Ching Chow
Ching Chow is an American one-panel cartoon that was created by Sidney Smith and Stanley Link. It first appeared on January 17, 1927, and ran for more than 60 years, under a variety of different creators. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune / New York Daily News Syndicate. The title character was a stereotypical Chinese man with slanty eyes and a big, toothy grin. He offered pearls of Confucius-style wisdom, like "Beware of silent dog and still water." Because Ching Chow was first published in the United States in 1927, the character entered the public domain in 2023.
| Ching Chow | |
|---|---|
 The debut Ching Chow panel of January 17, 1927 | |
| Author(s) | Sidney Smith (1927–1935) and Stanley Link (1927–1957) Will Henry (1957–1971) Rocco Lotito (1975–1976) |
| Illustrator(s) | Will Levinson (1975–1976) Henri Arnold (1976–1990) |
| Current status/schedule | Concluded gag panel |
| Launch date | (first run) January 17, 1927 (second run) 1975 |
| End date | (first run) 1971 (second run) May 12, 1990 |
| Syndicate(s) | Chicago Tribune Syndicate |
| Genre(s) | Humor, gag-a-day, satire |
Ching Chow is an American one-panel cartoon that was created by Sidney Smith and Stanley Link.[1] It first appeared on January 17, 1927,[2] and ran for more than 60 years, under a variety of different creators. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune / New York Daily News Syndicate.[3] The title character was a stereotypical Chinese man with slanty eyes and a big, toothy grin. He offered pearls of Confucius-style wisdom, like "Beware of silent dog and still water."[4]
Because Ching Chow was first published in the United States in 1927, the character entered the public domain in 2023.
Publication history
[edit]Comic strip expert Don Markstein postulates that Link illustrated the strip from the beginning, with the more well-known Smith's name being attached to give the strip credibility.[3] When Smith died in 1935, Link's name was credited, until his own death in 1957. Link's former assistant Will Henry then produced the strip until it ended syndication in 1971.[3]
The strip was revived from 1975 to 1976 by the writer/illustrator team of Rocco Lotito and Will Levinson. Henri Arnold wrote and drew the strip from 1976 until it was discontinued on May 12, 1990.[5] Arnold created a new cartoon, Meet Mr. Luckey, "a virtually identical strip except that it now featured a life-size leprechaun." He continued with Mr. Luckey until 2009, when it was officially retired.[6]
Concept
[edit]As with Charlie Chan, in later decades critics took contending views, finding that Ching Chow reinforced condescending Asian stereotypes such as an alleged incapacity to speak idiomatic English and a tradition-bound and subservient nature. As one critic wrote about Ching Chow, "It wasn’t as much a strip as it was a daily fortune cookie."[7]
In later years, Ching Chow was viewed by many as a secret tip sheet for playing the numbers – the panel would appear far in the back pages of the New York Daily News. In a 1978 Village Voice article, one believer is quoted as saying, "Why you think Ching Chow has been in the newspaper all these years? Because it's funny? Hah, hah."[8][9][10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Link entry, Lambiek's Comiclopedia. Accessed Oct. 28, 2018.
- ^ "Ching Chow by Sidney Smith starts today!". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 17, 1927 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Markstein, Don. "Ching Chow," Toonpedia. Accessed Oct. 28, 2018.
- ^ "Ching Chow" samples, My Comic Art Museum. Accessed Nov. 2, 2018.
- ^ Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 104. ISBN 9780472117567.
- ^ Kelly, John (December 2, 2015). ""On Ching Chow, Lucky Numbers and Gambling"". The Comics Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ "The Saturday Comics: Ching Chow". August 27, 2011.
- ^ Goldwasser, Noe (July 31, 1978). "Cartoon Numbers: Just Another System". The Village Voice – Google News Archive Search. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ Mandl, Dave. "Ching Chow's Hidden Agenda". WFMU.org.
- ^ Kelly, John. "On Ching Chow, Lucky Numbers, and Gambling," The Comics Journal (December 2, 2015).
External links
[edit]
Media related to Ching Chow at Wikimedia Commons