Mort Walker is the creative force behind the comics “Beetle Bailey,” “Hi and Lois,” and many other comics over the last few decades. Within Columbia, Missouri, he’s the most well known cartoonist to have attended the University of Missouri. He’s recognized on the MU campus by both a Bronze Beetle Bailey Statue and an eatery called Mort’s in the MU Student Center.

With this in mind, I asked Mort if he’d give me some comments about Miss Mizzou for my book. I used part of his quote on the back of the book, but here’s his whole quote he sent:

“By the time Milton Caniff introduced Miss Mizzou I had left Mizzou and was pursuing my  career in New York. Milton Caniff had become my friend and was helping me create Beetle Bailey and suggested I put some sexy women in the strip. I thought Miss Mizzou was a great character but I can see the trouble it could cause. When I created Miss Buxley based on Marilyn Monroe she was a similar character and the General was always excited by her. But women all over the country were campaigning against sexism and Miss Buxley became a target. I was called to appear on TV shows with angry women “out to get me.” Papers with women editors were dropping my strip and I was puzzled at what to do about it. I decided to send the General for sensitivity training and have Miss Buxley become Beetle’s girlfriend. I stopped using any objectionable flirting and having her showing off her body. It worked out fine and I don’t have any complaints now.”

Other than Miss Mizzou, Miss Buxley is the only other comic strip character based on Marilyn Monroe that I’ve come across. Thanks for the quote Mort!

Recommended reading:

• If you’re interested in Mort Walker, please buy yourself a copy of “Mort Walker’s Private Scrapbook.” If you’re an MU alumni, you will especially love this book because it shows a lot of Walker’s college artwork and tracks the progress of his art style over the years.
• Of course for the comic professionals, you can’t get any better reference volume than Walker’s “The Lexicon of Comicana.” This infamous volume introduced the groundbreaking nomenclature of what to call various aspects of cartoon shorthand. It’s tongue in cheek, but has developed quite a following over the years.