of ghost, prefers buckskin clothing, and has a western style revolver at the ready. Although he initially gives the Kids their instructions, it is also he who sets Aunt JimJam and company in pursuit of the Kids.
*The Pillsbury Family: Mister Phileas P. Pillsbury, possibly a snake oil salesman, is the inventor of "The Pillsbury Universal Growing Pill," which he seeks to travel the world marketing, along with five young daughters. The Pillsburys are introduced as major characters, however they only make one minor appearance in the course of the strip's life.
*Uncle Kin-der: the Kids' good-natured uncle and "nominal" head of the Kin-der family. Uncle Kin-der is never seen again after the strip's introduction.

"Wee Willie Winkie's World"

Unlike "The Kin-der-Kids", "Wee Willie Winkie's World" was not an episodic adventure. Each strip features the eponymous protagonist observing the surreal countryside around his grandfather's home. He interacts with the inanimate objects around him which have anthropomorphic qualities. Instead of speech balloons, the strip utilizes captions and prose passages that accompany the images.

After publication

When "Wee Willie Winkie's World" ceased publication in 1907, it proved to be the last comic-strip Feininger would create, although he would later use similar designs for his wooden landscape sculptures (photographs of which were released in a 1965 book "City at the Edge of the World".) Despite the strips' short lives, they are highly praised by later comics enthusiasts. "The Kin-der-Kids"'s "full-fledged, frankly suspenseful week-to-week continuity," writes cartooning historian Bill Blackbeard, was a "real innovation for the time" when even Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo" had not yet developed into ongoing stories. [Blackbeard, 4.] The artwork is lauded as well, and has been called "exquisitely drawn" in "Time." [cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,898627-6,00.html |title=Good Grief |accessdate=2007-02-22 |author=Time |authorlink=Time (magazine) |date=1965-04-09 |quote=... and the long-gone Kinder Kids, a strip exquisitely drawn by the cubist artist Lyonel Feininger.]

Art Spiegelman, editor of "RAW" and author of "Maus", praises the "Kin-der-Kids" as Feininger's crowning achievement:

In 1994 the entirety of Feininger's comics were collected in a single volume by Kitchen Sink Press: "The Comic Strip Art of Lionel Feininger".

In 1999 The Comics Journal included "The Kin-der-Kids" in its "Top 100 Comics list."

References