zzz? (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Dan Goncharoff]

I would look at the Katzenjammer Kids, which originated or popularized many
of the attributes of the modern comic strip, and the artists involved.

This link shows a 1907 Fineheimer Twins cartoon drawn by Harold Knerr, who
later took over the Katzenjammer Kids:

http://www.yodaslair.com/dumboozle/knerr/knerrdex.html
<http://www.yodaslair.com/dumboozle/knerr/knerrdex.html>
http://www.yodaslair.com/dumboozle/knerr/images/ft-1907.jpg

<http://www.yodaslair.com/dumboozle/knerr/images/ft-1907.jpg>Zs are used to
represent the sound of snoring, along with with other letters for other
sleeping sounds.

The first link has another image showing "z-z-z" for snoring, but with no
firm date. I would guess sometime after 1914.

DanG

On Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 11:23 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: zzz? (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
>
> It might be worth looking through a collection of comics by Winsor
> McCay.  Two of his most prominent strips, "Little Nemo in Slumberland"
> and "Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend", are essentially graphic representations
> of dreams.  In each, the title character goes to sleep, dreams, and
> wakes up.  The first and last panels of each strip would be targets for
> searching for "ZZZZ".
>
> A well-stocked public library would likely have a book or two about
> McCay.  And even if it doesn't prove useful to your research, you'll get
> to see some of the best graphic art of the early 20th century.
>
>
> >>
> > >> If I were to want to trace the history of the use of ZZZ for
> snoring
> > >> in cartoons, what would be my best way of doing that? I have to
> > >> assume that there's something better than dumpster-diving old comic
> > >> books (wherever they even may be found), but I'm not entirely sure
> > >> where to start looking.
> > >>
> > >> Thanks!
> > >>
> > >> James Harbeck
> > >>
> >
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
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