Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-02-12
bud FISHER AND
HIS LIFE STORY
Creator of Mutt and JEFF Was
Student Of Human
Nature,
Nature.

! Bud Fishers cartoons, which Will De
published exclusively in this paper,
beginning February 10, as Mutt.
Jeff's introduction was by accident
and is good story in itself. AT one
stage of his meteoric career on the
track, Mutt became disguised with
the odds and the prices and the bets
which the bookmakers would accept.
He decided to change his headquar-
| tiers to an insane asylum, where he
could lay any price he wanted to on
any horse and bet as much as he
pleased, and none of the regular
boarders at the asylum would COM
plain. 1t gave Fisher wide range
for his humor.
The scheme worked out to Nuts
entire satisfaction, although daily he
was bothered By nuts" One morn
ing man interrupted Mutt while he
was studying the dope sheet and told
him he was William Shakespeare, the
| Shakespeare of Stratford-on-AvOn.
This did not thrill Mutt
go away. Shakes" remarked Mutt,
and don't bother me. I've the dope
on a winner.Fi& @92, hIs
The following day Fisher had Ma
poleon of the Nut factory consult with
Mutt. This guest at the asylum
where Mr.. Mutt was making all his
imaginary money was interested in
military affairs and believed he was,
the Great Emperor in all his glory.
He was, however, weak on geogra-
ply. He approached Mutt in the dali
| ly strip and said: '3H>
Il have to report l have just tax
en- Vicksburg' l'm7f
We'll, put it back and don't bother
me-" promptly replied Mutt.
The various characters in the en-.
vironment where Mutt had been plac-
ed entered the strip day by day. One
morning a funny little fellow CAME
along. wearing boxing gloves.
who are you?' asked Mutt.
I'm James j. Jeffries,' replied the
newcomer. land | want to fight YOU"
He wanted Mutt to don the boxing
gloves, but the tall fellow was too
busy with his inevitable racing sheets
so the last picture Of the strip show
ed James J. Jeffries down on the floor
with Nuts foot in his face and the
owner of the foot quietly studying
the form card. 1t was the first time
Jeff got his, but he was destined to
receive it frequently in The years to
come. 1t was from James J. Jeffries,
then the champion of the world, that
little Jeff received his name. At first
he was known as Little Jeffries, later
as just little Jeff. "A great character
| had been born
| How did you happen to make him
the type he is?"' i asked Bud,
sHsWeH, "'+was the reply, 1T is al
ways small nut who believes he
| can whip anyone in the world. The
little filbert is constantly getting into
muses. and receiving the worst of it.
To make him look more foolish, | put
whiskers on him."
This was a good time to ask Fisher
a question which had been rumbling
around in my mind for some time.
fired away.
(Which one do you like better, Mutt
or Jeff" .
give always liked Mutt better, for
he was my first friend" he deadly
repliel, land | try never to go back
on old friends. However, lots of my
readers have weakness for JEFF, so
let him get the best of it some
times. l receive thousands OF letters
each year, taking Jeff's part and re.
questing he be given the edge in the
future. He has many friends. For
long time, a sort of circular letter
was sent about which begged me for
the love of everything / held dear to
tell the writer whether jeff would
ever be as tall as Mutt. One day.
to satisfy these writer's, ! made jeff
the tall one and Mutt short Just
for change told Them e--. 'ssaH.
did Jeff continue in the pictures
daily from the time Mutt found him
in the insane asylum"
NO, he didn't get a steady Job for
some time after that. He obtained
his permanent place in the comic dur.
ing the graft Investigation in San
Francisco. After l took Mutt out of
the asylum, JEFF went back on the
shelf with Shakespeare and Napoleon
and all the other nuts When l be.
gan to draw cartoons on the graft
case, brought JEFF back into the pic
lures. The little fellow came out Of
the asylum in order to sympathize
with Rudolph Spreckels, because he
said Spreckels was crazier than he
was. He complained that he should
not be kept in the asylum under
those circumstances. Jeff has been
in the daily pictures regularly ever
since except occasionally when Mutt
appears alone. jeff has also starred
alone in some strips
So that is how little JEFF broke H.
to the Zig League of cartoonists.
AT the time of the San Francisco
graft investigation, Mr.. Fisher had
II different characters in his daily
comic strip at one time and another.
Francis J. Heney was Attorney Bea
ney,' Rudolph Spreckels was "Ru-
dolph Pickles." and so on. Mutt and
jeff played as big parts in this inves-