One Big Happy
Encyclopedia
One Big Happy is a daily comic strip
written and illustrated by Rick Detorie
, detailing the daily adventures of a six-year-old girl named Ruthie. The strip also features her eight-year-old brother Joe, their parents Frank and Ellen, and their grandparents Nick and Rose, who live next door. The strip's title is a takeoff on the phrase, "One big happy family." It debuted on September 11, 1988. The strip takes place on Buena Vista Avenue and in an unspecified city based on Baltimore
, Maryland
., where the creator grew up. It is syndicated by Creators Syndicate
.
The strip focuses on the daily lives of the children and their interactions with their family, friends and neighbors. Grandparents Nick and Rose are featured often, as they live next door and have a close relationship with the kids. Together they watch television, play cards, bake, and participate in imaginative games. Ruthie often visits the local public library
for story hour with the Library Lady, and annoys her with ceaseless questions and variations on her own tales. At school Ruthie dodges the affections of never-seen classmate Buggy Crispino, argues with her snotty rich friend Cylene, and she and Joe play with their ditzy friend James, a poor kid who lives down the street.
The strip has a number of recurring themes. Ruthie runs her own art business, which she sets up in a stand with a sign that reads "Good Art By Ruthie, 10 cents." Once, on the advice of Joe, she pretended to be dead in order to obtain better prices for her art. This scheme had totally unintended consequences. Ruthie also frequently misunderstands and misuses words she hears. Joe has a better handle on words, but often has trouble spelling them. Grandma Rose has a tendency to meddle into other people's business and gossip, while Nick and Frank tell tall tales to entertain the children. Ellen operates a pottery business in the house.
Originally the creator invented two sets of grandparents, but broke it down to only one, with the other - and more eccentric - grandmother, Myrna, making guest appearances. Joe's name was originally Frankie, but was changed to one that would take up less space. Ruthie was created as a dark-haired little girl to balance the blond-haired little boys that were already popular in the comic pages.
Joe describes his family as being "half Italian
and half Texan
." The Italian half comes from Nick, Rose, and Frank. Their family name is Lombard, a slightly Americanized version of the Italian family name Lombardo
. Myrna and Ellen supply the Texan side. All the family members are colorful characters with strong opinions on everything. The same can be said for their neighbors.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
written and illustrated by Rick Detorie
Rick Detorie
Rick Detorie is the creator of the popular comic strip One Big Happy. He is the author of 14 humor books, including the best-sellers No Good Men, No Good Lawyers, Totally Tacky Cartoons, Catholics and How to Survive an Italian Family...
, detailing the daily adventures of a six-year-old girl named Ruthie. The strip also features her eight-year-old brother Joe, their parents Frank and Ellen, and their grandparents Nick and Rose, who live next door. The strip's title is a takeoff on the phrase, "One big happy family." It debuted on September 11, 1988. The strip takes place on Buena Vista Avenue and in an unspecified city based on Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
., where the creator grew up. It is syndicated by Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate is an independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns for daily newspapers. It was founded in 1987 by Richard S. Newcombe, and is based in Los Angeles. Creators was one of the first syndicates to allow its clients to maintain creative control of their material...
.
The strip focuses on the daily lives of the children and their interactions with their family, friends and neighbors. Grandparents Nick and Rose are featured often, as they live next door and have a close relationship with the kids. Together they watch television, play cards, bake, and participate in imaginative games. Ruthie often visits the local public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
for story hour with the Library Lady, and annoys her with ceaseless questions and variations on her own tales. At school Ruthie dodges the affections of never-seen classmate Buggy Crispino, argues with her snotty rich friend Cylene, and she and Joe play with their ditzy friend James, a poor kid who lives down the street.
The strip has a number of recurring themes. Ruthie runs her own art business, which she sets up in a stand with a sign that reads "Good Art By Ruthie, 10 cents." Once, on the advice of Joe, she pretended to be dead in order to obtain better prices for her art. This scheme had totally unintended consequences. Ruthie also frequently misunderstands and misuses words she hears. Joe has a better handle on words, but often has trouble spelling them. Grandma Rose has a tendency to meddle into other people's business and gossip, while Nick and Frank tell tall tales to entertain the children. Ellen operates a pottery business in the house.
Originally the creator invented two sets of grandparents, but broke it down to only one, with the other - and more eccentric - grandmother, Myrna, making guest appearances. Joe's name was originally Frankie, but was changed to one that would take up less space. Ruthie was created as a dark-haired little girl to balance the blond-haired little boys that were already popular in the comic pages.
Joe describes his family as being "half Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
and half Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
." The Italian half comes from Nick, Rose, and Frank. Their family name is Lombard, a slightly Americanized version of the Italian family name Lombardo
Lombardo
Lombardo is an Italian surname, often held by the descendants of migrants from Sicily and other parts of Italy.It may refer to:-Surname:*Andrea Lombardo , Canadian football player...
. Myrna and Ellen supply the Texan side. All the family members are colorful characters with strong opinions on everything. The same can be said for their neighbors.
Collections
All books published by NBM Publishing.- All the Dirt! (2001) ISBN 1-56163-280-5
- Nice Costs Extra! (1999) ISBN 1-56163-239-2
- None of This Fun Is My Fault! (1998) ISBN 1-56163-217-1
- Should I Spit on Him? (1997) ISBN 1-56163-172-8